Oscar Peterson (1925-2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer.
Read Full Bio ↴Oscar Peterson (1925-2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer.

Born in Montreal, Canada, Peterson began learning trumpet and piano from his father at the age of five, but by the age of seven, after a bout of tuberculosis, he concentrated on the piano. Some of the artists who influenced Peterson during the early years were Teddy Wilson, Nat "King" Cole, James P. Johnson, and the legendary Art Tatum, to whom many have tried to compare Peterson in later years. In fact, one of his first exposures to the musical talents of Art Tatum came early in his teen years when his father played an Art Tatum record to him and Peterson was so intimidated by what he heard that he didn't touch the piano for over a week.

He soon developed a reputation as a technically brilliant and melodically inventive jazz pianist, and became a regular on Canadian radio. His United States introduction was at Carnegie Hall, New York City in 1949 by Norman Granz; owing to union restrictions his appearance could not be billed.

Some of his musical associates have included Lester Young, Ray Brown, Ben Webster, Herb Ellis, Ed Thigpen, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Louis Armstrong, Stéphane Grappelli, Ella Fitzgerald, Clark Terry, Joe Pass, Count Basie, and Stan Getz. An important step in his career was joining impresario Norman Granz's labels (especially Verve records) and Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic package, with which he was able to play with the major jazz artists of the time. Granz was also his manager for most of Peterson's career. Some cognoscenti assert that Peterson's best recordings were made for the MPS label in the late 'sixties and early 'seventies. For some years subsequently he recorded for Granz's Pablo Records after the label was founded in 1973 and in more recent years for the Telarc label.

In 1993, Peterson suffered a serious stroke that weakened his left side and sidelined him for two years. However he overcame this setback and went back to touring, recording, and composing on a limited basis. In 1997 he received a Grammy for Lifetime Achievement and an International Jazz Hall of Fame Award. He died on December 24th, 2007 of kidney failure.

Deep Purple
Oscar Peterson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Woo,
Wo-o-oo-wo-wo,
Wo-o-oo-wo-wo,
Wo-o-oo-wo-wo
When the deep purple falls
Over sleepy garden walls
And the stars begin to twinkle in the night
In the mist of a memory

You wander all back to me
Breathing my name with a sigh

In the still of the night
Once again I hold you tight
Tho' you're gone your love lives on when light beams
And as long as my heart will beat
Sweet lover, we'll always meet
Here in my deep purple dreams

When the deep purple falls
Over sleepy garden walls
And the stars begin to twinkle
In the night
In the mist of a memory
You wander all back to me
Breathing my name with a sigh

In the still of the night
Once again I hold you tight
Tho' you're gone your love lives on when moonlight beams
And as long as my heart will beat
Sweet lover, we'll always meet
Here in my deep purple dreams
And as long as my heart will beat
Sweet lover, we'll always meet
Here in my deep purple dreams
Wo-o-oo-wo-wo,

Wo-o-oo-wo-wo,
Wo-o-oo-wo-wo

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Oscar Peterson's song "Deep Purple" describe a feeling of nostalgia and longing for a lost love. The song opens with the singer observing the fall of deep purple twilight over sleepy garden walls, as the stars begin to twinkle in the night. This scene sets the tone for the memories that follow, as the singer enters into a mist of memory and wanders back to a past lover who still lingers in their thoughts. The singer imagines their lost lover, breathing their name with a sigh.

The second verse continues the theme of remembrance and lost love, as the singer reminisces about holding their lover tight in the still of the night, even though they are now gone. The singer imagines that their love still lives on when light beams and moonlight beams, reflecting the eternal quality of love. As long as the singer's heart beats, they will always meet their lover in their deep purple dreams.

Overall, the lyrics of "Deep Purple" convey a feeling of wistful nostalgia and a longing for lost love. The image of the deep purple twilight and the twinkling stars evokes a sense of romanticism and melancholy, emphasizing the theme of memories and dreams.

Line by Line Meaning

When the deep purple falls
As the sky turns a deep purple hue

Over sleepy garden walls
Covering the garden as it begins to rest

And the stars begin to twinkle in the night
The stars light up the dark sky

In the mist of a memory
In the haze of a past memory

You wander all back to me
You come back to my mind

Breathing my name with a sigh
Remembering the past and letting out a sigh

In the still of the night
In the quiet of the night

Once again I hold you tight
I feel like I'm holding you again

Tho' you're gone your love lives on when light beams
Although you're gone, your love remains when the light shines

And as long as my heart will beat
As long as I am alive

Sweet lover, we'll always meet
We will always be together