James Last (Hans Last, * April 17, 1929 in Bremen, † June, 9, 2015 in Flori… Read Full Bio ↴James Last (Hans Last, * April 17, 1929 in Bremen, † June, 9, 2015 in Florida) was a German composer and big band leader with a large fan base in Europe and world-wide. Last's trademark was arranging pop hits in a big-band style; his series of "party albums" is equally well-known. Over the course of his career, he has sold well over 100 million albums.

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.

Aquarius
James Last Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars

This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius
The Age of Aquarius
Aquarius! Aquarius!

Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revelation
And the mind's true liberation
Aquarius! Aquarius!

When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars

This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius
The Age of Aquarius
Aquarius! Aquarius!

Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or decisions
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revelation

And the mind's true liberation
Aquarius! Aquarius!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of James Last's song "Aquarius" are about the astrological belief that when the moon is in the Seventh House and Jupiter aligns with Mars, it marks the beginning of a new era of peace and love on earth. The lyrics exude a sense of optimism and faith in the power of love and understanding to overcome falsehoods and tensions. It speaks of a harmonious world, where trust is abundant and people are free to dream of a better world.

The song's chorus repeats "This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius" emphasizing that this era has just begun, and there's much to look forward to. The song suggests that with the dawn of the Age of Aquarius, people will enjoy a deeper understanding of one another and an unshakeable faith in humanity. The phrases "golden living dreams of visions" and "mystic crystal revelation" suggest that a greater spiritual awareness will emerge in the world, opening up new possibilities for human understanding.

The song is optimistic, suggesting that the Age of Aquarius will be a time of great progress and enlightenment. It talks about how the dawning of this era will mark a shift from the old world order, where falsehoods and derision were common, to a new world order where compassion, trust, and harmony are the norm. Overall, the song's lyrics speak of hope for a better world, one that values love, understanding, and compassion.

Line by Line Meaning

When the moon is in the Seventh House
When the emotional moon is in the intuitive Seventh House

And Jupiter aligns with Mars
And the planet of luck Jupiter aligns with the action-oriented Mars

Then peace will guide the planets
Then the energy of peace will influence the movement and relationships of the planets

And love will steer the stars
And the energy of love will guide the movement and relationships of the stars

This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius
This marks the beginning of the era of Aquarius characterized by new energy and change

The Age of Aquarius
The time of unprecedented innovation and prosperity

Aquarius! Aquarius!
Representing the peak of Aquarius energy

Harmony and understanding
A state of agreement and comprehension

Sympathy and trust abounding
Full of compassion and faith

No more falsehoods or derisions
Deception and ridicule are no longer present

Golden living dreams of visions
Vivid, positive visions of a prosperous future

Mystic crystal revelation
A spiritual experience revealing hidden knowledge and truth

And the mind's true liberation
The release of mental constraints and the attainment of freedom