Allison learned piano in grammar school, followed by trumpet in high school. He went to college at the University of Mississippi and Louisiana State University. He received a BA in English with a minor in Philosophy. After serving in the U.S. Army, he moved to New York City and launched his music career.
Allison's first exposure to blues on record was through Louis Jordan recordings, including "Outskirts of Town" and "Pinetop Blues." Allison credits Jordan as being a major influence on him, and also credits Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller. He started out on trumpet but later switched to piano. In his youth, he had easy access, via the radio, to the music of Pete Johnson , Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis . Allison also credits the songwriter Percy Mayfield , "The Poet Laureate of the Blues," as being a major inspiration on his songwriting.
After a stint in college and the Army, Allison's first professional gig was in Lake Charles, LA, in 1950. He returned to college to finish up at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, where he studied English and Philosophy, a far cry from his initial path as a chemical engineering major.
Allison began his recording career with the Prestige label in 1956, shortly after he moved to New York City. He recorded an album with Al Cohn and Bobby Brookmeyer , and then in 1957 got his own record contract. A big break was the opportunity to play with Cohn and Zoot Sims shortly after his arrival in New York, but he later became more well known after playing with saxophonist Stan Getz. After leaving Prestige Records, where he recorded now classic albums like Back Country Suite (1957), Young Man Mose (1958), and Seventh Son (1958-59), he moved to Columbia for two years before meeting up with Nesuhi Ertegun of Atlantic Records. He recalled that he signed his contract with Atlantic after about ten minutes in Nesuhi's office. Allison spent a big part of his recording career at Atlantic Records, where he became most friendly with Ertegun. After the company saw substantial growth and Allison was no longer working directly with him, he became discouraged and left. Allison has also recorded for Columbia (before he began his long relationship with Atlantic), and the Epic and Prestige labels.
Allison's discography is a lengthy one, and there are gems to be found on all of his albums, many of which can be found in vinyl shops. His output since 1957 has averaged at least one album a year until 1976, when he finished up at Atlantic with the classic Your Mind Is On Vacation. There was a gap of six years before he recorded again, this time for Elektra's Musician subsidiary in 1982, when he recorded Middle Class White Boy. Since 1987, he's been with Bluenote/Capitol. His debut for that label was Ever Since the World Ended. Allison has recorded some of the most creative material of his career with the Bluenote subsidiary of Capitol Records, including My Backyard (1992) and The Earth Wants You (1994), both produced by Ben Sidran. Also in 1994, Rhino Records released a boxed set, Allison Wonderland.
Although his boogie woogie and bebop-laden piano style is innovative and fresh sounding when it comes to blues and jazz, it is as a songwriter that Allison really shines.
His music has influenced many blues and rock artists including The Rolling Stones, John Mayall, JJ Cale and The Who, who played his song Young Man Blues on several tours. Allison is the subject of the Pixies song Allison and Greg Brown song Mose Allison played here. His song Look Here was covered by The Clash on their album Sandinista; and Blue Cheer famously covered Parchman Farm but renamed or misspelled it as Parchment Farm. Van Morrison released an album of his songs entitled Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison.
He is the father of country songwriter Amy Allison.
Mose Allison was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006.
Stranger In Paradise
Mose Allison Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I′m A Stranger In Paradise
All Lost In A Wonderland
A Stranger In Paradise
If I Stand Starry-Eyed
That's The Danger In Paradise
For Mortals Who Stand Beside An Angel Like You
I Saw Your Face And I Ascended
Somewhere In Space I Hang Suspended
Until I Know There′s A Chance That You Care
Won't You Answer This Fervent Prayer
Of A Stranger In Paradise
Don't Send Me In Dark Despair
From All That I Hunger For
But Open Your Angel′s Arms
To This Stranger In Paradise
And Tell Him That He Need Be
A Stranger No More
Oh Yeah
The lyrics to Mose Allison's song "Stranger in Paradise" describe the feeling of being lost and experiencing that classic, almost overwhelming feeling of love at first sight. The singer is telling their lover that they feel like they've been transported to a new, better world just by being with them - but that this feeling is also a little bit dangerous because it's new and unfamiliar territory. The singer is hoping that they won't be rejected, that the other person will open their arms to the singer and let them in. The phrase "stranger in paradise" ties into the idea that the love being described is something exotic and almost otherworldly.
Line by Line Meaning
Take My Hand
The singer is offering their hand as a gesture of trust and vulnerability.
I’m A Stranger In Paradise
The singer feels out of place and unfamiliar with their surroundings.
All Lost In A Wonderland
The singer is disoriented and overwhelmed by their environment.
A Stranger In Paradise
The artist emphasizes their outsider status and feeling of isolation.
If I Stand Starry-Eyed
The artist acknowledges the danger of becoming too enamored or obsessed with something.
That's The Danger In Paradise
The singer warns of the perils that come with being too entranced with something.
For Mortals Who Stand Beside An Angel Like You
The singer admires the person they are addressing and recognizes their exceptional nature.
I Saw Your Face And I Ascended
The artist had an intense emotional reaction upon seeing the person's face.
Out Of The Commonplace Into The Rare
The artist is describing the transformative power of the encounter and the sense of being lifted out of the mundane.
Somewhere In Space I Hang Suspended
The artist is in a liminal state between the physical and metaphysical realm, still processing the impact of the encounter.
Until I Know There’s A Chance That You Care
The singer expresses their desire for reciprocity and validation from the other person.
Won’t You Answer This Fervent Prayer
The artist is making a plea to the other person and emphasizing the intensity of their desire.
Of A Stranger In Paradise
The singer again draws attention to their outsider status and the feeling of being unanchored.
Don't Send Me In Dark Despair
The singer is fearful of being rejected or experiencing disappointment, and pleads with the other person not to give them false hope.
From All That I Hunger For
The singer is expressing the depth of their longing, and how much the other person means to them.
But Open Your Angel’s Arms
The artist is asking for the other person to be receptive and welcoming to them, and uses religious language to convey their reverence.
To This Stranger In Paradise
The artist affirms their identity as an outsider who has found themselves in a new and unfamiliar place.
And Tell Him That He Need Be A Stranger No More
The singer is expressing their hope for acceptance and belonging from the other person, and is willing to abandon their outsider status.
Oh Yeah
An exclamation of affirmation and emphasis from the singer.
Writer(s): Forrest George, Wright Robert Craig
Contributed by Sadie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.