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.
Ain't Got No
James Last Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ain't got no money, ain't got no class
Ain't got no friends, ain't got no schooling
Ain't got no wear, ain't got no job
Ain't got no money, no place to stay
Ain't got no father, ain't got no mother
Ain't got no children, ain't got no sisters above
Ain't got no touch, ain't got no god
Ain't got no love
Ain't got no wine, no cigarettes
Ain't got no clothes, no country
No class, no schooling
No friends, no nothing
Ain't got no god
Ain't got one more
Ain't got no earth, no ?
No food, no home
I said I ain't got no clothes
No job, no nothing
Ain't got long to live
And I ain't got no love
But what have I got?
Let me tell ya what I've got
That nobody's gonna take away
I got my hair on my head
I got my brains, I got my ears
I got my eyes, I got my nose
I dot my mouth, I got my smile
I got my tongue, I got my chin
I got my neck, I got my boobies
I got my heart, I got my soul
I got my back, I got my sex
I got my arms, I got my hands
I got my fingers, got my legs
I got my feet, I got my toes
I got my liver, got my blood
Got life, I got my life
The lyrics of Ain't Got No by James Last express a feeling of hopelessness and despair by listing out all the things the singer does not have. The song describes a person who is homeless, unemployed, uneducated, and alone in the world. The singer laments not having any familial ties, possessions, or even basic needs such as clothing, food, and shelter. However, in the end, the singer acknowledges that they still have important things, namely their body parts and their life, even though they have nothing else.
The lyrical tone of the song carries a sense of sadness, with the repetition of the phrase "ain't got no" used to emphasize the singer's lack of possessions, relationships or social status. The song highlights the harsh realities of poverty and lack of resources, while also acknowledging the importance of acknowledging hope and resilience in the face of adversity. Essentially, through an absence and lack of everything, the song highlights how the most important things in life are that which we own inherently and cannot be taken away from us.
Line by Line Meaning
Ain't got no home, ain't got no shoes
I don't have a place to live or shoes on my feet.
Ain't got no money, ain't got no class
I don't have any money or social status.
Ain't got no friends, ain't got no schooling
I don't have any friends or education.
Ain't got no wear, ain't got no job
I don't have anything to wear or a job.
Ain't got no money, no place to stay
I don't have any money and nowhere to stay.
Ain't got no father, ain't got no mother
I don't have parents or family.
Ain't got no children, ain't got no sisters above
I don't have any children or siblings.
Ain't got no earth, ain't got no faith
I have no connection to the earth and no faith or belief.
Ain't got no touch, ain't got no god
I am lacking physical touch and do not believe in a higher power.
Ain't got no love
I am without love or affection.
Ain't got no wine, no cigarettes
I don't have any wine or cigarettes.
Ain't got no clothes, no country
I don't have any clothes or a sense of national identity.
No class, no schooling
I have no social standing or education.
No friends, no nothing
I have nothing and no one in my life.
Ain't got no god
I do not believe in a higher power.
Ain't got one more
I don't have anything else left.
Ain't got no earth, no ?
I feel disconnected from the earth and my surroundings.
No food, no home
I have no food or a place to live.
I said I ain't got no clothes
I don't have any clothes to wear.
No job, no nothing
I don't have a job or anything else.
Ain't got long to live
I don't have much time left to live.
And I ain't got no love
I am still without love or affection.
But what have I got?
Despite everything, what do I still possess?
Let me tell ya what I've got
Here is what I have left.
I got my hair on my head
I have hair on my head.
I got my brains, I got my ears
I have my intelligence and my ability to hear.
I got my eyes, I got my nose
I have my eyesight and my sense of smell.
I got my mouth, I got my smile
I have my mouth and my ability to smile.
I got my tongue, I got my chin
I have my tongue and my chin.
I got my neck, I got my boobies
I have my neck and my breasts.
I got my heart, I got my soul
I still have my heart and my soul.
I got my back, I got my sex
I have my back and my sexuality.
I got my arms, I got my hands
I have my arms and my hands.
I got my fingers, got my legs
I have my fingers and my legs.
I got my feet, I got my toes
I have my feet and my toes.
I got my liver, got my blood
I still have my liver and my blood to keep me functioning.
Got life, I got my life
Despite all my struggles, I am still alive and have my life.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Galt MacDermot, Gerome Ragni, James Rado
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind