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.
Little Green Apples
James Last Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With my hair down in my eyes and she says "Hi"
And I stumble to the breakfast table
While the kids are goin' off to school goodbye
And she reaches out 'n' takes my hand
And squeezes it 'n' says "How ya feelin', hon?"
And I look across at smilin' lips
That warm my heart and see my mornin' sun
And if that's not lovin' me
Then all I've got to say
God didn't make little green apples
And it don't rain in Indianapolis in the summertime
And there's no such thing as Doctor Seuss
Or Disneyland, and Mother Goose, no nursery rhyme
God didn't make little green apples
And it don't rain in Indianapolis in the summertime
And when my self is feelin' low
I think about her face aglow and ease my mind
Sometimes I call her up at home knowin' she's busy
And ask her if she could get away and meet me
And maybe we could grab a bite to eat
And she drops what she's doin' and she hurries down to meet me
And I'm always late
But she sits waitin' patiently and smiles when she first sees me
'cause she's made that way
And if that ain't lovin' me
Then all I've got to say
God didn't make little green apples
And it don't snow in Minneapolis when the winter comes
And there's no such thing as make-believe
Puppy dogs, autumn leaves 'n' BB guns
God didn't make little green apples
And it don't rain in Indianapolis
These lyrics tell the story of a man's love for his partner and the simple things in life that bring him joy. The song starts with the singer waking up in the morning with his hair in his eyes and his partner saying hello. He then goes to the breakfast table while the kids leave for school. His partner takes his hand and asks how he is feeling, which warms his heart. He sees her smiling lips, which light up his day like the morning sun.
The chorus of the song talks about how their love for one another is so strong that, if it's not love, then little green apples, which don't exist, were not made by God. He states that it doesn't rain in Indianapolis in the summertime, which is a metaphor to saying that their love life is perfect with no problems. The singer also mentions how he thinks about his partner when he is feeling low and misses her, which eases his mind.
The second verse emphasizes how appreciative the singer is of his partner's willingness to sacrifice for him. She drops everything when he calls her and rushes to meet him, even when she is busy. He is always late, but she waits patiently for him, smiling when she first sees him. The chorus is repeated, emphasizing the strength of their love.
Line by Line Meaning
And I wake up in the mornin'
I begin my day by waking up in the morning
With my hair down in my eyes and she says "Hi"
When I wake up, my hair covers my eyes and my partner greets me with a hello
And I stumble to the breakfast table
I walk clumsily to the table where we have breakfast
While the kids are goin' off to school goodbye
At the same time, the children are leaving for school, bidding farewell
And she reaches out 'n' takes my hand
My partner reaches out and holds my hand
And squeezes it 'n' says "How ya feelin', hon?"
She gives my hand a tight squeeze and asks me how I feel
And I look across at smilin' lips
I look at her smiling lips
That warm my heart and see my mornin' sun
Her smile warms my heart and brightens up my morning
And if that's not lovin' me
If all of the above is not a sign of her love for me
Then all I've got to say
Then I have nothing further to add
God didn't make little green apples
This is as impossible as God creating little green apples
And it don't rain in Indianapolis in the summertime
Just like how it does not rain in Indianapolis in the summer
And there's no such thing as Doctor Seuss
There is no such fictional character as Doctor Seuss
Or Disneyland, and Mother Goose, no nursery rhyme
There is no Disneyland, Mother Goose, or nursery rhymes
And when my self is feelin' low
When I am down and feeling low
I think about her face aglow and ease my mind
I think about my partner's glowing face and it helps to calm me down
Sometimes I call her up at home knowin' she's busy
At times, I call her at home even when she's busy
And ask her if she could get away and meet me
I ask her if she could spare some time to meet me
And maybe we could grab a bite to eat
We could even share a meal together
And she drops what she's doin' and she hurries down to meet me
Without any hesitation, she abandons whatever she's doing and rushes to meet me
And I'm always late
I am always running late
But she sits waitin' patiently and smiles when she first sees me
Even when I'm late, she waits for me patiently with a smile on her face
'cause she's made that way
This attitude of hers is something innate to her character
And if that ain't lovin' me
If her patience and devotion towards me does not define love
Then all I've got to say
Then I have nothing more to say
God didn't make little green apples
This would be as impossible as God creating little green apples
And it don't snow in Minneapolis when the winter comes
Just like how Minneapolis does not receive snow during winter
And there's no such thing as make-believe
There is no such concept as make-believe
Puppy dogs, autumn leaves 'n' BB guns
This includes anything from cute puppies to autumn leaves to BB guns
God didn't make little green apples
This still remains an impossible feat
And it don't rain in Indianapolis
Just like how it doesn't rain in Indianapolis in the summer
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Robert Russell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind