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.
Exactly Like You
Oscar Peterson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Not a real one, just a dream
A wonderful vision of us as a team
Can you imagine how I feel now
Love is real now, it's ideal
You're just what I wanted
And now it's nice to live
Paradise to live
I know why I've waited
Know why I've been blue
Prayed each night for someone
Exactly like you
Why should we spend money
On a show or two
No one does those love scenes
Exactly like you
You make me feel so grand
I want to hand the world to you
I hope you'll understand
Each foolish little scheme I'm schemin'
And dream I'm dreamin'
Now I know why mother
Taught me to be true
She meant me for someone
Exactly like you
In the song "Exactly Like You," the singer expresses their gratitude for finally finding someone who matches their ideal partner from their dreams. They sing about how they used to imagine having a perfect sweetheart, but now love has become a reality for them. The lyrics suggest that this person is exactly what the singer had hoped for in a partner, and that they make them feel wonderful and grand. The singer feels as though they have found paradise in their new relationship.
The song also touches upon the theme of waiting by stating that now, the singer knows why they've waited so long and why they've felt blue. Each night, they prayed for someone exactly like their new love interest, and now that they've found them, they realize that they shouldn't waste time or money on any other love experiences because no one does those love scenes exactly like their partner.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to have a perfect sweetheart
I once had an ideal companion
Not a real one, just a dream
Someone who didn't truly exist, only in my imagination
A wonderful vision of us as a team
An amazing picture of us standing together
Can you imagine how I feel now
It's hard to describe how I feel at present
Love is real now, it's ideal
Love is now a tangible reality and not just a romantic concept
You're just what I wanted
I have found the very person I was looking for
And now it's nice to live
Life is now pleasant and fulfilling
Paradise to live
It's like living in paradise
I know why I've waited
I now understand why I was patient all along
Know why I've been blue
I can now comprehend why I was sad
Prayed each night for someone
I prayed every night for a specific person
Exactly like you
Someone who was just like you
Why should we spend money
Why bother spending money?
On a show or two
To see some romantic scenes on a stage or movie
No one does those love scenes
No one performs those romantic acts
Exactly like you
The way you do it
You make me feel so grand
You make me feel extremely special
I want to hand the world to you
I want to give you everything in the world
I hope you'll understand
I pray you'll grasp
Each foolish little scheme I'm schemin'
Every silly idea I've been plotting
And dream I'm dreamin'
And every dream I've envisioned
Now I know why mother
Now I understand why my mother
Taught me to be true
Told me to be sincere in my words and actions
She meant me for someone
She wanted me to be with someone
Exactly like you
Somebody who was just like you
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
Written by: FIELDS DOROTHY, JIMMY MCHUGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mary
i really think this is my all-time favorite jazz song. this version is so soft and gentle. to me this song sounds like a happy life. its less playful than other versions, more sincere. it sounds like what you'd dance to with your love of 25 years in the kitchen with the lights out in a quiet moment, while you hear your family talking in the other room.
ghairraigh
"Exactly Like You" Oscar Peterson, from 'Hello Herbie' (M.P.S. 1969) is a delightful arrangement from the beginning with Herb Ellis alone on rhythm guitar. Oscar plays the melody, right hand only, and continues that arbitrary 'Herbie is my left hand' restriction into his piano solo as Sam Jones, bass, and Bobby Durham, drums, join in. Oscar eventually comps some with his left hand during Herbie's solo.
william g shippw.g
This group send me off my feet in 1971,the first time I heard them…the power without volume! Always so musical…☮️🎶🔛🌎
Janet Reyes
❤️
George Higgins
Great for transcribing!
Ézsiás Csaba
Ive just learned Herbie's amazing solo! 😄
Loes Rohof
@Ézsiás Csaba thrn it is time to play your own solo
Ézsiás Csaba
@Loes Rohof yes, you are right, but If I wanna be really good, first I wanna learn from the biggest Masters ❤
Finn
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calonnec juliette
qui est en 6I ici ptdr