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 Ćrsted Pedersen, Louis Armstrong, StĆ©phane 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.
It's Only a Paper Moon
Oscar Peterson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sailing over a cardboard sea
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me
Yes, it's only a canvas sky
Hanging over a muslin tree
But it wouldn't be make-believe
Without your love
It's a honky tonk parade
Without your love
It's a melody played in a penny arcade
It's a Barnum and Bailey world
Just as phony as it can be
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me
Say, it's only a paper moon
Sailing over a cardboard sea
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me
Yes, it's only a canvas sky
Hanging over a muslin tree
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me
Without your love
It's a honky-tonk parade
Without your love
It's a melody played in a penny arcade
It's a Barnum and Bailey world
Just as phony as it can be
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me
It's phony it's plain to see
How happy I would be
If you believed in me
The lyrics to Oscar Peterson's song "It's Only a Paper Moon" are about the idea of make-believe and how something can become real if one believes in it. The song compares a paper moon sailing over a cardboard sea and a canvas sky hanging over a muslin tree as examples of things that might seem fake, but they become real if one believes in them. The lyrics are a plea to the person that the song is addressed to: without their love, the world is like a honky-tonk parade, and everything seems phony.
The lyrics suggest that everything in the world can seem phony and fake, but if one believes in something, it can become real. The song proposes that love is the key to making something real, and without love, everything is just a shadow of what it could be. Love is the belief that makes the paper moon and canvas sky real, and without it, the world is just a facade.
In conclusion, the song "It's Only a Paper Moon" is an exploration of the idea of make-believe and the transformative power of love. It suggests that everything can be fake and phony, but with love and belief, even the most unreal things can become real.
Line by Line Meaning
Say, it's only a paper moon
The moon is just made of paper, sailing across the sea made of cardboard, but it could be real if you have faith in me.
Yes, it's only a canvas sky
The sky seems like it's made of canvas, hanging on a muslin tree, but it could be real if you put your trust in me.
Without your love
It's a honky tonk parade
Without your love, everything feels chaotic and unpleasant like a honky-tonk parade.
Without your love
It's a melody played in a penny arcade
The melody loses its charm and becomes like any other tune played in a penny arcade.
It's a Barnum and Bailey world
Just as phony as it can be
The world is like a show put on by Barnum and Bailey, and it is as fake as it could be.
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me
Even though everything seems unreal, it can become real if you have faith in me.
It's phony it's plain to see
How happy I would be
If you believed in me
It's evident that everything is fake, but it would make me very happy if you trusted in me.
Lyrics Ā© S.A. MUSIC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Billy Rose, E. Y. Harburg, Harold Arlen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
oscaryh
Thank you for sharing this! š
The ElVerma
Sweetness ā„
fofofo mo
Iāve searched for this songā¼ļø
thank you for the UPROADā¼ļøā¼ļø
John Astrup
Oscar Fantastick
Maja Rios
Wish he sung more...sounded just like Nat
fofofo mo
Oscar and Nat had a Gentlemanās agreement.it was āOscar plays the piano,and Nat sings the song.ā because their singing voice was very resembles!
TheHeater90
That's precisely the reason he didn't sing more. Didn't want to be seen as an imitator. Ray Charles had the same issue early on in his career, but he worked hard to change that.
Melina Karakas
Frank sinatra introuduce johnny mercer and nate king cole