Merrill's recording career has spanned six decades and she is popular with fans of jazz in Japan and Italy (where she lived for many years) as well as in her native United States. She has recorded and performed with some of the most notable figures in the American jazz scene.
Youth and early career in the states
Merrill was born in 1930 to Croatian immigrant parents. She began singing in jazz clubs in the Bronx at the age of fourteen. By the time she was sixteen, Merrill had taken up music full time. In 1952, Merrill made her recording debut when she was asked to sing "A Cigarette For Company" with the Earl Hines Band; the song was released on their Xanadu album. Etta Jones made her debut on the same album.
At this time she was married to musician Aaron Sachs. They divorced in 1956.
As a result of the exposure she received from "A Cigarette for Company" and two subsequent singles recorded for the Roost record label, Merrill was signed by Mercury Records for their new EmArcy label.
In 1954, Merrill recorded her first (and to date most acclaimed) LP, an eponymous record featuring legendary jazz trumpet player Clifford Brown and bassist/cellist Oscar Pettiford, among others. It was to be one of Brown's last recordings, as he was killed in a car accident just two years later. The album was produced and arranged by Quincy Jones, who was then just twenty-one years old. The success of Helen Merrill prompted Mercury to sign her for an additional four-album contract.
Merrill's follow-up to Helen Merrill was the 1956 LP, Dream of You, which was produced and arranged by bebop arranger and pianist Gil Evans. Evans' work on Dream of You was his first in many years. His arrangements on Merrill's laid the musical foundations for his work in following years with Miles Davis.
Success abroad
After recording sporadically through the late 1950s and 1960s, Merrill spent much of her time touring Europe, where she enjoyed more commercial success than she had in the United States. She settled for a time in Italy recording an album there, and doing live concerts with jazz notables Chet Baker, Romano Mussolini, and Stan Getz. Merrill returned to the U.S. in the 1960s, but moved to Japan in 1967 after touring there. Merrill developed a following in Japan that remains strong to this day. In addition to recording while in Japan, Merrill became involved in other aspects of the music industry, producing albums for Trio Records and hosting a show on a Tokyo radio station.
Later career
Merrill returned to the US in 1972 and has continued recording and regular touring since then. Her later career has seen her experiment in different music genres. She has recorded a bossa nova album, a Christmas album and a record's worth of Rodgers and Hammerstein, among many others.
Two albums from Merrill's later career have been tributes to past musical partners. In 1987, Merrill and Gil Evans recorded fresh arrangements of their classic Dream of You; the new recordings were released under the title Collaboration and became the most critically acclaimed of Merrill's albums in the 1980s.
In 1987 she co-produced a CD "Billy Eckstine sing with Benny Carter" and sing in duet with Mr.B two ballads.
In 1995 she recorded Brownie: Homage to Clifford Brown as a tribute to the late trumpeter.
One of Merrill's millennium released recordings draws from her Croatian heritage as well as her American upbringing. Jelena Ana Milcetic, a.k.a. Helen Merrill (2000), combines jazz, pop and blues songs with several traditional Croatian songs sung in Croatian.
Helen Merrill has been married three times, first to musician Aaron Sachs, second time to UPI vice president the late Donald J Brydon, and third to arranger-conductor the late Torrie Zito. She has one child, a son, Allan P Sachs, also a singer, who is professionally known as Alan Merrill.
Mother Nature's Son
Helen Merrill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mother Nature's son
All day long I'm sitting singing songs for everyone.
Sit beside a mountain stream
See her waters rise
Listen to the pretty sound of music as she flies.
Mother Nature's son
Swaying daises sing a lazy song beneath the sun.
Mother Nature's son.
The opening line "Born a poor young country boy," in Helen Merrill's "Mother Nature's Son" conjures a sense of simplicity and naturalism. The song is about someone who lives in harmony with nature, who is connected to it in a profound way, and finds solace in it. The singer expresses his love for nature and how he feels a sense of belonging with the earth. He seems content with his lot in life, and his humble background is a source of pride for him. This pride comes from the fact that he perceives himself as a child of Mother Nature, and this relationship is what he cherishes the most.
The phrase "All day long I'm sitting singing songs for everyone" suggests an idyllic existence, where there are no material wants, and the singer derives joy from what he does. He lives a life that is true to his values, and in his communion with the natural world, he finds meaning and purpose. The second stanza "Sit beside a mountain stream, See her waters rise, Listen to the pretty sound of music as she flies" evokes a sense of calmness and tranquility. The singer seems to be enjoying the sound of the water, and in his connection, he feels a sense of peace.
Overall, "Mother Nature's Son" has a powerful message about the importance of being in harmony with nature. It urges individuals to develop a deep and profound connection with the natural world, one that resonates with their inner being. It highlights the beauty and simplicity of living a life that is close to nature, away from the hustle and bustle of urban life.
Line by Line Meaning
Born a poor young country boy
I came into this world with little wealth or status, raised in a rural area.
Mother Nature's son
I feel a close connection to the natural world and find solace in its beauty.
All day long I'm sitting singing songs for everyone.
I spend my days sharing my musical talents with anyone who will listen.
Sit beside a mountain stream
I take time to pause and appreciate the tranquility of a flowing mountain creek.
See her waters rise
I observe the natural ebb and flow of the stream as its waters gradually swell.
Listen to the pretty sound of music as she flies.
I am entranced by the beautiful melodies that can be heard in the flowing water.
Find me in my field of grass
I enjoy spending time in a meadow, surrounded by the peaceful ambiance of nature.
Swaying daisies sing a lazy song beneath the sun.
I delight in watching the gentle movement of the daisies in the breeze, adding to the serene atmosphere around me.
Mother Nature's son.
I am a product of and at peace with the natural world around me.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN LENNON, JOHN WINSTON LENNON, PAUL MCCARTNEY, PAUL JAMES MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
flamma ferus
this song like a nursery song (never heard it by The Beatles)
Hexen Definitive
I recommend listening to The Beatles version if you have not heard it before.