Bonamassa was born in Utica, New York. He started playing guitar at age four, encouraged by his father, who was an avid music fan and exposed him to British blues rock records by Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, greatly inspiring him. At 11 years old Joe was mentored and trained by American guitar legend, Danny Gatton. When he was 12 years old, he had his own band called Smokin' Joe Bonamassa, which gigged around western New York and Pennsylvania, including cities such as Scranton and Buffalo, but only on weekends since Joe had school on weekdays. Bonamassa played a crimson 1972 Fender Stratocaster he called "Rosie", which his father had bought in Utica, New York.
When he was 12 years old, Bonamassa opened for B.B. King. In the last 13 years Bonamassa has put out 15 solo albums through his independent record label J&R Adventures, of which 11 have reached number 1 on the Billboard Blues charts. Bonamassa has played alongside such artists as Stephen Stills, Eric Clapton, Blondie Chaplin, Foreigner, Buddy Guy, Steve Winwood, Warren Haynes, Solomon Hicks,and Derek Trucks among others.[4] His career highlights include performances at the Royal Albert Hall and has had three Grammy Award nominations in 2013, for his collaboration album with Beth Hart "Seesaw", in 2016 for the album "Live at the Greek Theatre" and 2022 for the album "Royal Tea". In addition to his music career, Joe Bonamassa runs a nonprofit organisation called the Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation, whose mission is to further music education by funding scholarships and providing music education resources to schools in need. in 2020, he added an extension to the foundation. Called Fuelling Musicians, it provides $1500 cheques to struggling musicians affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
in 2021, he broke his own record for having more #1 Billboard blues albums than anyone in history. The album "Time Clocks" clocked up his 25th #1 album.
He is also known for his enormous collection of vintage guitars and related gear.
If I Tell You I Love You
Joe Bonamassa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Make you trip, so your lips would be mine
There are so many things I could do, my love
To convince you my love is divine
There are so many words I could tell you
There are so many moments in time
But I say 'fore we go to the land down below
If I tell you I love you, I'm lying
There are so many places to go, my love
There are so many places to find
There are so many worlds to explore, my love
There are so many stars yet to shine
There are so many secrets to tell you
There are so many men on the line
But I say 'fore we go to the land down below
If I tell you I love you, I'm lying
I maybe show the reason to call you up next time
So if you like your women sweet, ah, consider me your wine
I may be one for weekends to call you when you're flying
But if I ever utter I love you, honey I am lying
And if I look into your eyes and tell you, honey I am lying
And if I ever whisper words unheard, such sultry words
(Oh, je t'aime
Oh oui, je t'aime)
Darling, I am lying
The song "If I Tell You I Love You" by Joe Bonamassa is a poignant expression of the dilemma faced by someone unable to confess their love. The lyrics are filled with metaphors and analogies that bring out the singer's inner struggles. The song opens with the singer acknowledging that though there are so many things he could say, words may not be enough to convince his love of his true intentions. There's a temptation to use tricks to make the person fall in love with him, but he ultimately decides not to go down that path because it's not authentic.
The second verse builds on the first, with the singer acknowledging that there are so many options to explore, so many places to go, and so many secrets to tell. However, he realizes that no matter what he does or says, he may not be able to convince the person of his love. He then warns his love that even though he may call her and whisper sweet nothings, and tempt her with his charm, he can't promise that he won't be lying. The final verse drives home the point that there's no use in empty words, even though they may sound beautiful.
Overall, the message of the song is that true love does not need words, only a sincere heart. It acknowledges the limitations of language and shows how honesty and authenticity can be more powerful than surface level tricks or games.
Line by Line Meaning
There are so many things I could say, my love
I have so much I could express to you, my beloved
Make you trip, so your lips would be mine
I want to kiss you so badly that it makes you stumble
There are so many things I could do, my love
I have limitless ways to show my affection for you
To convince you my love is divine
To prove to you that my love is unparalleled and significant
There are so many words I could tell you
I have an immense vocabulary of things to say to you
There are so many moments in time
There are numerous points in our lives I could reference
But I say 'fore we go to the land down below
But before we take things further
If I tell you I love you, I'm lying
You shouldn't believe me if I express my love for you
There are so many places to go, my love
There is a vast world out there to discover with you
There are so many places to find
We can explore new locations together
There are so many worlds to explore, my love
There are infinite opportunities for us to travel and discover
There are so many stars yet to shine
There is still so much potential for greatness and beauty
There are so many secrets to tell you
I have numerous confidential stories to share
There are so many men on the line
I'm not the only man seeking your attention
I maybe show the reason to call you up next time
I can be the motivation for you to call me again in the future
So if you like your women sweet, ah, consider me your wine
If you prefer your women amiable and pleasant, then I am the one for you
I may be one for weekends to call you when you're flying
I might just be the one to contact you on the weekends when you're out exploring
But if I ever utter I love you, honey I am lying
But if I ever say I love you, I'm not being truthful
And if I look into your eyes and tell you, honey I am lying
Even if I stare into your eyes and say it, I'm still not revealing the truth
And if I ever whisper words unheard, such sultry words
And if I ever murmur mysterious and seductive words
(Oh, je t'aime
(Oh, I love you
Oh oui, je t'aime)
Oh yes, I love you)
Darling, I am lying
My dear, I'm simply not being truthful
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MELODY GARDOT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Elvira Bolz Knabenschuh
Ja nun , ist blues sowie so speziell gut zu hören. Geht direkt unter die Haut. 😀😀💋💋💋❤❤❤👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍☝☝☝
Elvira Bolz Knabenschuh
Super künstlerin , aussergewöhnlich, Das ist aber mehr als hervorragend. Na ja ist ja Holländerin die sind sowieso Spitze. Preis verdächtig.
Yolanda. Peaches ADAMS
Give me the reason