Like many other successful musicians from Chicago, he studied music at DuSable High School under Walter Dyett. Griffin, was reputed to be the 'World's Fastest Saxophonist' in the jazz idiom, though as he aged, and as the jazz audience declined, this accolade all but disappeared.
In the 1940s and 1950s he worked in Lionel Hampton's and Joe Morris's bands, in the Jazz Messengers, and in the Thelonious Monk Quartet. From 1960 to 1962 Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Griffin led their own group. Having felt he had achieved much in the USA, his pinnacle on record arguably the 1957 Blowin' session on the Blue Note label with fellow tenor John Coltrane, he moved to Europe. He lived in France in 1963, moving to the Netherlands in 1978, and he still continued to record and tour until his death in 2008.
Prelude To A Kiss
Johnny Griffin Lyrics
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A song in blue
Like a flower crying
For the dew
That was my heart serenading you
My prelude to a kiss
If you hear a song that grows
That was my heart trying to compose
A prelude to a kiss
Though it's just a simple melody
With nothing fancy
Nothing much
You could turn it to a symphony
A Shubert tune with a Gershwin touch
Oh how my love song gently cries
For the tenderness within your eyes
My love is a prelude that never dies
A prelude to a kiss
Though it's just a simple melody
With nothing fancy
Nothing much
You could turn it to a symphony
A Shubert tune with a Gershwin touch
Oh how my love song so gently cries
For the tenderness within your eyes
My love is a prelude that never dies
A prelude to a kiss
The lyrics of Johnny Griffin's song "Prelude to a Kiss" paint a picture of unrequited love and the longing of the heart for affection. The songwriter implies that the heart is like a song in blue, distressed and seeking comfort much like a flower crying for the dew. The melodious song is supposed to be a prelude to a kiss. The lyrics suggest that when the songwriter hears his heart crying with sentimental woes, he tries to compose a prelude to a kiss with a simple melody. He believes that even though the music may not be grand, it could be transformed into a symphony.
The songwriter's love is profound and unconditional, and it's evident in the line "Oh how my love song gently cries for the tenderness within your eyes." Although the prelude may be just a simple melody or song in blue, the songwriters' love is everything but trivial. The heart-wrenching song is a testament of the songwriter's desire for affection, and the heartbreak that follows when that love is unreciprocated. Despite the heartache and sadness, the composer's love is strong and eternal, and the prelude is a perfect embodiment of that everlasting love.
Line by Line Meaning
If you hear
If you happen to listen to
A song in blue
A sad song or a song of longing
Like a flower crying
Similar to a flower needing dew to survive, my heart is crying for love
For the dew
In search of the love it needs to thrive
That was my heart serenading you
The emotion behind this song is an outpouring of love from my heart to you
My prelude to a kiss
This song is my introduction to what I hope will become a kiss
If you hear a song that grows
If this song of mine evolves
From my tender sentimental woes
An overflow of affection and heartbreak is the foundation of this song
That was my heart trying to compose
My heart is channeling its emotions into this song
A prelude to a kiss
A hopeful precursor to a kiss between us
Though it's just a simple melody
Although the song may be uncomplicated
With nothing fancy
Unadorned and without frills
Nothing much
A straightforward tune without complex instrumentation
You could turn it to a symphony
An expression of how love can turn something humble into something wonderful
A Shubert tune with a Gershwin touch
Love can elevate even a simple song to the level of a timeless classic
Oh how my love song gently cries
My song expresses the pain and yearning of a heart full of love
For the tenderness within your eyes
The inspiration for this song is the love and tenderness I see in your eyes
My love is a prelude that never dies
My love for you is always there, a prelude to something greater
A prelude to a kiss
A simple song of love, leading to something more intimate
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave
Written by: DUKE ELLINGTON, IRVING MILLS, IRVING GORDON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind