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.
People Will Say We Are in Love
James Last Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why do the neighbors chatter all day, behind their doors?
I know a way to prove what they say is quite untrue.
Here is the gist, a practical list of "donts" for you.
Don't throw bouquets at me
Don't please my folks too much
Don't laugh at my jokes too much
Don't sigh and gaze at me
Your sighs are so like mine
Your eyes mustn't glow like mine
People will say we're in love!
Don't start collecting things
Give me my rose and my glove.
Sweetheart they're suspecting things
People will say we're in love.
Don't praise my charm too much
Don't look so vain with me
Don't stand in the rain with me
People will say we're in love!
Don't take my arm too much
Don't keep your hand in mine
Your hand feels so grand in mine
People will say we're in love!
Don't dance all night with me
Till the stars fade from above.
They'll see it's alright with me
People will say we're in love.
The song "People Will Say We Are in Love" by James Last is a timeless classic that speaks to the nature of gossip and the rumors that can fly when people observe a couple's interactions. The song asks why people create these stories that link the singer's name with that of their beloved, and why neighbors chatter all day about their relationship behind closed doors. The singer then proposes a practical list of "dont's" for their beloved to avoid giving off the impression that they are in love: don't throw bouquets, don't please their folks too much, don't laugh at their jokes too much, and so on. The song suggests that the very act of showing too much affection or even too much similarity in behavior can lead people to assume that two individuals are in love.
The lyrics of this song are very cleverly written, as each suggestion of what not to do in order to avoid suspicion is related to a common romantic cliche that would be normally understood as indicating affection. For example, the line "Don't sigh and gaze at me / Your sighs are so like mine / Your eyes mustn't glow like mine / People will say we're in love!" plays on the idea of two people being so entranced with each other that they can't help but share romantic gestures like sighing and looking longingly into each other's eyes. The song reveals that the singer and their partner are trying to avoid the rumors that accompany these kinds of behaviors, which is a clever twist on the traditional love song formula.
Overall, "People Will Say We Are in Love" is a clever and insightful song about how appearances can often deceive, particularly when it comes to matters of the heart. By highlighting the dangers of acting too loving or too similar to one's romantic partner, the song shows that sometimes the best way to avoid scrutiny is by downplaying one's feelings rather than exaggerating them.
Line by Line Meaning
Why do they think up stories that link my name with yours?
Why do people come up with rumors connecting me to you?
Why do the neighbors chatter all day, behind their doors?
Why are the people around us constantly gossiping and whispering behind closed doors?
I know a way to prove what they say is quite untrue.
I have a plan to show that their words are completely false.
Here is the gist, a practical list of "donts" for you.
Here's a brief summary of things you need to avoid doing to prevent further rumors.
Don't throw bouquets at me
Don't give me flowers, as it may appear romantic.
Don't please my folks too much
Don't try too hard to impress my family, as it may be misinterpreted by others.
Don't laugh at my jokes too much
Don't laugh too often at my jokes, as it may seem like we share a deep connection.
People will say we're in love!
People might assume that we're in love if we act too affectionate towards each other.
Don't sigh and gaze at me
Don't look at me with longing eyes, as it may indicate a deeper attraction.
Your sighs are so like mine
Your sighs sound similar to mine, which could be misinterpreted by others.
Your eyes mustn't glow like mine
Your eyes shouldn't shine like mine, as others may see that as a sign of love.
Don't start collecting things
Don't start collecting mementos or souvenirs of our time together, as it may seem like we're building a relationship.
Give me my rose and my glove.
Just return to me the small token of affection I gave you, so that we don't look too connected.
Sweetheart they're suspecting things
My dear, others are starting to suspect that we're involved in a romantic relationship.
People will say we're in love.
People will start to assume that we're in love if we continue to behave this way.
Don't praise my charm too much
Don't overcompliment my personality or charm, as others may think you have feelings for me.
Don't look so vain with me
Don't look too smitten or vain in my presence, as it may indicate romantic interest.
Don't stand in the rain with me
Don't stand in the rain with me, as people may misconstrue our actions as romantic.
Don't take my arm too much
Don't hold onto my arm constantly, as it may convey familiarity or intimacy.
Don't keep your hand in mine
Don't hold my hand for too long, as it may suggest that we're in love.
Your hand feels so grand in mine
Although I enjoy holding your hand, we shouldn't do it too often as others may see it as a sign of love.
Don't dance all night with me
Don't dance with me for too long, as it may give others the impression that we're more than just friends.
Till the stars fade from above.
We shouldn't dance all night long as it may make people assume that we're in love.
They'll see it's alright with me
Others will know that we're just friends if we don't act too romantic with each other.
People will say we're in love.
If we behave too intimately, people will assume that we are in love, even if we're not.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Oscar Hammerstein Ii, Richard Rodgers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Yosi Brill
great tune! greetings from Israel!
helios1912
That throbbing backbeat sounds like a programmed electronic "beat machine"--but the production clicks. Not the usual James Last, thanks for doing this one.
cappy00000
World Hits is one of my all time favourite Hansi albums. Another winner here, Walter!
Jim Heagy
cappy00000
77easylis
Recorded in '78. On the compilation cd Polydor added the single-version (shorter, ausgeblendet) which Walter used for his outstanding wonderful musicclip. - The LP-Version from 2371 891 is near 6 minutes long wirh an end accord.
77easylis
Recorded in '78. On the compilation cd Polydor added the single-version (shorter, ausgeblendet) which Walter used for his outstanding wonderful musicclip. - The LP-Version from 2371 891 is near 6 minutes long wirh an end accord.
Ken Newell
Very disco! :)
Last Forever
@chkjns Original from his album "World Hits" released in the late 70's, I believe in the year 1978. The 1988 is a compilation album, as stated before, with all Broadway melodies. Regards, Frank
Socratess2007
@prarayer Thank you !!
Socratess2007
I'd go for Swedish too ;-)) walt