Burrell made his first recording in 1951, with Dizzy Gillespie. After moving from Detroit to New York City in 1956, he recorded with a wide range of prominent musicians, including John Coltrane, Benny Goodman, Gil Evans, Stan Getz, Billie Holiday, Milt Jackson, Quincy Jones, Oscar Peterson, Sonny Rollins, Jimmy Smith, Stanley Turrentine, and Cedar Walton. He also led his own groups since 1951.
In the 1970s he began leading seminars about music, particularly Duke Ellington's (Burrell has a music degree from Wayne State University). A highly popular performer, he has won several jazz polls in Japan and the United Kingdom as well as the United States.
He has recorded about 40 LPs, including Midnight Blue (1961), Blue Lights, Guitar Forms, Sunup To Sundown (1990), Soft Winds (1993), Then Along Came Kenny (1993), and Lotus Blossom (1995).
Burrell now serves as Director of Jazz Studies at UCLA.
People
Kenny Burrell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why do the neighbors chatter all day, behind their doors?
I know a way to prove what they say is quite untrue.
Here is the gist, a practical list of "donts" for you.
Don't throw bouquets at me
Don't please my folks too much
Don't laugh at my jokes too much
Don't sigh and gaze at me
Your sighs are so like mine
Your eyes mustn't glow like mine
People will say we're in love!
Don't start collecting things
Give me my rose and my glove.
Sweetheart they're suspecting things
People will say we're in love.
Don't praise my charm too much
Don't look so vain with me
Don't stand in the rain with me
People will say we're in love!
Don't take my arm too much
Don't keep your hand in mine
Your hand feels so grand in mine
People will say we're in love!
Don't dance all night with me
Till the stars fade from above.
They'll see it's alright with me
People will say we're in love.
The song "People" by Kenny Burrell is a beautiful reminder of how important it is to have other people in our lives. The lyrics suggest that we are all children at heart who need others, but sometimes we hide our need for connection behind grown-up pride. Burrell sings about the power of love and how it can make us feel complete. He urges listeners to be open to needing others and to recognize that people who need people are the luckiest people in the world.
The repetition of the phrase "people who need people" emphasizes the idea that we are all interconnected and that we need each other to feel truly happy and fulfilled. Burrell also touches on the idea that love is a transformative emotion that can fill our deepest needs and desires. He suggests that when we find that one person who is our soulmate, we become whole and no longer feel the hunger and thirst for connection.
Line by Line Meaning
People,
The word people implies the idea of the community, the importance and the significance of human interaction.
People who need people,
The presence of companionship is an essential requirement for all people. It establishes the notion of a socially connected society.
Are the luckiest people in the world
Interaction and connectivity with people brings good fortune and positive outcomes. A feeling of belonging and happiness.
We're children, needing other children
Regardless of age, people require the presence of others, like children at playtime. The absence of which, have the potential to cause negative reactions.
And yet letting a grown-up pride
Despite this need for interaction, people, the grown-upsmore so, often suppress their needs to keep in check an apparently visible pride, which conceals their true inner desires and needs.
Hide all the need inside
A person's need for interaction is often kept under cover due to the lack of ability or confidence to explore it out in the open.
Acting more like children than children
People often exhibit behavior similar to that of children in their search for companionship, albeit with more complexity due to their adult life.
Lovers are very special people
Love creates a positive impact on life by creating a strong emotional bond and healthy dialogue between two individuals.
They're the luckiest people in the world
Lovers that are able to establish a special connection between them are considered amongst the most fortunate people in the world.
With one person one very special person
Love creates a two-way connection, based on mutual trust, passion, and respect for each other.
A feeling deep in your soul
Love is rooted deep in our soul and has the power to make us feel complete on a spiritual level.
Says you were half now you're whole
Love binds two people together, making them feel complete, and bringing them a sense of fulfillment in life.
No more hunger and thirst
Love can satisfy a person's most basic needs, resulting in contentment and joy.
But first be a person who needs people
In order to establish a connection with others, one must have the desire to form relationships that are meaningful and long-lasting.
People who need people
The importance of human interaction and the need to establish meaningful connections is reiterated in this line.
Are the luckiest people in the world
People who successfully establish human relationships are considered amongst the most fortunate in the world.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Oscar Hammerstein Ii, Richard Rodgers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind