Scott was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Authur and Justine Stanard Scott, the third in a family of ten. As a child Jimmy got his first singing experience by his mother's side at the family piano, and later, in church choir. At thirteen, he was orphaned when his mother was killed by a drunk driver.
He first rose to national prominence as "Little Jimmy Scott" in the Lionel Hampton Band when he sang lead on the late 1940s hit "Everybody's Somebody's Fool", recorded in December 1949, and which became a top ten R&B hit in 1950. Credit on the label, however, went to "Lionel Hampton and vocalists", so the singer's name did not appear on any of the songs. This omission of credit was not only a slight to Scott's talent but a big blow to his career. A similar professional insult occurred several years later when his vocal on "Embraceable You" with Charlie Parker, on the album One Night in Birdland, was credited to female vocalist Chubby Newsome.
Lionel Hampton gave him the stage name of "Little Jimmy Scott" because he looked so young, and was short and of slight build. However, it was his extraordinary phrasing and romantic feeling that made him a favorite singer of fellow artists such as Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Frankie Valli, Dinah Washington, and Nancy Wilson.
In 1963, it looked as though Scott's luck had changed for the good. He was signed to Ray Charles' Tangerine Records label, under the supervision of Charles himself, creating what is considered by many to be one of the great jazz vocal albums of all time, Falling in Love is Wonderful.
Owing to obligations on a contract that Scott had signed earlier with Herman Lubinsky, the record was yanked from the shelves in a matter of days, while Jimmy was honeymooning. Forty years later this cult album became available to the public again. Scott disputes the "lifetime" contract; Lubinsky loaned Jimmy out to Syd Nathan at King Records for 45 recordings in 1957–58. Another album, The Source (1969), was not released until 2001.
Scott's career faded by the late 1960s and he returned to his native Cleveland to work as a hospital orderly, shipping clerk and as an elevator operator in a hotel.
Scott eventually resurfaced in 1991 when he sang at the funeral of his long-time friend Doc Pomus, an event that single-handedly sparked his career renaissance. Afterwards Lou Reed recruited him to sing back-up on the track "Power and Glory" from his 1992 album Magic and Loss, which was inspired, to an extent, by Pomus's death. Scott was seen on the series finale of David Lynch's television series Twin Peaks, singing "Sycamore Trees", a song with lyrics by Lynch and music by Angelo Badalamenti. Scott was featured on the soundtrack of the follow-up film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.
Also in attendance at Pomus's funeral was Seymour Stein, founder and operator of Sire Records, who released Scott's 1992 album All The Way, produced by Tommy Lipuma and featuring artists such as Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, and David "Fathead" Newman. Scott was nominated for a Grammy Award for this album.
He followed this up with the album Dream in 1994 and the jazz-gospel album Heaven in 1996. His next work, a critically acclaimed album of pop and rock interpretations entitled Holding Back The Years was produced by Gerry McCarthy and Dale Ashley. Released in the US on Artists Only Records in October 1998, it peaked at #14 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. In Japan, it won the prestigious Swing Journal Award for Best Jazz Album Of The Year (2000). The title track marked the first time in his career that Scott overdubbed his own harmony vocal tracks. Holding Back The Years features cover art by Mark Kostabi, liner notes by Lou Reed, and includes critically acclaimed versions of "Nothing Compares 2 U" (written by Prince), "Jealous Guy" (John Lennon), "Almost Blue" (Elvis Costello) and "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" (Elton John & Bernie Taupin).
In 1999, Scott's early recordings on the Decca label were re-released on CD, as were all of his recordings with the Savoy Label between 1952 and 1975 in a three-disc box set. In 2000, Scott signed to the Milestone jazz label, and recorded four critically acclaimed albums, each produced by Todd Barkan, and featuring a variety of jazz artists, including Wynton Marsalis, Renee Rosnes, Bob Kindred, Eric Alexander, Lew Soloff, George Mraz, Lewis Nash, as well as Jimmy's own touring and recording band "The Jazz Expressions". He also released two live albums, both recorded in Japan, featuring the Jazz Expressions.
In 2012, he joined the 11th annual Independent Music Awards judging panel to assist independent musicians' careers. For some years a new album entitled I Remember You was mentioned via various official channels, including Jimmy's official website.
He died on June 12, 2014, aged 88.
Legacy
Scott's career spanned sixty-five years. He performed with Charlie Parker, Sarah Vaughan, Lester Young, Lionel Hampton, Charles Mingus, Fats Navarro, Quincy Jones, Bud Powell, Ray Charles, Wynton Marsalis, and Peter Cincotti. He also performed with a host of musicians from other genres of music, such as David Byrne, Lou Reed, Flea, Michael Stipe, and Antony & The Johnsons.
Scott performed at President Dwight Eisenhower's (1953) and President Bill Clinton's (1993) inaugurations, where he sang the same song, "Why Was I Born?". Later, Scott appeared in live performances with Pink Martini, and continued to perform internationally at music festivals and at his own concerts until shortly before his death.
In 2007, Scott received the 2007 NEA Jazz Master Award. He also received the Kennedy Center's "Jazz In Our Time" Living Legend Award, and N.A.B.O.B.'s Pioneer Award in 2007. In September 2008 he did a "two-day video interview" at his Vegas home with the "Smithsonian Institute for the National Archives". Scott and his wife Jeanie lived in Las Vegas, Nevada after 2007, having previously living in Euclid, Ohio, for 10 years.
Little Jimmy Scott's "If I Ever Lost You" can be heard in the opening credits of the HBO movie Lackawanna Blues. He was also mentioned on The Cosby Show, when Clair and Cliff Huxtable bet on the year in which "An Evening In Paradise" was recorded. On August 17, 2013, at Cleveland State University in his hometown, Cleveland, Ohio, he was inducted into inaugural 2013 of the R&B Music Hall of Fame.
Nothing Compares 2U
Jimmy Scott Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Since u took your love away
I go out every night and sleep all day
Since u took your love away
Since u been gone I can do whatever I want
I can see whomever I choose
I can eat my dinner in a fancy restaurant
But nothing
'Cause nothing compares
Nothing compares 2 u
It's been so lonely without u here
Like a bird without a song
Nothing can stop these lonely tears from falling
Tell me baby where did I go wrong
I could put my arms around every boy I see
But they'd only remind me of you
I went to the doctor n'guess what he told me
Guess what he told me
He said girl u better try to have fun
No matter what u do
But he's a fool
'Cause nothing compares
Nothing compares 2 u
All the flowers that u planted, mama
In the back yard
All died when u went away
I know that living with u baby was sometimes hard
But I'm willing to give it another try
Nothing compares
Nothing compares 2 u
Nothing compares
Nothing compares 2 u
Nothing compares
The lyrics of Jimmy Scott’s song Nothing Compares 2 U tell a story of heartbreak and loneliness. The singer reminisces about the love he used to share with his partner and describes how difficult it has been to move on since they left. The opening line of the song, “It’s been seven hours and fifteen days since you took your love away,” is particularly striking as it suggests that the singer has counted every minute of their separation. He goes on to describe how he has been struggling to find happiness, despite being able to do whatever he wants and see whomever he chooses. This highlights the emptiness that he feels after losing his love.
The chorus, however, is where the song’s emotional power lies. The repeated phrase “nothing compares” emphasizes the depth of the singer's feelings of loss and sadness. He acknowledges that he could try to move on by finding somebody else, but fears that they would only remind him of his former partner. The line “tell me baby where did I go wrong” is particularly poignant, suggesting that the singer is blaming himself for the end of the relationship, even though he knows deep down that it may not have been his fault.
Line by Line Meaning
It's been seven hours and fifteen days
It has been 615 hours since you left me
Since u took your love away
Since you broke my heart and left me
I go out every night and sleep all day
I stay up all night and sleep all day because I'm too heartbroken to function
Since u been gone I can do whatever I want
Since you left me I can make my own choices
I can see whomever I choose
I can date anybody I please
I can eat my dinner in a fancy restaurant
I can afford to eat at the fanciest of restaurants
But nothing
Despite all that I have,
I said nothing can take away these blues
I'm still sad and missing you
'Cause nothing compares
There is nothing in the world that can replace the love you gave me
Nothing compares 2 u
Nothing can compare to you and the love we had
It's been so lonely without u here
My life has been empty and lonely since you left
Like a bird without a song
I feel like a bird with no song to sing
Nothing can stop these lonely tears from falling
I cry myself to sleep every night and nothing can stop my tears
Tell me baby where did I go wrong
I can't understand what I did to make you leave me
I could put my arms around every boy I see
I could date any man I want
But they'd only remind me of you
But nobody can replace the memories we shared together
I went to the doctor n'guess what he told me
I went to a doctor seeking advice
Guess what he told me
Do you know what he said?
He said girl u better try to have fun
He told me that I need to find joy and pleasure in life
No matter what u do
Regardless of what I choose to do
But he's a fool
But the doctor doesn't understand my pain and sorrow
'Cause nothing compares
There is nothing that can ever compare to the happiness and love you brought me
Nothing compares 2 u
You are the only one that I want, nobody can replace you
All the flowers that u planted, mama
All the flowers that you planted for me, my love
In the back yard
In my backyard garden
All died when u went away
All of the flowers withered and died when you left me
I know that living with u baby was sometimes hard
I understand that sometimes we had our struggles when we were together
But I'm willing to give it another try
But I am willing to try again if you'll come back to me
Nothing compares
There is nothing that compares to the love we shared
Nothing compares 2 u
You are the one that I love, nobody else can replace you
Nothing compares
There is nothing that compares to the happiness we had
Nothing compares 2 u
You are the only one that I want, nobody can replace you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Prince Rogers Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Iuliana Nechita
It's been seven hours and fifteen days
Since u took your love away
I go out every night and sleep all day
Since u took your love away
Since u been gone I can do whatever I want
I can see whomever I choose
I can eat my dinner in a fancy restaurant
But nothing
I said nothing can take away these blues
'Cause nothing compares
Nothing compares 2 u
It's been so lonely without u here
Like a bird without a song
Nothing can stop these lonely tears from falling
Tell me baby where did I go wrong
I could put my arms around every boy I see
But they'd only remind me of you
I went to the doctor n'guess what he told me
Guess what he told me
He said girl u better try to have fun
No matter what u do
But he's a fool
'Cause nothing compares
Nothing compares 2 u
All the flowers that u planted, mama
In the back yard
All died when u went away
I know that living with u baby was sometimes hard
But I'm willing to give it another try
Nothing compares
Nothing compares 2 u
Nothing compares
Nothing compares 2 u
Nothing compares
Gafur Ismail
~ Rest In Peace Mother, 11 June 2021 ~
It's been seven hours and 15 days
Since you took your love away
I go out every night and sleep all day
Since you took your love away
Since you been gone, I can do whatever I want
I can see whomever I choose
I can eat my dinner in a fancy restaurant
But nothing
I said nothing can take away these blues
'Cause nothing compares
Nothing compares 2U
F PB
This is the best rendition of this masterpiece. No doubt. His voice and the way he feels...my lord!
PinkWaterBottle
Just heard this and began to cry. Crazy because I never thought anyone could top the original. It’s beautiful, it’s so haunting
Rafaela Barz
I agree its more emotional!
Lucia
Oh sí.. ti spezza il cuore! 💔
B K
And what is the original to which you are referring?
PinkWaterBottle
@B K look it up
Johnjack 1
Most people don't know it's a song of prince.
Lucia
Sono commossa! Quando l'anima rende la voce uno strumento meraviglioso tocca le altre anime in modo indelebile. Un dono immenso ❣️
the_washington_monument_amb
This is a song that has been sung by many greats. This is the only version to have me crying on the floor. See you in the trees, Mr Scott.
James Pasifull
Most singers just ask you to listen.
Jimmy Scott demands your undivided attention, to FEEL every syllable he utters.
Gets me every single time.