Like Elvis Presley, he was raised singing the Christian gospel music of integrated southern Pentecostal churches. In 1950 he attended Southwestern Bible Institute in Texas but was expelled for misconduct, including playing rock and roll versions of hymns in church. Pearry Green (then president of the student body) related how during a talent show Jerry played some worldly music. The next morning the Dean of the school called both Jerry and Pearry into his office to expel them both. Jerry then said that Pearry shouldn't be expelled because "he didn't know what I was going to do." Years later Pearry asked Jerry: "Are you still playing the devil's music?" Jerry replied, "Yes, I am. But you know it's strange, the same music that they kicked me out of school for is the same kind of music they play in their churches today. The difference is, I know I am playing for the devil and they don't."
Leaving religious music behind, he became a part of the burgeoning new rock and roll sound, cutting his first record in 1954. Two years later, at Sun Records studio in Memphis, Tennessee, producer and engineer Jack Clement discovered and recorded Lewis for the Sun label, while owner Sam Phillips was away on a trip to Florida. As a result, Lewis joined Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash as stars who began their recording careers at Sun Studios around this same time.
Lewis' first recording at Sun studios was his own distinct version of the country ballad Crazy Arms. In 1957, his piano and the pure rock and roll sound of Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On propelled him to international fame. Great Balls of Fire soon followed, and would become his biggest hit. Watching and listening to Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis said if he could play the piano like that, he'd quit singing. Lewis' early billing was Jerry Lee Lewis and his Pumping Piano.
Lewis was a pioneer of piano rock, not only through his sound by also through his dynamic performance. He would often kick the piano bench out of the way to play standing, rake his hands up and down the keyboard for dramatic accent, and even sit down on it. His frenetic performance style can be seen in films such as High School Confidential (he sang the title song from the back of a flatbed truck), and Jamboree. These performance techniques have been adopted by recent piano rock artists, notably admirer Elton John.
I Cant Stop Loving You
Jerry Lee Lewis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've made up my mind
To live in memory of the lonesome times
(I can't stop wanting you)
It's useless to say
So I'll just live my life in dreams of yesterday
(Dreams of yesterday)
Though long ago, they still make me blue
They say that time heals a broken heart
But time has stood still since we've been apart
(I can't stop loving you)
I've made up my mind
To live in memories of the lonesome times
(I can't stop wanting you)
It's useless to say
So I'll just live my life in dreams of yesterday
(Those happy hours)
(Those happy hours)
(That we once knew)
(That we once knew)
(Though long ago)
(Though long ago)
(Still make me blue)
Still make me blue
(They say that time)
(They say that time)
(Heals a broken heart)
(Heals a broken heart)
(But time has stood still)
Time has stood still
(Since we've been apart)
(Since we've been apart)
(I can't stop loving you)
I said I made up my mind
To live in memory of the lonesome times
Sing a song, children
(I can't stop wanting you)
It's useless to say
So I'll just live my life of dreams of yesterday
(Of yesterday)
The lyrics of Jerry Lee Lewis's song "I Can't Stop Loving You" express the heartbreak and nostalgia felt by a person who is still in love with someone who has left them. The singer acknowledges that they have made up their mind to live in memory of the lonesome times, suggesting that they have accepted the reality of the situation and that there is no hope of rekindling the relationship. The repetition of the phrase "I can't stop loving you" emphasizes the singer's inability to let go of their feelings for their former partner, even though they know it is useless to continue wanting them.
The chorus, with its focus on the "happy hours" they once shared, highlights the bittersweet nature of the singer's memories. Though these memories are painful, they also bring back feelings of joy and happiness, making it even harder for them to move on. The singer knows that time is supposed to heal a broken heart, but they admit that since they have been apart from their former love, time has stood still for them. They are trapped in their longing for what they once had, unable to move forward.
Overall, the lyrics of "I Can't Stop Loving You" beautifully capture the desperation and sadness of someone who cannot let go of their past love, even after their relationship has ended.
Line by Line Meaning
(I can't stop loving you)
I have tried, but I cannot stop loving you.
I've made up my mind
To live in memory of the lonesome times
I have decided to embrace the sadness of missing you by holding onto memories of our past.
(I can't stop wanting you)
I cannot stop desiring your presence and companionship.
It's useless to say
So I'll just live my life in dreams of yesterday
Verbally expressing my longing for you serves no purpose, so I will satisfy myself by reminiscing about the good old days we shared.
(Those happy hours)
(That we once knew)
(Though long ago)
(Still make me blue)
The happy times we spent together, even though they are distant memories, are still able to make me feel sad and nostalgic.
(They say that time)
(Heals a broken heart)
(But time has stood still)
(Since we've been apart)
Although people claim that time can mend heartache, since we parted ways, it feels like time has come to a standstill and my pain is still fresh.
I said I made up my mind
To live in memory of the lonesome times
Sing a song, children
I reiterate that I am choosing to remember the lonely moments and choose to share my pain through music.
(Of yesterday)
All of these feelings and memories are from our past, and I am unable to let them go.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Don Gibson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind