Lewis went on to star in, write, produce and direct motion pictures, appear on television, in nightclubs, concerts and musicals and sing in albums. Outside of his career, he supported fundraising for muscular dystrophy research, during 60 years as national chairman and spokesman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and 44 years hosting The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon every Labor Day weekend. In 1977, Lewis was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the organization. As one of the most successful performers in show business, with worldwide box office receipts of his films in excess of $800 million, Lewis received global acclaim for his unique ability and style with both comedy and drama. As part of Martin and Lewis and as a solo actor, he was voted Hollywood’s top box-office draw from 1951 to 1965, in later years as the sole comedian.
Lewis was born on March 16, 1926, at Newark Beth Israel Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, to Russian Jewish parents. His father, Daniel Levitch (1902–1980), born in New York, was a master of ceremonies and vaudeville entertainer who used the professional name Danny Lewis. His mother, Rachel "Rae" Levitch (née Brodsky; 1903–1983) went by the stage name Rae Lewis, was a piano player for the radio station WOR and was her husband's musical director. Lewis began performing at age five and would often perform alongside his parents in the Catskill Mountains in New York.
He was a "character" even in his teenage years, pulling pranks in his neighborhood including sneaking into kitchens to steal fried chicken and pies. He dropped out of Irvington High School in the tenth grade. By age 15, he had developed his "Record Act" miming lyrics to songs while a phonograph played offstage. He used the professional name Joey Lewis but soon changed it to Jerry Lewis to avoid confusion with comedian Joe E. Lewis and heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis.He landed a gig at a burlesque house in Buffalo, but his performance fell flat and was unable to book any more shows. Lewis worked as a soda jerk and a theater usher for Suzanne Pleshette's father Gene at the Paramount Theater to make ends meet.
A veteran burlesque comedian, Max Coleman, who had worked with Lewis' father years before, persuaded him to try again. Irving Kaye, a Borscht Belt comedian, saw Lewis' mime act at Brown’s Hotel in Loch Sheldrake, New York, the following summer, and the audience was so enthusiastic that Kaye became Lewis' manager and guardian for Borscht Belt appearances. During World War II, he was rejected for military service because of a heart murmur.
Lewis died at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada, at 9:15 a.m. (PDT) on August 20, 2017, at the age of 91. The cause was end-stage cardiac disease and peripheral artery disease. In his will, Lewis left his estate to his second wife of 34 years, SanDee Pitnick, and their daughter, and intentionally excluded his children from his first marriage as well as their descendants.
For almost two decades, from the late '40s to the mid-'60s, Lewis was a major force in American popular culture. Widely acknowledged as a comic genius, Lewis influenced successive generations of comedians, comedy writers, performers and filmmakers. As Lewis was often referenced as the bridge from Vaudeville to modern comedy, Carl Reiner wrote after Lewis’ death, “All comedians watch other comedians, and every generation of comedians going back to those who watched Jerry on the Colgate Comedy Hour were influenced by Jerry. They say that mankind goes back to the first guy...which everyone tries to copy. In comedy that guy was Jerry Lewis.”
Hit the Road to Dreamland
Jerry Lewis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No more no more no more no more,
Hit the Road Jack and don't you come back
No more
What'd you say
Old woman old woman, oh you treat me so mean,
You're the meanest old woman that I ever have seen,
I'll have to pack my things and go (that's right)
Now Baby, listen Baby, don't you treat me this-a way
'Cause I'll be back on my feet some day,
Don't care if you do, cause it's understood,
You got no money, and you just ain't no good
Well I guess if you say so
I'll have to pack my things and go (that's right)
Well
Uh, what you say?
I didn't understand you.
You can't mean that
Aw now Baby, Please.
What you trying to do to me!?
The song "Hit The Road Jack" by Jerry Lee Lewis is a quintessential example of a breakup song that has stood the test of time. The lyrics of the song express the frustration and resignation of a man who is being asked to leave by his woman who has had enough of him. As the song begins, the man is told to leave and never come back: "Hit the Road Jack and don't you come back no more no more no more no more." He is clearly not welcome and is expected to leave without any delay.
The man then tries to plead his case, saying that the woman treats him badly and is the meanest old woman he has ever seen. However, he realizes that he has no choice but to leave and pack his things up. He also tells her not to treat him badly because he will be back on his feet someday. But the woman disregards his assurances and tells him that he has no money and is just no good. The man then acknowledges that he will have to leave and packs his things, all the while still trying to plead with her to let him stay.
Line by Line Meaning
Hit the Road Jack and don't you come back
Leave, and don't come back.
No more no more no more no more
I mean it, and I don't want to hear from you again.
Old woman old woman, oh you treat me so mean
You treat me badly, without regard for my feelings.
You're the meanest old woman that I ever have seen
You are the cruelest person I have ever known.
Well I guess if you say so
Fine. I'll do what you want me to do.
I'll have to pack my things and go (that's right)
I'll gather my belongings and leave.
Now Baby, listen Baby, don't you treat me this-a way
Don't treat me badly, sweetheart.
'Cause I'll be back on my feet some day
I'll recover from this and be okay.
Don't care if you do, cause it's understood
I don't care if you do treat me badly, because I know the truth.
You got no money, and you just ain't no good
You're broke and you're a bad person.
Aw now Baby, Please
Come on, honey, don't do this to me.
What you trying to do to me!?
Why are you treating me so poorly?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, THE RAY CHARLES FOUNDATION DBA TANGERINE MUSIC, Peermusic Publishing, Kassner Associated Publishers Ltd, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Percy Mayfield
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
mftb1
Jerry´s voice is from heaven.
Brooklyn Shae
gave me chills... Oh so gorgeous Jerry... The pictures made me melt... Thank you so much for an awesome video of this awesome guy!
crazysingingchick
He has it all!!! Such talent. Love it.
dwnstringer
wow want a voice. actors and singer's could learn a few thing's from him. that voice does things to me 😉
Mary M
I feel you! His voice is sexy!
CG
Wow, I just read Jerry Lewis's autobiography called Dean and Me. His life story is amazing (I love Dino too).
Made me want to see all their clips on Youtube and suddenly I find all these songs that Jerry recorded. I love the way he sings, but especially the ballads. He puts so much soul into his music. Can't seem to find any of these songs anymore. Is there any way to purchase the record with this one or Put on a Happy Face? His other ballads such as Smile, By Myself, and Talk to Me are also very beautiful.
Donazify
Happy Face and Talk to Me were never officially released, and apparently came from Jerry's private collection. Apparently I have the only record copy of each of them. How someone was selling Jerry's private stuff on ebay, I don't know, but since these were only records and not other personal stuff, I knew I had to salvage them. Hit the Road to Dreamland is available on the record Big Songs for Little People. Glad to meet another fan who loves his music as much as I do. I still have a few songs to post. His official recording of Smile and The Lord Loves a Laughing Man are the ones I haven't posted yet, I think.
Nature's Wild
Donazify Thank you so much for sharing these.....wow, what a find. I agree he puts something extra in his voice when he sings. I cant help think he had Dean in mind with Talk To Me.
Basil Peewit
A CD has just appeared on the (British) Sepia label which combines two Jerry Lewis albums. It's available on Amazon or direct from Sepia.
CrystalClearNews
@Nature's Wild oh, yeah, and Al Jolson also put that extra something in his songs. You can tell Jolson is one of Jerry's influences