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.
Sweet and Lovely
Lou Donaldson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sweeter than the roses in May
Sweet and lovely
Heaven must have sent him my way
Skies above me
Never were as blue as his eyes
And he loves me
When he nestles in my arms so tenderly
There's a thrill that words cannot express
In my heart a song of love is taunting me
Melody haunting me
Sweet and lovely
Sweeter than the roses in May
And he loves me
There is nothing more I can say
When he nestles in my arms so tenderly
There's a thrill that words cannot express
In my heart a song of love is taunting me
Melody haunting me
Sweet and lovely
Sweeter than the roses in May
And he loves me
There is nothing more I can say
There is nothing more I can say
There is nothing more I can say
There is nothing more I can say
There is nothing more I can say
Lou Donaldson's song, Sweet and Lovely, tells a story of an intense and passionate love affair. The lyrics describe the subject of the song as being a person who is sweeter than the roses in May and whom heaven must have sent. The skies above are never as blue as this person's eyes, and the singer feels a thrill that words cannot express when this person nestles in her arms so tenderly. The melody of the song is haunting and the singer is constantly reminded of the love she shares with this person.
The lyrics of Sweet and Lovely are very simple and straightforward, but they are also very powerful. They convey a sense of pure, unadulterated love and passion that is often missing in contemporary music. The song is a reminder of a time when love was more profound and meaningful, and when people were more in touch with their emotions.
In conclusion, Lou Donaldson's Sweet and Lovely is a timeless classic that speaks to the heart and soul of every listener. Its simplicity and power are a testament to the enduring nature of love and the human spirit, and it will continue to inspire and move people for generations to come.
Line by Line Meaning
Sweet and lovely
The person being described is both sweet and lovely
Sweeter than the roses in May
The person being described is even sweeter than a rose in May
Heaven must have sent him my way
The person who is sweet and lovely must have been sent from heaven
Skies above me
The sky above the person is being described
Never were as blue as his eyes
The person's eyes are so blue that they outshine the sky
And he loves me
The person being described loves the singer
Who would want a sweeter surprise?
The singer is so happy with the person being described that they cannot imagine anyone being happier with another person
When he nestles in my arms so tenderly
The person being described loves to hold the singer tenderly
There's a thrill that words cannot express
The feeling of holding the person being described is so intense that it cannot be put into words
In my heart a song of love is taunting me
The singer's heart is filled with a song of love that is teasing and playing with them
Melody haunting me
The melody of the song in the singer's heart is haunting them
There is nothing more I can say
The singer has expressed everything they can about the person being described and their love for them
There is nothing more I can say
The singer is repeating that they have nothing more to say about the person and their love for them
There is nothing more I can say
The singer is still insisting that there is nothing more to say about the person being described and their love for them
There is nothing more I can say
The singer is ending the song by reiterating that they have expressed everything they can about the person and their love for them
Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, HARRY TOBIAS MUSIC COMPANY, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Charles N. Daniels, Gus Arnheim, Harry Tobias
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind