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 - - -
The Green Door
Jim Lowe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Watching till the morning comes creeping
Green door, what's that secret you're keeping?
There's an old piano
And they play it hot behind the green door
Don't know what they're doing
But they laugh a lot behind the green door
What's behind the green door
Knocked once, tried to tell them I'd been there
Door slammed, hospitality's thin there
Wonder just what's going on in there
Saw an eyeball peeping through a smoky cloud behind the green door
When I said "Joe sent me"
Someone laughed out loud behind the green door
All I want to do is join the happy crowd behind the green door
Midnight, one more night without sleeping
Watching till the morning comes creeping
Green door, what's that secret you're keeping?
Green door, what's that secret you're keeping?
Green door
The lyrics in Jim Lowe's song "The Green Door" tell the story of a curious individual who is fascinated by what's behind a green door. The person watching this door in the middle of the night wonders what kind of secret could be hidden behind such an unusual door. As the song progresses, the singer notices that behind the green door is an old piano being played with enthusiasm. Despite the jovial atmosphere that can be heard from behind the door, the singer is denied entry when he knocks on the door. Frustrated and confused, the singer is determined to find out what's behind the green door.
The Green Door can be interpreted in various ways. One possible interpretation is that the green door symbolizes the division between our waking lives and our subconscious. The singer's inability to enter the secret world behind the green door relates to our inability to access our subconscious desires and understand our true nature. The green door becomes a metaphor for the barrier between the conscious and unconscious mind, and our desire to go beyond the conscious mind and access the unconscious.
Line by Line Meaning
Midnight, one more night without sleeping
It's midnight and I am still up without any sleep
Watching till the morning comes creeping
I am waiting until the morning without any sleep
Green door, what's that secret you're keeping?
I am curious about the green door and what it's hiding
There's an old piano
There's an old piano behind the green door
And they play it hot behind the green door
People are playing the piano loudly behind the green door
Don't know what they're doing
I don't know what's happening behind the green door
But they laugh a lot behind the green door
People are laughing a lot behind the green door
Wish they'd let me in so I could find out
I wish I could go behind the green door and find out what's happening
What's behind the green door
I am curious about what's happening behind the green door
Knocked once, tried to tell them I'd been there
I knocked on the green door and told them I was there
Door slammed, hospitality's thin there
The door was slammed shut, and the hospitality there is lacking
Wonder just what's going on in there
I am wondering what's happening behind the green door
Saw an eyeball peeping through a smoky cloud behind the green door
I saw an eyeball peeping through a smoky cloud behind the green door
When I said "Joe sent me"
When I mentioned that Joe sent me
Someone laughed out loud behind the green door
Someone laughed out loud behind the green door
All I want to do is join the happy crowd behind the green door
I want to join the happy crowd behind the green door
Green door, what's that secret you're keeping?
I am still curious about what's behind the green door
Green door, what's that secret you're keeping?
Again, I am curious about what's behind the green door
Green door
The green door
Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOB DAVIE, MARVIN MOORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind