Born James Oscar Smith on 8th December 1925 in Norristown, Pennsylvania, USA. Smith was influenced by both gospel and blues. He first achieved prominence in the 1950s where his recordings became popular on jukeboxes before there were commonly used terms to describe his unique musical flavor. In the sixties and seventies he helped create the jazz style known as soul jazz.
Smith employed a unique technique to emulate a string bass player on the organ. Although he played walking bass lines on the pedals on ballads, for uptempo tunes, he would play the bass line on the lower manual and use the pedals for emphasis on the attack of certain notes. His solos were characterised by percussive chords mixed with very fast melodic improvisation with the right hand.
Smith was a prolific recording artist. He first recorded with the Blue Note label in 1956. His early albums with Blue Note sold very well, improving its financial viability and aiding the label's efforts to promote other artists. They include Home Cookin' , The Sermon!, Midnight Special, Prayer Meetin' , and Back at the Chicken Shack.
Smith signed to Verve Records label in 1963. Smith's albums with Verve include: The Cat, The Boss, Root Down, Peter & The Wolf, Any Number Can Win, The Incredible..., Bashin', Got My Mojo Workin', Christmas Cookin', and Organ Grinder Swing.
His influence has been felt across multiple generations and musical styles; nearly every subsequent jazz organist owes a large debt to Smith. The Beastie Boys (who sampled the bassline from Smith's "Root Down (and Get It)"—and saluted Smith in the lyrics—for their own hit "Root Down"), Medeski, Martin & Wood, and The Hayden-Eckert Ensemble are among the better known contemporary bands that pay tribute to Smith's sensibilities and sound. The Acid Jazz movement also reflects Smith's influences.
Smith died on 8th February 2005, in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.
There are several other artists with this name: 1. an American jazz trumpeter, 2. an American jazz drummer, 3. a British guitarist for the band Foals, 4. blues guitarist Jimmy "Guitar" Smith.
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See Wikipedia for a disambiguation page for Jimmy Smith#Musicians.
Imagination
Jimmy Smith Lyrics
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It makes a cloudy day sunny
Makes a bee think of honey
Just as I think of you
Imagination is crazy
Your whole perspective gets hazy
Starts you asking a daisy
Have you ever felt
A gentle touch and then a kiss
And then and then
Find it's only your imagination again? Oh, well
Imagination is silly
You go around willy-nilly
For example I go around wanting you
And yet I can't imagine that you want me too
The song Imagination by Jimmy Smith has a playful and bittersweet quality to it as it explores the power of the human imagination. Smith sings that imagination is funny, able to change one's perception of reality from a cloudy day to a sunny one, and make a bee think of honey as he thinks of his love interest. Imagination is described as crazy, causing a person's perspective to become hazy and making them ask a daisy what to do. The song takes a romantic turn as Smith sings about a gentle touch and kiss that turn out to be only one's imagination.
Smith continues to sing that imagination is silly, prompting people to wander around in search of something they want but cannot have. He uses himself as an example, stating that he goes around wanting his love interest but cannot imagine her wanting him back. The lyrics of the song suggest that while imagination can bring joy and hope, it can also lead to disappointment and disillusionment.
Overall, Imagination is a reflective song that encourages listeners to embrace their imaginations while acknowledging the limitations of this powerful human ability.
Line by Line Meaning
Imagination is funny
Imagination is something that is amusing and strange
It makes a cloudy day sunny
Imagination can change the way you perceive things and make something gloomy appear bright and cheerful
Makes a bee think of honey
Imagination can evoke thoughts of things that are usually associated with a particular object or idea
Just as I think of you
The artist's imagination is focused on thinking about someone they have feelings for
Imagination is crazy
Imagination can be wild and irrational
Your whole perspective gets hazy
Imagination can affect your way of thinking and create confusion
Starts you asking a daisy
Imagination can lead to seeking answers from something that may not have the ability to provide them
What to do, what to do?
The artist is uncertain about what to do with their thoughts and feelings
Have you ever felt
The artist is asking if the listener has ever experienced something similar to what they are describing
A gentle touch and then a kiss
The artist is thinking about being intimate with someone they desire
And then and then
The singer is continuing their thought about being intimate with someone and how imagination can affect it
Find it's only your imagination again? Oh, well
The artist realizes that their imagination is creating these thoughts and feelings and accepts it
Imagination is silly
Imagination can seem foolish
You go around willy-nilly
Imagination can make you act impulsively and without purpose
For example I go around wanting you
The singer is admitting their desire for someone
And yet I can't imagine that you want me too
The artist believes that they are not desirable to the person they desire
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Cloud9
Written by: ANKA WOLBERT, RONNIE MOERINGS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind