Donaldson attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro in the early 1940s. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was trained at the Great Lakes bases in Chicago, where he was introduced to bop music in the lively club scene there. At the war's conclusion, he returned to Greensboro, where he worked club dates with the Rhythm Vets, a combo composed of A and T students who had served in the U.S. Navy. The band recorded the soundtrack to a musical comedy featurette, "Pitch a Boogie Woogie," in Greenville, North Carolina, in the summer of 1947. The movie had a limited run at black audience theatres in 1948 but its production company, Lord-Warner Pictures, folded and never made another film. "Pitch a Boogie Woogie" was subsequently restored by the American Film Institute in 1985 and re-premiered on the campus of East Carolina University in Greenville the following year. Donaldson and the surviving members of the Vets performed a reunion concert after the film's showing. In the documentary made on "Pitch" by UNC-TV, "Boogie in Black and White", Donaldson and his musical cohorts recall the film's making—he originally believed that he had played clarinet on the soundtrack. A short piece of concert footage from a gig in Fayetteville, North Carolina, is included in the documentary.
Donaldson's first jazz recordings were with the Charlie Singleton Orchestra in 1950 and then with bop emissaries Milt Jackson and Thelonious Monk in 1952, and he participated in several small groups with other jazz luminaries such as trumpeter Blue Mitchell, pianist Horace Silver and drummer Art Blakey.
In 1953, he also recorded sessions with the trumpet virtuoso Clifford Brown, and Philly Joe Jones.
He was a member of Art Blakey's Quintet and appeared on some of their best regarded albums, including the two albums recorded at Birdland in February 1954 Night at Birdland.
Donaldson has recorded in the bop, hard bop, and soul jazz genres. For many years his pianist was Herman Foster.
He was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame on October 11, 2012.
Just Friends
Lou Donaldson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just friends, but not like before
To think of what we've been and not to kiss again
Seems like pretending it isn't the ending
Two friends drifting apart
Two friends, but one broken heart
We loved, we laughed, we cried, and suddenly love died
The lyrics of Lou Donaldson's song "Just Friends" tell the story of two people who were once lovers who have now transitioned into being just friends. The opening line, "Just friends, lovers no more," sets the tone for the rest of the song as it emphasizes the idea that the relationship has changed. The second line, "Just friends, but not like before," shows that even though they are still friends, there is a noticeable difference in their relationship.
The lines "To think of what we've been and not to kiss again/Seems like pretending it isn't the ending" convey a sense of loss and longing for what was before. The idea that they can't kiss again and that it seems like they are pretending the relationship isn't over, suggests that they may still have feelings for each other. The next two lines, "Two friends drifting apart/Two friends, but one broken heart" go on to show how the relationship has affected them both, highlighting that while they may both be trying to move on, one of them is feeling the after-effects more harshly than the other. The final line, "We loved, we laughed, we cried, and suddenly love died," sums up the entire relationship, from its beginning to its painful end.
Line by Line Meaning
Just friends, lovers no more
We were once romantic partners, but now we are merely friends, no longer in love.
Just friends, but not like before
Although we are now just friends, our relationship has changed and will never be like it was before.
To think of what we've been and not to kiss again
Remembering our past romantic connection, it seems unnatural to not share another kiss.
Seems like pretending it isn't the ending
It feels like we are trying to deny that our romantic relationship has truly come to an end.
Two friends drifting apart
Our friendship is slowly breaking down and separating away from each other.
Two friends, but one broken heart
We are both now just friends, but one of us is deeply hurt from the lost romantic relationship.
We loved, we laughed, we cried, and suddenly love died
We once shared a strong love for each other, filled with happy moments and sad ones, but our love simply faded away suddenly.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JOHN KLENNER, SAM M. LEWIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind