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 Want to Be Happy
Oscar Peterson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trying to work out life's happy plan
Doing unto others as I'd like to have them doing unto me
When I find a very lonely soul
Soon be-kinda-comes my only goal
I feel so much better when I tell them my philosophy
But I won't be happy
Till I make you happy too.
Life's really worth living
When we are mirth giving
Why can't I give some to you
When skies are gray and you say you are blue
I'll send the sun smiling through
I want to be happy
But I won't be happy
Till I make you happy too.
When skies are gray and you say you are blue
I'll send the sun smiling through
I want to be happy
But I won't be happy
Till I make you happy too.
The lyrics to Oscar Peterson's "I Want to Be Happy" depict a man who is on a mission to spread happiness and positivity to those around him. He describes himself as an ordinary person who is trying to figure out the secret to a happy life, and his answer lies in making others happy. The singer finds joy in helping others in need and is driven to make them feel better by sharing his philosophy of life.
The song reflects the idea that happiness is contagious and that by helping others, we can also find happiness for ourselves. By reaching out to a lonely soul, the singer fulfills his own purpose in life, which is to spread joy and positivity. He believes that life is worth living when we can bring joy and mirth to others and that our purpose in life should be to make the world a happier place.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm a very ordinary man
I am just an average person
Trying to work out life's happy plan
I am attempting to figure out how to live a happy life
Doing unto others as I'd like to have them doing unto me
I treat others the way I would want to be treated
When I find a very lonely soul
When I come across someone who is lonely
Soon be-kinda-comes my only goal
Helping that person becomes my main objective
I feel so much better when I tell them my philosophy
I feel good about myself when I share my beliefs with them
I want to be happy
I desire to be happy
But I won't be happy
However, I will not find happiness
Till I make you happy too.
Until I can also bring joy to others
Life's really worth living
Life has true value
When we are mirth giving
When we bring laughter and happiness to others
Why can't I give some to you
Why can't I make you happy as well
When skies are gray and you say you are blue
When you are feeling down and depressed
I'll send the sun smiling through
I will try to bring joy and positivity to you
I want to be happy
I desire to be happy
But I won't be happy
However, I will not find happiness
Till I make you happy too.
Until I can also bring joy to others
When skies are gray and you say you are blue
When you are feeling down and depressed
I'll send the sun smiling through
I will try to bring joy and positivity to you
I want to be happy
I desire to be happy
But I won't be happy
However, I will not find happiness
Till I make you happy too.
Until I can also bring joy to others
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IRVING CAESAR, VINCENT YOUMANS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tomás Jonsson
Solid stuff, this is one of my favorite albums.
Jordan Seigel
Great transcription!! Thanks for posting this!
Dihelson Mendonca
That´s wonderful !
Peter Coldham
Wow! Nice work. Sibelius? What’s your secret!
Harrison Steingueldoir
Secret to what?
SalamDiderot
Thanks !
Michael Hofmann
can I get the c version please?
Devin Dias
why is the Eb is not on your site
Devin Dias
@Harrison Steingueldoir can I have it pls
Harrison Steingueldoir
I only put the C versions on YouTube, I have PDF-files of the transposed instruments.