Last learned how to play piano as child, switching to bass as a teenager. He joined Hans-Gunther Oesterreich's Radio Bremen Dance Orchestra in 1946, when he was 17 years old. In 1948, he became the leader of the Becker-Last Ensemble, which performed for seven years. During that time, he was voted as the best bassist in the country by a German jazz poll for three consecutive years, from 1950-1952. After the disbandment of the Becker-Last Ensemble, he became the in-house arranger for Polydor Records, as well as for a number of European radio stations. For the next decade, he helped arrange hits for artists like Helmut Zacharias and Caterina Valente.
Last released his first album "Non-Stop Dancing" in 1965. The record of brief renditions of popular songs, all tied together by an insistent dance beat and joyous crowd noises. It was a hit and helped make him a major European star. Over the next four decades, Last has released over 190 records, including several more volumes of Non-Stop Dancing. On these records, he varies his formula by adding different songs from different countries and genres, as well as guest performers like Richard Clayderman and Astrud Gilberto.
Though his concerts and albums are consistently successful — especially in England, where he had 52 hit albums between 1967-1986, which made him second to Elvis Presley in terms of number of charting records — he has only had two hit singles with "The Seduction," the theme from American Gigolo (1980) and Biscaya from the album "Biscaya".
He has won numerous polls and prizes, for example Billboard magazine's "Star of the year" trophy in 1976, and has been honored for his lifework with the German ECHO prize in 1994.
The song "The Lonely Shepherd", written by Last and performed by Gheorghe Zamfir and the James Last Orchestra, was featured in the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino's film "Kill Bill Vol. 1" (2003).
Personally, he divides his time between Florida and Germany. He gives much credit to his wife and son, who helps with the music.
A Hard Day's Night
James Last Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's been a hard day's night, I should be sleeping like a log
But when I get home to you I find the things that you do
Will make me feel alright
You know I work all day to get you money to buy you things
And it's worth it just to hear you say you're going to give me everything
So why on earth should I moan, 'cause when I get you alone
When I'm home everything seems to be right
When I'm home feeling you holding me tight, tight
It's been a hard day's night, and I been working like a dog
It's been a hard day's night, I should be sleeping like a log
But when I get home to you I find the things that you do
Will make me feel alright, ow
So why on earth should I moan, 'cause when I get you alone
You know I feel OK
When I'm home everything seems to be right
When I'm home feeling you holding me tight, tight
It's been a hard day's night, and I been working like a dog
It's been a hard day's night, I should be sleeping like a log
But when I get home to you I find the things that you do
Will make me feel alright
You know I feel alright
You know I feel alright
The lyrics to James Last's song, A Hard Day's Night, describe the exhaustion felt after a long day's work. The singer of the song has been working extremely hard and feels as though he has been working like a dog. However, when he gets home to his lover, everything seems to be alright. The person he comes home to, has the ability to soothe him and make everything feel right again.
The singer also mentions that he works hard all day to earn money so that he can buy his lover things that they want. However, what makes it all worth it is hearing the lover say that they will give him everything. This once again reinforces the idea that the lover has the ability to make everything feel right again. The singer acknowledges that it would be easy to complain about how hard they work, but what's the point when their lover has the ability to make them feel okay.
In summary, the singer is exhausted from working all day but finds solace in his lover's presence.
Line by Line Meaning
It's been a hard day's night, and I been working like a dog
I've had a tough day with a lot of work to do
It's been a hard day's night, I should be sleeping like a log
I should be fast asleep by now
But when I get home to you I find the things that you do
But when I come home to you, the things you do for me
Will make me feel alright
Make me feel better
You know I work all day to get you money to buy you things
I work hard all day to earn money to buy you things
And it's worth it just to hear you say you're going to give me everything
It's worth it just to hear you say that you'll give me everything
So why on earth should I moan, 'cause when I get you alone
So why should I complain when I'm alone with you
You know I feel OK
I feel just fine
When I'm home everything seems to be right
When I'm at home, everything seems to be perfect
When I'm home feeling you holding me tight, tight
When I'm at home and feeling you holding me tightly
It's been a hard day's night, and I been working like a dog
I've had a tough day with a lot of work to do
It's been a hard day's night, I should be sleeping like a log
I should be fast asleep by now
But when I get home to you I find the things that you do
But when I come home to you, the things you do for me
Will make me feel alright, ow
Make me feel better
So why on earth should I moan, 'cause when I get you alone
So why should I complain when I'm alone with you
You know I feel OK
I feel just fine
When I'm home everything seems to be right
When I'm at home, everything seems to be perfect
When I'm home feeling you holding me tight, tight
When I'm at home and feeling you holding me tightly
It's been a hard day's night, and I been working like a dog
I've had a tough day with a lot of work to do
It's been a hard day's night, I should be sleeping like a log
I should be fast asleep by now
But when I get home to you I find the things that you do
But when I come home to you, the things you do for me
Will make me feel alright
Make me feel better
You know I feel alright
I feel just fine
You know I feel alright
I feel just fine
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind