Jeff Black

Born: 1960s
Origin: Kansas City, Missouri
Genres: a… Read Full Bio ↴Jeff Black

Born: 1960s
Origin: Kansas City, Missouri
Genres: alternative, folk, singer-songwriter
Instruments: vocals, guitar, banjo, piano, harmonica
Years active 1990s - present
Label: Lotos Nile Music
Website: jeffblack.com

Jeff Black is an American singer-songwriter. After critically acclaimed commercial releases on label homes, fan favorite independent releases on his own Lotos Nile Music imprint, song placement on numerous independent films, thirty plus years of celebrated live performing and songs covered by artists as diverse as Alison Krauss, Waylon Jennings, Sam Bush, Blackhawk, Jerry Douglas, John Oates and Dierks Bentley, Jeff Black is recognized as a pioneer in the modern music industry. As an influential independent artist, Boston’s WUMB listeners voted Jeff Black as one of the top 100 most important Folk artists of the last 25 years. Continuing to evolve as a master songwriter and performer in the tradition of the great storytellers, his passionate, soul driven live performances of songs from his vast catalog are not to be missed.

Biography

Jeff Black was born circa 1960 and grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. Black received his first guitar as a present for his tenth birthday. In his twenties Black began performing at Blayney's, a Kansas City blues club where he also worked as a bouncer. Soon Black began touring and eventually relocated to Nashville, Tennessee after receiving a letter from Iris DeMent (Black lends some backing vocals on DeMent's 1992 debut album, Infamous Angel).

Black's own first album, Birmingham Road, was recorded with the members of the band Wilco, minus lead singer, Jeff Tweedy. The songs have been described as "fine portraits of American life without the sappiness or self-consciousness often attributed to the singer/songwriter genre. In 2007 Boston's WUMB listeners voted Jeff Black as one of the top 100 most important Folk artists of the last 25 years.

Discography

* Birmingham Road | Arista 1998
* Honey And Salt | Lotos Nile Music Released 2003
* B-Sides And Confessions Vol. I | Lotos Nile Music Released 2003
* Tin Lily | Lotos Nile Music Released 2003
* Mining | Lotos Nile Music Released 2007
* Sleepy Town | Lotos Nile Music Released 2008
* Christmas Sunshine | Lotos Nile Music Released 2009
* Plow Through The Mystic | Lotos Nile Music Released 2011
* B-Sides and Confessions Vol. 2 | Lotos Nile Music Released 2013
* Folklore | Lotos Nile Music Released 2014

1. Ronnie Lankford, Jr. "Review: Tin Lily", Allmusic 3.5/5 stars
2. Melissa Block, "Singer as DJ: Jeff Black's Podcasts", All Things Considered,
National Public Radio, August 9, 2005
3. Arthur Wood, "From Missouri to Nashville", FolkWax (link requires free subscription)
4. Charlotte Dillon, "Jeff Black: Biography", Allmusic
5. James Chrispell, "Review: Birmingham Road", Allmusic 4/5 stars
6. Arthur Wood, "Review: Honey and Salt, FolkWax, June 11, 2003 (8 out of 10)
7. Arthur Wood, "Review: B Sides and Confessions" , FolkWax, March 26, 2003 (9 out of 10)
8. Arthur Wood, "Another Winner from Jeff Black" (Review of Tin Lily), FolkWax, July 28, 2005

Happiness
Jeff Black Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I met a girl in california
Said she'd do anything to please me
I didn't need to realize it
Hey it's just nice to be noticed

I read a book on existentials
I'm just a drop in the bucket
That's where I found a hundred dollars

Hell I'd forgotten where I'd stuck it

I just came across some happiness
So I'm throwing it all around man
I don't know how long it's going to last
So you better take it while you still can

I can't wait for the reason
To get back up to kentucky

Just means we're running out of sorghum
I've got to drive out to the country

Overall Meaning

The song "Happiness" by Jeff Black is a contemplative ballad about finding joy in the little things in life. The opening line "I met a girl in California, said she'd do anything to please me" suggests a fleeting encounter, yet the excitement and thrill of it stays with the singer. The line "I didn't need to realize it, hey it's just nice to be noticed" emphasizes how sometimes all it takes is someone acknowledging us to make us feel good. It's a commentary on our human desire for validation and recognition, and how sometimes the attention we receive can lead to unexpected happiness.

The lyrical content of the song continues in a similar vein - from reading philosophical books on existentialism to finding money where he least expected to, these little moments of happiness are the singer's source of joy in an otherwise mundane existence. The line "I just came across some happiness, so I'm throwing it all around man" encapsulates the message of the song - to spread happiness wherever it is found, as we never know how long it will last. There is a sense of impermanence throughout the song, with the singer's desire to cling onto these moments of happiness before they pass.

Overall, "Happiness" is a beautifully written song that touches on the universal human experience of seeking happiness in life's little moments. It reminds us to appreciate what we have, and to spread joy wherever we can.

Line by Line Meaning

I met a girl in california
I had a chance encounter with a woman in California

Said she'd do anything to please me
She expressed her willingness to do anything to make me happy

I didn't need to realize it
I didn't need to fully comprehend her offer

Hey it's just nice to be noticed
It felt good to receive her attention

I read a book on existentials
I read a book about the philosophy of existence

I'm just a drop in the bucket
I am insignificant in the grand scheme of things

That's where I found a hundred dollars
I discovered a hundred dollars while reading that book

Hell I'd forgotten where I'd stuck it
I had forgotten where I had hidden the money

I just came across some happiness
I recently experienced a feeling of joy

So I'm throwing it all around man
I am sharing my happiness with those around me

I don't know how long it's going to last
I am uncertain about how long this feeling of happiness will continue