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.
Honey Dripper
Oscar Peterson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She was a red-hot hoochie coocher
She was the roughest toughest frail
But Minnie had a heart as big as a whale
She messed around with a bloke named Smokie
She loved him though he was cokey
He took her down to Chinatown
She had a dream about the king of Sweden
He gave her things that she was needin'
He gave her a home built of gold and steel
A diamond car with p-platinum wheels
He gave her his townhouse and his racin' horses
Each meal she ate was a dozen courses
She had a million dollars worth of nickels and dimes
She sat around and counted them all a million times
Poor Min, poor Min, poor Minnie
The lyrics of Oscar Peterson's "Honey Dripper" tell the story of Minnie the Moocher, a woman who is described as a "red-hot hoochie coocher" and the "roughest toughest frail." Despite her rough exterior, Minnie had a heart "as big as a whale." She was involved with a man named Smokie, despite his drug addiction, and he took her down to Chinatown where he taught her how to "kick the gong around," a reference to smoking opium.
The second half of the song takes a surreal turn, as Minnie dreams of the king of Sweden who gives her everything she needs. Her dreams involve a home made of gold and steel, a diamond car with platinum wheels, a townhouse, racing horses, and millions of dollars’ worth of nickels and dimes that Minnie counts a million times over. Throughout the song, Minnie's plight is lamented, as the repeated refrain "Poor Min, poor Min, poor Minnie" echoes in the background.
The song "Honey Dripper" speaks to the liberating power of fantasy and imagination, especially for those who may not have much in their everyday lives. The narrative of Minnie's dreams is a stark contrast to the harsh realities of her existence, but it's also a reminder that even those who seem to have nothing can find hope and solace in their internal worlds.
Line by Line Meaning
Folks here's the story 'bout Minnie the Moocher
Let me tell you a story about a woman named Minnie the Moocher
She was a red-hot hoochie coocher
She was a sexually attractive woman who was not afraid to show it
She was the roughest toughest frail
Despite her rough exterior, Minnie was actually quite vulnerable
But Minnie had a heart as big as a whale
Despite her tough exterior, Minnie was kind and caring toward others
She messed around with a bloke named Smokie
Minnie was involved romantically with a man named Smokie
She loved him though he was cokey
She loved him despite his cocaine use
He took her down to Chinatown
He took her to a seedy part of town for a night out
And he showed her how to kick the gong around
He introduced her to drug use
She had a dream about the king of Sweden
Minnie dreamed that she met the king of Sweden
He gave her things that she was needin'
The king gave her everything she could ever want
He gave her a home built of gold and steel
The king gave her a luxurious home made of valuable materials
A diamond car with p-platinum wheels
The king gave her an extravagant car with platinum wheels and diamond accents
He gave her his townhouse and his racin' horses
The king gave her his mansion and his prized racehorses
Each meal she ate was a dozen courses
Minnie was able to enjoy lavish, multi-course meals regularly
She had a million dollars worth of nickels and dimes
Minnie had a fortune in loose change
She sat around and counted them all a million times
She counted her change countless times, perhaps out of boredom or obsession
Poor Min, poor Min, poor Minnie
Despite her wealth and success, Minnie may still have been unhappy or unfulfilled
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOSEPH C. LIGGINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@v8pilot
You dig that lick
You dig that beat
You get knocked out
Right off your feet
One, two, three, four, five, six
That cat can jam or riff or swing a hot lick
Boy, he sure does jump for joy.
@paulliamniall1
Short but very sweet just wonderful playing Declan
@Fellwix
who is declan bro what you chatting man? this is oscar P E T E R SUN hahahahahahahahahahah xd!!!! lmao! waaaaa!
@jeanettesteed3326
All I can say is WOW!!!!
@brucewilliams8864
Great! Thanks!
@diamond21450
Perfect xxxxx