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.
Love Walked in
Lou Donaldson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Love walked right in and brought my sunniest day
One magic moment and my heart seemed to know that love said hello
Though not a word was spoken
One look, and I forgot the gloom of the past
One look and I had found my future at last
One look and I had found a world completely new
One magic moment and my heart seemed to know that love said hello
Though not a word was spoken
One look and I had found a world completely new
When love walked in with you
Lou Donaldson's song "Love Walked In" is a romantic song that talks about how love can come into our lives and bring light to the darkness we've been experiencing. In the first two lines, the lyricist explains that love has completely driven the shadows away and brought a sunny day to his life. The magic moment happened when the singer saw his love interest for the first time, and his heart seemed to know that love was saying "hello" without even a word being spoken.
The next two lines talk about how the singer had been living in a gloomy past, but one look from his love interest was enough to make him forget all the darkness he had been through. The following line reveals that the singer has found his future and a completely new world, all thanks to the person he is in love with. The song concludes by repeating the magic moment when love walked in with the person who has made his life so much better.
Overall, the song is a beautiful representation of how love can change our lives and completely transform our realities. It shows that love has the power to take away our troubles, make us forget our past and enlighten our present.
Line by Line Meaning
Love walked right in and drove the shadows away
Love entered and dispelled the darkness and negativity that surrounded me.
Love walked right in and brought my sunniest day
Love arrived and brought happiness and joy to my life.
One magic moment and my heart seemed to know that love said hello
In a single instant, my heart recognized that love had arrived without any verbal communication.
Though not a word was spoken
Love arrived without any verbal communication.
One look, and I forgot the gloom of the past
With a glance, I let go of the sadness and negativity of my past.
One look and I had found my future at last
With a single glance, my future became clear and hopeful.
One look and I had found a world completely new
With a glance, a whole new world filled with love and happiness is found.
When love walked in with you
Love arrived when you entered my life.
Lyrics © RALEIGH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: GORDON CLIFFORD, HARRY BARRIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind