He also served as a disc jockey and radio host and personality, and has been considered an expert on the popular music of the 1940s and 1950s.
Born in Springfield, Missouri, Lowe graduated from the University of Missouri in Columbia.
His most notable run as a disc jockey was with WNEW AM in New York. Lowe also worked at WNBC AM in New York where he was heard both locally and on the coast-to-coast NBC Radio weekend program Monitor.
A million-seller and gold record recipient, Lowe's 1956 hit "Green Door" was written by Marvin Moore and Bob Davie. The song reached No. 8 in the UK Singles Chart in November 1956. Lowe earlier wrote "Gambler's Guitar", a million-selling hit for Rusty Draper in 1953.
He retired in 2004 at the age of 81, and lived in Southampton, New York.
Lowe died on December 12, 2016 at his home in East Hampton, Long Island, after a long illness.
For contributions to the music industry, Lowe was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6341 Hollywood Boulevard.
Discography
Singles
Year Single (A-side, B-side)
Both sides from same album except where indicated US R&B US Country Album
1953 "Gambler's Guitar"
b/w "The Martins and The Coys" - - - The Door Of Fame
"Look In Both Directions"
b/w "Santa Claus Rides A Strawberry Roan" (Non-album track) - - -
1954 "Pretty Fickle Darlin'"
b/w "Go and Leave Me" - - -
"River Boat"
b/w "Goodbye Little Sweetheart" - - -
1955 "Close The Door"
b/w "Nuevo Laredo" (Non-album track) 27 - - Songs They Sing Behind The Green Door
"Maybellene"
b/w "Rene LaRue" (from Wicked Women) - 13 - Non-album tracks
"John Jacob Jingleheimer Smith"
b/w "St. James Avenue" - - -
1956 "Blue Suede Shoes"
b/w "(Love Is) The $64,000 Question" - - -
"The Green Door"
b/w "(The Story Of) The Little Man In Chinatown" (Non-album track) 1 5 - Songs They Sing Behind The Green Door
"Prince Of Peace"
b/w "Santa Claus Rides A Strawberry Roan" (Non-album track) - - - The Door Of Fame
"The Martins and The Coys"
b/w "The Golden Goose Is Dead" - - -
1957 "By You, By You, By You" / 43 - - Non-album tracks
"I Feel The Beat" 84 - -
"Four Walls" / 15 - -
"Talkin' To The Blues" 15 - 8
"From A Jack To A King"
b/w "Slow Train" - - -
"The Bright Light"
b/w "Rock-A-Chicka" - - -
1958 "The Lady From Johannesburg"
b/w "Kewpie Doll" - - -
"Take Us To Your President"
b/w "Later On Tonight" - - -
"Ja Ja Ja"
b/w "Chapel Bells On Chapel Hill" - - -
"Play Number Theven"
b/w "Come Away From His Arms" - - -
1959 "Without You"
b/w "I'm Movin' On" - - -
1960 "He'll Have To Go"
b/w "(This Life Is Just A) Dress Rehearsal" - - -
"The Midnight Ride Of Paul Revere"
b/w "The Tomorrow That Never Came" - - -
"Man Of The Cloth"
b/w "Someone Else's Arms" - - -
1961 "That Do Make It Nice"
b/w "Two Sides To Every Story" - - -
1963 "Hootenanny Granny"
b/w "These Bones Gonna Rise Again" 103 - -
1964 "Addis Ababa"
b/w "Have You Ever Been Lonely" - - -
1965 "Mr. Moses"
b/w "Make Your Back Strong" - - -
1967 "Blotsen Botten"
b/w "Gambler's Guitar" - - -
1968 "Micahel J. Pollard For President"
b/w "The Ol' Race Track" - - -
1973 "Green Door" (Re-recorded version)
b/w "San Francisco Bay"
Featuting Teresa Brewer on background vocals - - -
By You By You By You
Jim Lowe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If that bird had any sense
He would be
Here with me
By you by you by you
See that squirrel on the wall
If he had a brain at all
Here with me
By you by you by you
It's so great
To be with you
Hugging and a-kissing
Birds and bees and fishes too
Don't know what they're missing
See that monkey in the zoo
If he knew just what to do
He'd get free
Just to be
By you by you by you
See that parrot in the tree
Ask him where he'd like to be
Right away
He would say
By you by you by you
See that hippopotamus
He would really raise a fuss
If he could be
Just like me
By you by you by you
It's so great
To be with you
Hugging and a-kissing
Birds and bees and fishes too
Don't know what they're missing
See that monkey in the zoo
If he knew just what to do
He'd get free
Just to be
By you by you by you
By you by you by you
The lyrics to Jim Lowe's song "By You By You By You" express a longing to be in the presence of a loved one. The singer uses animals as examples of creatures that would choose to be with them if they had the chance. The refrain "By you by you by you" drives the message home and serves as a reminder that being with the person they love is the ultimate goal.
The first two stanzas use birds and squirrels as examples of animals that are missing out on being with the singer's loved one. The singer suggests that the animals are foolish for not wanting to be in the same location as their beloved. The third stanza refers to a monkey in the zoo and suggests that if the monkey could free itself, it would come be with the singer's loved one too. The fourth stanza references a parrot in a tree and suggests that the parrot would choose to be with the singer's loved one as well. The fifth stanza mentions a hippopotamus that would be jealous of the singer's position by the loved one's side.
Overall, "By You By You By You" is a simple, lighthearted song that expresses a simple message about the importance of being with the ones we love. It uses animals to emphasize the idea that everyone wants to be around the person they care about most.
Line by Line Meaning
See that birdie on the fence
If that bird was smart, it would be here with the singer
If that bird had any sense
The bird doesn't have any sense because it's not with the singer
He would be
The bird would be with the singer
Here with me
The singer wants the bird to be with them
By you by you by you
Repetition of how much the singer wants the bird to be with them
See that squirrel on the wall
The singer is observing a squirrel
If he had a brain at all
The squirrel is foolish for not being with the singer
It's so great
Being with the person the singer is addressing is fantastic
To be with you
The singer loves to be with the person being addressed
Hugging and a-kissing
The singer is referring to the physical affection they share with the person being addressed
Birds and bees and fishes too
Even animals recognise how great it is to be with the singer's love
Don't know what they're missing
The animals don't understand the joy of being with the singer's love
See that monkey in the zoo
The singer is observing a monkey in a zoo
If he knew just what to do
The monkey is unaware of what it's missing out on, being with the singer's love
He'd get free
The monkey would break free if it knew how great it was to be with the singer
Just to be
The monkey would do whatever it takes to be with the singer
See that parrot in the tree
The singer is observing a parrot in a tree
Ask him where he'd like to be
If the singer were to ask the parrot, it would say it wants to be with the singer
Right away
The parrot would respond immediately that it wants to be with the singer
He would say
The parrot's response is that it wants to be with the singer
See that hippopotamus
The singer is observing a hippopotamus
He would really raise a fuss
The hippopotamus would complain if it knew it couldn't be with the singer's love
If he could be
If it were possible, the hippopotamus would want to be with the singer
Just like me
The hippopotamus wants to be with the singer like the singer's love
Contributed by Mila K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
German Mondragon
Vintage songs, really beautiful.
Paul Joseph
Novelty, must be near a green door. Jim was pretty good
Alan Buxbaum
This same tune was done years later as "Down at Papa Joe's"
Kelly Palazzi
I actually have this 45!
Darrell Pryor
nice!! June 21 ,2019.