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.
Oh Beautiful!
Joe Bonamassa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I would write you letters and pour you sweet wine
Oh beautiful why you so blue?
If you can only see the way I see you
Oh gravity weighing on my soul
Keeps bringing you round back to me
Like dirt to a stone
Might wake up in the morning
And she'll be gone from your reach
Oh beautiful, if you were mine
I would write you letters and pour you sweet wine
Oh beautiful, why you so blue?
If you can only see the way I see you
The lyrics of Joe Bonamassa's "Oh Beautiful!" convey a sense of longing for someone that he finds incredibly beautiful, but who seems to be weighed down by something. He begins by expressing his desire to pamper and care for this person, writing letters and pouring them sweet wine. The repetition of the phrase "Oh beautiful" suggests that this person's beauty is both striking and captivating to Bonamassa, and that he is struggling to express the depth of his feelings for them.
The second verse introduces the concept of gravity as a symbol for the forces that are holding this person down. Bonamassa compares their gravitational pull to the way in which dirt sticks to a stone, suggesting that this person is trapped or weighed down by their problems. He acknowledges that they cannot simply be freed from these troubles, but instead must find a way to manage them. Despite this, Bonamassa cannot help but feel the pull of his own feelings towards them. He is afraid that if he lets go, he may lose them forever.
In the final verse, the repetition of the phrase "Oh beautiful" takes on a more plaintive tone. He asks why this person is feeling so blue, and expresses his belief that they would feel differently if they could only see the way he sees them. There is a sense of sadness and resignation here, as though he recognizes that he may never be able to fully convey his love and admiration for this person. The song ends on this melancholic note, leaving the listener with a sense of the complex emotions that come with loving someone who is struggling.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh beautiful, if you were mine
Expressing desire to be with someone and care for them
I would write you letters and pour you sweet wine
Willingness to express love and appreciation
Oh beautiful why you so blue?
Asking why the person is feeling down or sad
If you can only see the way I see you
Expressing admiration and a desire for the person to see their own worth
Oh gravity weighing on my soul
Feeling burdened and weighed down by emotions
Keeps bringing you round back to me
Feeling drawn to the person despite hardships
Like dirt to a stone
Comparing the strong attraction to dirt drawn to a magnet
Oh gravity don't you ever go to sleep
Hopeful that the emotions and connection stay strong
Might wake up in the morning
Acknowledgment of the possibility of change
And she'll be gone from your reach
Afraid of losing the connection and the person being out of reach
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: JOE BONAMASSA, JAMES HOUSE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
M. Lou
For me, several things set this song apart…the unusual melody of the lyrics, the a cappella delivery, and the progression of the entire song beginning to end. How to categorize this song? Pure genius? Definitely created outside the box! Joe always does absolutely excellent work!!!
Tina M. Marrone
♥️💖
Cedar Bay
With his guitar playing but not creatively
lorna young
He is genius level no doubt!
Cedar Bay
Listen to Oh Death by Ralph Stanley, it is reminiscent of the intro
Nothing super creative or new going on here with Joe but the execution is outstanding
Dave
Absolutely luv Bonamassa & his band..pure brilliance..👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Fer Chavero
Yeeees... al fin encuentro completa esta canción. Blues/Rock 🤘🏾 volador de 🧠
Sandŕa Griffiths
Oh beautiful Joe, excellent as always. Oh beautiful Reese and all the wonderful band. What a combination.
elena skrypnikova
Good Lord ! So beautiful ! Joe allways inspires and encourages by striking emotionality .Love it .
Simone Molina
Amo DEMAIS ❤❤❤❤