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.
I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me
Oscar Peterson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And when you smiled at me,
In my heart I felt a thrill you see,
That it was love at sight and
I was right to love you as I do.
Still I never dreamed that you could love me too.
Your eyes of blue, your kisses too,
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
You're telling ev'ry one I know
I'm on your mind each place we go
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
I have always placed you far above me.
I just can't imagine that you love me.
And after all is said and done,
To think that I'm the lucky one.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
Skies are gray. I'm blue each day
When you are not around.
Ev'ry thing goes wrong, my dear I've found
But when you're by my side I fill with pride
For I'm so proud of you
It all seems too good to me to all be true
Your eyes of blue, your kisses too,
I never knew what they could do.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
You're telling ev'ry one I know
I'm on your mind each place we go
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
I have always placed you far above me.
I just can't imagine that you love me.
And after all is said and done,
To think that I'm the lucky one.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
The lyrics of Oscar Peterson's "I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me" express disbelief at the idea of someone loving the singer. The song tells the story of a love-at-first-sight encounter with someone the singer believed was out of their league. The song is a mix of emotions, acknowledging the singer's self-doubt and heavy heart, but ultimately celebrating the wonder of being loved.
The song's first verse sets the stage for the story as the singer recounts the moment when they first saw the person they are singing about. They describe feeling a thrill of love at first sight, but confess that they never dreamed that the object of their admiration could love them back. The chorus repeats a simple refrain: "I can't believe that you're in love with me," conveying the singer's shock and surprise at the situation.
The second verse goes deeper into the singer's feelings, describing the gray skies and sense of despair that comes when their love interest is not around. However, when they are together, the singer feels proud and lucky to be loved. The chorus is repeated once more, but with a slight twist: the singer is aware that others are incredulous about the relationship, but it only reinforces their own disbelief.
Overall, the song is a bittersweet tribute to the power of love to surprise and uplift, even in the face of self-doubt and societal expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
Yesterday you came my way,
You showed up in my life yesterday,
And when you smiled at me,
Your smile made me feel a rush of excitement and happiness,
In my heart I felt a thrill you see,
I felt a surge of emotion in my heart,
That it was love at sight and
I knew instantly that I was in love,
I was right to love you as I do.
My feelings of love for you are justified and true.
Still I never dreamed that you could love me too.
However, I never thought that you could reciprocate those feelings.
Your eyes of blue, your kisses too,
Your blue eyes and loving kisses have such an effect on me,
I never knew what they could do.
I never realized the power they had over me before.
You're telling ev'ry one I know
You've been telling everyone we know,
I'm on your mind each place we go
That I'm always on your mind wherever you go,
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
Others are surprised that you could possibly have feelings for me.
I have always placed you far above me.
I have always thought you to be out of my league.
I just can't imagine that you love me.
It's hard for me to believe that you could actually love me back.
And after all is said and done,
When everything is taken into consideration,
To think that I'm the lucky one.
I can't believe that I, myself, am the fortunate and blessed one in this relationship.
Skies are gray. I'm blue each day
Life feels dull and depressing, especially when we are apart,
When you are not around.
When I'm not in your presence.
Ev'ry thing goes wrong, my dear I've found
I've discovered that everything in the world seems to go wrong when you aren't here with me.
But when you're by my side I fill with pride
However, when we are together, I feel a sense of pride and happiness,
For I'm so proud of you
I am immensely proud of you and all that you do.
It all seems too good to me to be true
Sometimes it feels too good to be real, like it's all just a dream.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, MEMORY LANE MUSIC GROUP
Written by: CLARENCE GASKILL, JIMMY MC HUGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind