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.
Once on a Sunday Morning
James Last Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't explain just the way I feel
Strange as if they seemed,
But in my mind she was very real
Once on a Sunday morning
Before the sunlight was in the air
Once on a Sunday morning
Reaching for my hand
She smiled at me and we walked away
Tried to understand,
But I could see through a sunny day
Once on a Sunday morning
Before the sunlight was in the air
Once on a Sunday morning
Before my eyes she was standing there
Saturday was done
I went to bed, but I couldn't sleep
Sunday came along, the memory I will always keep
Once on a Sunday morning
Before the sunlight was in the air
Once on a Sunday morning
Before my eyes she was standing there
The lyrics of James Last's "Once on a Sunday Morning" describe a very vivid dream that the singer had about a woman. He cannot explain the way he feels about the dream woman or how she seemed in his dream, but he knows that in his mind she was very real. The singer describes how the dream happened on a Sunday morning before the sunlight was in the air. As he reaches for the hand of the woman in his dream, she smiles at him and they walk away. The singer realizes that he cannot fully understand or explain the dream, but he knows it is a memory that he will always keep.
It is very possible that the dream represents a desire for a specific person in the singer’s life or the concept of the perfect woman. The dream-like quality of the lyrics could be a manifestation of a subconscious desire for a relationship or deeper connection with someone. The fact that it happened on a Sunday morning before the day began and before the sun came up suggests a spiritual or mystical quality. The lyrics offer no resolution to the dream, but it could serve as a reminder to the singer to be open to new connections and experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
She was just a dream
The person he's referencing was purely fictional and not an actual person he met.
I can't explain just the way I feel
Although she was just a dream, the emotions he felt while having the dream were intense and difficult to articulate.
Strange as if they seemed,
Despite the circumstances being unusual, the dream felt very vivid and real to the person.
But in my mind she was very real
Although the person knows that she wasn't a real person, the dream felt genuine and emotionally significant to him.
Once on a Sunday morning
Before the sunlight was in the air
Once on a Sunday morning
Before my eyes she was standing there
The dream the person had occurred on a Sunday, specifically before it was light outside. In the dream, she appeared in front of him and was a significant presence.
Reaching for my hand
She smiled at me and we walked away
Tried to understand,
But I could see through a sunny day
In the dream, the woman was interactive and engaged with the person. They walked away together, although he couldn't completely comprehend what was happening. Despite this, everything felt clear and perfect in the dream.
Saturday was done
I went to bed, but I couldn't sleep
Sunday came along, the memory I will always keep
After having the dream on Saturday, the person went to bed but was unable to fall asleep. The following day, Sunday, he couldn't stop thinking about the dream and knew that it would be a lasting memory for him.
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Written by: Larry Kusik, Eddie Snyder
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind