He was born Joseph Goreed in Cordele, Georgia and moved to Chicago as a child. He was raised by his mother and grandmother. He grew on the south side of Chicago, surrounded by jazz, blues, and gospel music. In the 1930s, as a teenager, he was a member of "The Jubilee Boys" and performed in Chicago churches.
He worked as a singer and bouncer in Chicago in the late 1930s and early 1940s. In 1943, he was hired by the Lionel Hampton Orchestra. He toured with Hampton for several years but never achieved breakthrough success.
He rose to national prominence as the singer for Count Basie's Orchestra in 1954. He remained with Basie for several years. "Everyday I have the Blues" is his biggest hit.
After leaving the Basie band, Williams continued to have a successful career working with his own jazz combo. He and Basie remained on good terms and he would regularly appear with the band.
Bill Cosby cast Williams as his father-in-law "Grandpa Al" Hanks in a recurring role on the 1980s sit-com The Cosby Show.
Williams enjoyed a successful career and worked regularly until his death. He died at age 80, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Joe Williams shares a birthday with Frank Sinatra who was also born Dec. 12, three years before Williams
Very Thought of You
Joe Williams Lyrics
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The little ordinary things that everyone ought to do
I'm living in a kind of daydream
I'm happy as a king
And foolish though it may seem
To me that's everything
The mere idea of you, the longing here for you
I see your face in every flower
Your eyes in stars above
It's just the thought of you
The very thought of you, my love
The mere idea of you, the longing here for you
You'll never know how slow the moments go till I'm near to you
I see your face in every flower
Your eyes in stars above
It's just the thought of you
The very thought of you, my love
In Joe Williams's song "The Very Thought of You," the singer is so consumed with the thought of their love interest that they forget about the mundane tasks of daily life. They are living in a blissful daydream, happier than a king. The singer acknowledges that others might think their preoccupation is foolish, but to them, the very thought of their love interest is everything.
The mere idea of their love interest is enough to make time feel like it slows down until they are reunited. The singer sees their love interest's face in every flower and their eyes in the stars above. The very thought of their love interest fills the singer with an overwhelming feeling of love and devotion.
The lyrics speak to the power that thoughts of a loved one can have over the mind and emotions. The singer is so enchanted that they are willing to overlook everyday tasks for the sake of the intense feelings they experience when thinking about their love interest.
Line by Line Meaning
The very thought of you, and I forget to do
The mere thought of you can be so consuming that I lose track of time and neglect my routine tasks.
The little ordinary things that everyone ought to do
These tasks are mundane and not worth remembering when compared to the overwhelming feeling of thoughts of the person being addressed.
I'm living in a kind of daydream
The singer's focus on the person they are thinking of has taken them to a different state of mind where they are living unrealistically.
I'm happy as a king
Despite living in this unrealistic state, the artist is happy and content with just the thought of the person they are addressing.
And foolish though it may seem
Though others may consider it foolish for the artist to be this consumed with this mere thought, the artist is unable to help how they feel.
To me that's everything
This feeling of being consumed with this thought is of the utmost importance to the singer, above anything else.
The mere idea of you, the longing here for you
The very idea of the person being addressed is enough to create a sense of yearning in the singer, an overwhelming feeling for that person to be near.
You'll never know how slow the moments go till I'm near to you
Being in the presence of the person they are addressing is the only way to slow down time for the artist. The mere thought of that person makes time feel like it is moving slower.
I see your face in every flower
The person the artist is addressing is so present in their mind that they see their face in everything around them, even in flowers.
Your eyes in stars above
The stars in the sky serve as a reminder of the person they are addressing, as their eyes are reflected in the stars.
It's just the thought of you
All the joy, contentment, and yearning the singer feels is from just the mere thought of the person they are addressing.
The very thought of you, my love
The song concludes with a declaration of love to the person being addressed, with the artist proclaiming that even the mere thought of them brings them so much happiness and contentment.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ray Noble
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind