After his discharge from the Army in 1953, Mance worked as a sideman and accompanist with musicians such as Dinah Washington, Cannonball Adderley, and Dizzy Gillespie before recording his first album as a leader and forming his own trio in 1961. To date he has recorded over thirty albums, for labels such as Verve, Jazzland, Riverside, Capitol, Atlantic, Milestone, Polydor, Inner City, JSP, Nilva, Sackville, Bee Hive, and others.
Since 1988 he has been a member of the faculty of the Jazz and Contemporary Music Program at the New School University in New York City.
In 1997, Junior Mance was inducted into The International Jazz Hall of Fame.
(2) Junior Mance is well-known for his soulful bluesy style, but he is also expert at playing bop standards. He started playing professionally when he was ten. Mance worked with Gene Ammons in Chicago during 1947-1949, played with Lester Young (1950), and was with the Ammons-Sonny Stitt group until he was drafted. He was the house pianist at Chicago's Bee Hive (1953-1954), worked as Dinah Washington's accompanist (1954-1955), was in the first Cannonball Adderley Quintet (1956-1957), and then spent two years touring with Dizzy Gillespie (1958-1960). After a few months with the Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis/Johnny Griffin group, Mance formed his own trio and has mostly been a leader ever since. He has led sessions for Verve, Jazzland, Riverside, Capitol, Atlantic, Milestone, Polydor, Inner City, JSP, Nilva, Sackville, and Bee Hive, among other labels. ~ Scott Yanow
Girl of My Dreams
Junior Mance Lyrics
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Years full of tears and regret;
I've been alone broken hearted,
Trying so hard to forget:
Girl of my dreams I love you, honest I do,
You are so sweet,
If I could just hold your charms again in my arms,
Since you've been gone dear, life don't seem the same,
Please come back again.
And after all's said and done, there's only one,
Girl of my dreams, it's you.
It's strange how life deals you sorrow,
Sunshine and joy always nigh;
We live and learn for tomorrow,
But sometimes the learning comes high:
Girl of my dreams I love you, honest I do,
You are so sweet,
If I could just hold your charms again in my arms,
Then life would be complete;
Since you've been gone dear, life don't seem the same,
Please come back again.
And after all's said and done, there's only one,
Girl of my dreams, it's you.
Girl of my dreams I love you, honest I do,
You are so sweet,
If I could just hold your charms again in my arms,
Then life would be complete;
Since you've been gone dear, life don't seem the same,
Please come back again.
And after all's said and done, there's only one,
Girl of my dreams, it's you.
The lyrics of Junior Mance's song "Girl Of My Dreams" express the longing and regret of a person who has been separated from the one they love for a long time. The singer is addressing his beloved, saying that life has not been the same since she left and that he has been trying hard to forget her but has not succeeded. He admits that she is the girl of his dreams and that he loves her sincerely.
The song talks about the ups and downs of life, how it can deal out both sorrow and sunshine, and how we must live and learn from it. The singer says that sometimes the learning comes at a high cost. The song paints a picture of somebody who is desperate to be reunited with the love of their life, finding their life incomplete without them.
Overall, the song is a poignant expression of the depth of love and regret that can be felt when someone is separated from the person they love the most. It is a universal theme that everyone can relate to at some point in their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Dear, it seems years since we parted,
It feels like a long time since we separated
Years full of tears and regret;
I have spent many years crying and feeling sorry for myself
I've been alone broken hearted,
I've been alone and feeling sad
Trying so hard to forget:
I have been trying very hard to forget about you
Girl of my dreams I love you, honest I do,
You are the girl of my dreams and I love you, I'm telling you the truth
You are so sweet,
You are very kind and pleasant
If I could just hold your charms again in my arms,
I wish I could hold you close again and feel your presence
Then life would be complete;
If I had you back in my life, I would feel fulfilled
Since you've been gone dear, life don't seem the same,
Ever since you left, my life hasn't been the same
Please come back again.
I hope you can come back to me
And after all's said and done, there's only one,
When everything is considered, there is only one person for me
Girl of my dreams, it's you.
You are the girl of my dreams
It's strange how life deals you sorrow,
It's curious how life brings you sadness
Sunshine and joy always nigh;
Happiness and joy are always nearby
We live and learn for tomorrow,
We live and learn for the future
But sometimes the learning comes high:
Sometimes the lessons are learned at a high cost
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SUNNY CLAPP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind