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 Won't Dance
Oscar Peterson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I won't dance, don't ask me
I won't dance madame with you
My heart won't
Let me feet do things that they should do
You know what, you're lovely you know what, you're so lovely
And you know what you do to me
I feel so absolutely
Stumped on the floor
When you dance, you're charming and you're gentle
Especially when you do the Continental
But this feeling isn't purely mental
For heaven rest us, I'm not asbestos
And that's why I
Won't dance, why should I?
I won't dance, how could I?
I won't dance, Merci beau coup
I know
That music lead the way to romance
So if I hold you in arms I won't dance
I won't dance, don't ask me
I won't dance, don't ask me
I won't dance madame with you
My heart won't let me feet do things that
They want to do
You know what, you're so lovely, ring a ding-ding, you're lovely
And you know what
You do to me
I'm like an ocean wave that's bumped on the shore
I feel so absolutely stumped on the
Floor
When you dance, you're charming and you're gentle
Especially when you do the Continental
But this feeling isn't purely mental
For heaven rest us, I'm not asbestos
And that's why I won't dance,
I won't dance
I won't dance, Merci beau coup
I know that music leads the way to romance
So if I hold
You in arms I won't dance
The song "I Won't Dance" is a romantic song composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and Otto Harbach. The song was first introduced by Fred Astaire in the film "Roberta" in 1935, but this particular version is a collaboration between Oscar Peterson and Stéphane Grappelli. The lyrics of the song express the refusal of the singer to dance with his partner, but not because he doesn't find her alluring, but rather because he is afraid that being in her arms will ignite uncontainable romantic feelings that he can't resist. The singer says that the lady is lovely and charming, and he is like an ocean wave that has bumped on the shore, feeling stumped on the floor.
The lyrics are a dance of words and emotions that express the feeling of being swept off your feet by someone. The singer acknowledges the power of music to lead the way to romance, but he is not ready to dance because if he holds her, he knows he won't be able to control himself. The song is a perfect example of the romantic music of the 1930s with its perfect blend of jazz, swing, and pop music. Peterson's and Grappelli's interpretation of the song is more jazz-focused, with Peterson's virtuoso piano playing and Grappelli's classic violin playing adding elegance and emotional depth to the song.
Line by Line Meaning
I won't dance, don't ask me
I refuse to dance, please don't make a request of me.
I won't dance madame with you
I won't dance with you, madame, because my heart will not allow my feet to participate.
Let me feet do things that they should do
I want to let my feet move naturally, but my heart won't allow me to dance.
You know what, you're lovely you know what, you're so lovely
You're beautiful and I'm aware of it.
I'm like an ocean wave that's bumped on the shore
When you're near me, I feel an intense emotion that I can't control, like a wave crashing on a beach.
I feel so absolutely stumped on the floor
I feel completely overwhelmed by my feelings, unable to move or escape them.
When you dance, you're charming and you're gentle
You exude a gentle and graceful charm when you dance.
Especially when you do the Continental
Your grace is particularly evident when you do the Continental dance.
But this feeling isn't purely mental
My intense emotions are not just in my head, they're real and visceral.
For heaven rest us, I'm not asbestos
I'm not immune to your charms, I'm vulnerable to your effect on me.
And that's why I won't dance, why should I?
Because I'm vulnerable to you, I feel it's best to avoid dancing with you.
I won't dance, how could I?
It's impossible for me to dance with you, given my intense emotions.
Merci beau coup
Thank you very much.
I know that music lead the way to romance
I acknowledge that music often leads to romantic connections between people.
So if I hold you in arms I won't dance
Even if I hold you, I still won't dance with you because of my intense emotions and internal struggle.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Dorothy Fields, Jerome Kern, Jimmy Mc Hugh, Oscar Hammerstein Ii, Otto Harbach
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind