Oscar Peterson (1925-2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer.
Read Full Bio ↴Oscar Peterson (1925-2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer.

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.

Just You
Oscar Peterson Lyrics

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Just you, just me
Let's find a cozy spot
To cuddle and coo

Just us, just we
I've missed an awful lot
My trouble is you

Oh, gee!
What are your charms for?
What are my arms for?
Use your imagination!
Just you, just me

I'll tie a lover's knot
'Round wonderful you!

Overall Meaning

The song "Just You Just Me" by Oscar Peterson and Milt Jackson is a romantic duet about two people who have missed each other a lot and want to find a cozy spot to cuddle and coo. The lyrics express the desire for the two to find a connection in each other and forget about the world around them. The lyrics suggest a need for warmth and support, a feeling that the two can only find in each other if they leave everything else behind.

As the song continues, it asks the question, "What are your charms for?" and acknowledges that the answer is in the imagination of the listener. The two lovers are asking each other to use their imaginations to create a world in which they can be together in every way imaginable. The song ends with the idea that the love between the two is strong enough to tie a knot around it, ensuring that it will last forever.

Line by Line Meaning

Just you, just me
Let's spend some time together, just the two of us

Let's find a cozy spot
Let's seek out a comfortable and intimate location

To cuddle and coo
To embrace and speak affectionately

Just us, just we
No one else matters, just the two of us

I've missed an awful lot
I've been without you for too long

My trouble is you
You're the only thing that causes me distress

Oh, gee!
Wow!

What are your charms for?
What makes you so irresistible?

What are my arms for?
What's the point of my arms if I can't hold you?

Use your imagination!
Think of all the romantic possibilities

Just you, just me
It's just the two of us