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.

Stand By Your Man
James Last Lyrics

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Sometimes it's hard to be a woman
giving all your love to just one man.
You'll have bad times
And he'll have good times,
Doin' things that you don't understand.

But if you love him you'll forgive him,
even though he's hard to understand.

And if you love him Oh be proud of him,
'Cause after all he's just a man.

Stand By Your Man,
Give him two arms to cling to,
And something warm to come to
when nights are cold and lonely.

Stand By Your Man,
And tell the world you love him.
Giving all the love you can.
Stand By Your Man.

Stand By Your Man,

And show the world you love him.
Keep giving all the love you can;

Overall Meaning

The song "Stand By Your Man" by James Last was written by Tammy Wynette and Billy Sherrill in 1968. The song conveys the message that being a woman and being in love with a man can be tough at times, but true love requires you to be there for him even when things aren't great. The lyrics express how loving someone requires you to forgive them, and stand by them in their good and bad times. The song also emphasizes the importance of showing your love to the world and being proud of your man, no matter what.

The singer urges women to be dedicated to their man by giving him two arms to hold onto when in distress and warmth to console him when he is lonely. The lyrics portray the woman's role as being the provider of emotional support, love, and care.

The song has been interpreted differently throughout the years. Some have criticized the song for promoting the idea that women should endure any form of mistreatment by men in the name of love. Others have understood the song to be about loyalty, commitment, and being there for your partner through both good and bad times.

Overall, "Stand By Your Man" is a song with conflicting interpretations, leaving it up to the individual listener to interpret how the song applies to their life.

Line by Line Meaning

Sometimes it's hard to be a woman
Life can be tough for a woman

giving all your love to just one man.
Especially when you're devoted to one man

You'll have bad times
Relationships can be difficult

And he'll have good times,
Men might have better times

Doin' things that you don't understand.
Men can do things that women might not understand

But if you love him you'll forgive him,
If you love him, forgive him for his mistakes

even though he's hard to understand.
Even if you can't understand him

And if you love him Oh be proud of him,
If you love him, be proud of him

'Cause after all he's just a man.
Because he's only human

Stand By Your Man,
Stand by your partner

Give him two arms to cling to,
Be there for him when he needs you