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.

Don't Get Around Much Any More
Oscar Peterson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Missed the Saturday dance
Heard they crowded the floor
Couldn't bear it without you
Don't get around much anymore

Though I'd visit the club
Got as far as the door
They'd have asked me about you

Don't get around much anymore

Darling, I guess my mind's more at ease
But nevertheless why stir up memories?

Been invited on dates
Might have gone but what for?

Awf'lly diff'rent without you
Don't get around much anymore

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" convey the singer's sense of unease and sadness now that they no longer have their love interest by their side. The opening lines, "Missed the Saturday dance, Heard they crowded the floor, Couldn't bear it without you," signify the pain the singer feels at being alone, especially when they know there are romantic opportunities they are missing out on.

The struggle to move past their attachment to their love interest is further emphasized in the lines, "Though I'd visit the club, Got as far as the door, They'd have asked me about you." Here, the singer may feel like they are making an effort to go out and be social, but they know that they will inevitably be reminded of what they are missing out on.

As the song continues, the singer goes on to express their ambivalence about their own feelings: "Darling, I guess my mind's more at ease, But nevertheless why stir up memories?" They seem to be questioning whether or not they are really ready to move on from their love interest, or if they are just trying to convince themselves that they are. Throughout the song, the singer is grappling with the emotional impact of losing someone they cared deeply about, and the way that loss has changed their life.

Line by Line Meaning

Missed the Saturday dance
I didn't go to the Saturday dance

Heard they crowded the floor
I was told the floor was crowded

Couldn't bear it without you
I didn't want to go without you

Don't get around much anymore
I don't go out as much as I used to

Though I'd visit the club
I thought about going to the club

Got as far as the door
I only made it to the entrance

They'd have asked me about you
People would have asked me about you

Darling, I guess my mind's more at ease
I feel more comfortable now

But nevertheless why stir up memories?
Why think about the past?

Been invited on dates
I've been asked out

Might have gone but what for?
Why bother going?

Awf'lly diff'rent without you
It's not the same without you

Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Duke Ellington, Bob Russell

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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