Jim Lowe (May 7, 1923 – December 12, 2016) was an American singer-songwrite… Read Full Bio ↴Jim Lowe (May 7, 1923 – December 12, 2016) was an American singer-songwriter, best known for his 1956 number-one hit song, "Green Door".
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 - - -

Talkin' To The Blues
Jim Lowe Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Talking to the blues
Talking to the blues
Since my baby left me I've been talking to the blues
Good morning blues
How you feeling today
You dog
Might as well pull up a chair
Looks like you're here for quite a stay

Sighing to the blues
Crying to the blues
Morning after morning alibi-ing to the blues
Sit down bad news
Yeah the coffee's still hot
You dog
I'm gonna take good care of you
'Cause you're the only friend I've got

Help me to remember now where were we when I finally fell asleep yeah
I remember I was telling you telling how her cheating cut me deep

Talking to the blues
Talking to the blues
Since my baby left me I've been talking to the blues
Old buddy blues
Yeah take my last cigarette
You dog
Have a million laughs on me
But please teach me to forget

Talking to the blues
Talking to the blues
Since my baby left me I've been talking to the blues
Old buddy blues
Yeah take my last cigarette
You dog
Have a million laughs on me
But please teach me to forget

Blues you are the lowest
You dog

Overall Meaning

"Talkin' To The Blues" by Jim Lowe is a song that perfectly captures the essence of post-breakup sadness and depression. The singer is talking to the blues, a metaphor for his state of mind after his lover left him. He sings about how he has been talking to the blues since his baby left him and how he is sighing, crying, and alibi-ing to the blues, seeking comfort in it. The singer's voice is perfectly suited for the song, capturing the essence of a man who has lost everything and is trying to come to terms with it.

Throughout the song, the singer talks to the blues as if it is a friend and confidant, who he can share his sorrow with. He sings about how the coffee is still hot, and he might as well pull up a chair after realizing that the blues is here to stay. He begs the blues to help him forget about his lover and take his last cigarette, even if it means having a million laughs at his expense. The lyrics are straightforward and honest, and the singer's performance is remarkable.

Line by Line Meaning

Talking to the blues
Addressing the sadness and loneliness I feel by talking to the blues

Since my baby left me I've been talking to the blues
Ever since my lover left me, I've been communicating with the blues to ease my pain

Good morning blues
Addressing the blues with a polite greeting

How you feeling today
Inquiring about the state of the blues' well-being

You dog
Addressing the blues with an informal and friendly tone

Might as well pull up a chair
Inviting the blues to sit down and stay for a while

Looks like you're here for quite a stay
Observing that the blues will be with me for a long time

Sighing to the blues
Sighing and expressing my feelings of sadness to the blues

Crying to the blues
Crying and sharing my sorrow with the blues

Morning after morning alibi-ing to the blues
Making excuses for the absence of my lover to the blues every morning

Sit down bad news
Addressing the blues as a bearer of bad news

Yeah the coffee's still hot
Confirming that the coffee has not yet cooled down

I'm gonna take good care of you
Pledging to take care of the blues

'Cause you're the only friend I've got
Acknowledging that the blues is my only friend in this hard time

Help me to remember now where were we when I finally fell asleep yeah
Asking the blues to help me recall what I was doing when I finally fell asleep

I remember I was telling you telling how her cheating cut me deep
Recollecting that I was confessing to the blues about how hurt I was by my lover's infidelity

Old buddy blues
Addressing the blues as an old companion

Yeah take my last cigarette
Offering the blues my last cigarette as a gesture of goodwill

Have a million laughs on me
Encouraging the blues to enjoy itself at my expense

But please teach me to forget
Requesting the blues to help me forget my troubles

Blues you are the lowest
Accusing the blues of being the source of my misery

You dog
Addressing the blues with a sense of familiarity and affection

Contributed by Zoe V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

Gregg Matson

I remember this one from about '57. Hadn't heard it in a lonnnnnnng time. Great song.

Jim Hilliker

I missed this Jim Lowe record the last time you posted it. I have a recording of the song but it seems to be a different cut or a lighter recording or a remake or something cuz the arrangements slightly different but I like it actually thank you very much