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.
Reach Out
James Last Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Because all of your hope is gone,
And your life is filled with much confusion
Until happiness is just an illusion,
And your world around is crumblin' down;
Darling, reach out (come on girl, reach on out for me)
Reach out (reach out for me.)
I'll be there, with a love that will shelter you.
I'll be there to always see you through.
When you feel lost and about to give up
'Cause your best just ain't good enough
And you feel the world has grown cold,
And you're drifting out all on your own,
And you need a hand to hold:
Darling, reach out (come on girl, reach out for me)
Reach out (reach out for me.)
I'll be there, to love and comfort you,
And I'll be there, to cherish and care for you.
I'll be there to love and comfort you.
I can tell the way you hang your head,
You're without love and now you're afraid
And through your tears you look around,
But there's no peace of mind to be found.
I know what you're thinkin',
You're alone now, no love of your own,
But darling, reach out (come on girl, reach out for me)
Reach out (reach out for me.)
Just look over your shoulder
I'll be there, to give you all the love you need,
And I'll be there, you can always depend on me.
The lyrics to James Last's "Reach Out" convey a message of hope and comfort to those who are feeling lost and alone. The opening lines describe a state of despair where hope has faded away and the feeling of confusion has taken over one's life. The lyrics suggest that the world is falling apart and happiness is just an illusion in such a situation. However, the artist urges the person to reach out for help - to reach out for him. He promises to be there with a love that will shelter and see them through the difficult times. The chorus repeats the refrain "reach out" indicating that the artist is always there to help the person.
The second verse depicts a similar situation where the person has given their best and still feels inadequate. The world seems to have gone cold, and they feel lonely and isolated. The lyrics suggest that the person needs someone to hold their hand and comfort them. The artist tells them to reach out again and promises to love and comfort them.
The concluding lines of the song urge the person not to lose hope and to depend on the artist for their needs. The song ends with an assurance that the artist is always there to give the person all the love they need and that they can always depend on him for support.
Line by Line Meaning
Now if you feel that you can't go on
If you feel like you can't continue onward
Because all of your hope is gone,
If you have lost all of your hope
And your life is filled with much confusion
If you feel that your life is full of confusion
Until happiness is just an illusion,
Until you realize that happiness is not real
And your world around is crumblin' down;
If everything around you is falling apart
Darling, reach out (come on girl, reach on out for me)
Ask for help, reach out to someone
Reach out (reach out for me.)
Ask for help, reach out to someone
I'll be there, with a love that will shelter you.
I'll be there to support you with my love
I'll be there, with a love that will see you through.
I'll be there to help you get through this tough time
I'll be there to always see you through.
I'll always be there to help you in any situation
When you feel lost and about to give up
When you feel lost and on the verge of giving up
'Cause your best just ain't good enough
When you feel like your best isn't good enough
And you feel the world has grown cold,
When you feel abandoned and alone in this world
And you're drifting out all on your own,
When you feel like you're drifting away from everything and everyone
And you need a hand to hold:
When you need someone to support and care for you
I'll be there, to love and comfort you,
I'll be there to love and care for you, to make you feel comfortable
And I'll be there, to cherish and care for you.
I'll be there to appreciate and support you
I'll be there to love and comfort you.
I'll be there to love and care for you
I can tell the way you hang your head,
I can tell by the way you look down
You're without love and now you're afraid
You are scared because you feel unloved
And through your tears you look around,
Through your sadness, you look around
But there's no peace of mind to be found.
You can't find any sort of peace or calmness
I know what you're thinkin',
I understand what you're going through
You're alone now, no love of your own,
You are alone and feel unloved
But darling, reach out (come on girl, reach out for me)
Ask for help, reach out to someone
Reach out (reach out for me.)
Ask for help, reach out to someone
Just look over your shoulder
Look around yourself
I'll be there, to give you all the love you need,
I'll be there to give you all the love and support you need
And I'll be there, you can always depend on me.
I'll always be there for you when you need me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Edward Holland Jr., Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
77easylis
Bumper! Heard and seen It live in 1996 in Münster and 1997 in Bielefeld.