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.
Learnin' the Blues
Oscar Peterson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The dance floor's deserted
You play the same love song
It's the tenth time you've heard it
That's the beginning
Just one of the clues
You've had your first lesson
The cigarettes you light
One after another
Won't help you forget him
And the way that you loved him
You're only burning
A torch you can't lose
But you're on the right track
For learnin' the blues
When you're at home alone
The blues will taunt you constantly
When you're out in a crowd
The Blues will haunt your memory
The nights when you don't sleep
The whole night you're cryin'
But you can't forget him
Soon you even stop tryin'
You walk the floor
And wear out your shoes
When you feel your heart break
You're learnin the blues
Louis: Yes, the tables are empty
The dance floor's deserted
And You play the same love song, Whoa, yes
It's the tenth time you've heard it, yes
Man, it's the beginnin'
Just one of those cluessssss
You've had your first lesson, Whoa, yes
In learnin' the Blues
Man, The cigarettes that you light, Whoa, yessum
One after another, you Tellin' me brother
Won't help you to forget her, Whoa, no
And the way that you love her
You only burnin'
A torch that you can't lose, Yeah
But you on the right tracks, Brother, ha ha ha hahaha
For learnin' the blues
D'ya See that Ella?
Now lookahere
When you at home alone
The blues will taunt you constantly, yessuh
Ba dit dit deet
And when you're out in a crowd
The Blues will haunt your memories
Bah da doh doh zet
The nights when you don't sleep, Yes, ha ha ha
The whole night you cryin'
But you can't forget her, oh yes
Soon you even stop tryin'
Man, you walk the floor
And wear out your shoes, sss
When you feel your heart break, yeah brother
That's when you're learning the blues
Yes
When you at home alone, the blues will taunt you constantly, yes
And when you're out in a crowd, the Blues will haunt your memories
The nights when you don't sleep, hmm, Ella
Ella: The whole night you're crying
Louis: Yeah, but you can't forget her
Ella: Soon you even stop trying
Louis: Yes Man, you'll walk the floor, that's when it's rough
And wear out that last pair a' treaders, ha ha
Together: When you feel your
heart break
You're learnin the blues
The lyrics of "Learnin' the Blues" tell the story of someone experiencing heartbreak and going through the process of learning to cope with the pain. The song starts with the image of an empty room and a repeated love song, indicating a sense of loneliness and repetition. The singer realizes that this is just the beginning, a clue that they are embarking on a journey of learning the blues. The cigarettes they light one after another symbolize a futile attempt to forget the person they loved. However, they soon come to understand that they are only burning a torch that they cannot let go of.
The lyrics then shift to describe the singer's constant struggle with the blues. Whether they are alone at home or in a crowd, the blues taunt and haunt their memories. The sleepless nights and constant tears become a norm as they try to forget their past love but eventually give up. They find themselves walking the floor and wearing out their shoes, which represents their restless state of mind and emotional turmoil. In the end, when their heart breaks, they finally come to fully understand and embrace the blues.
Overall, the lyrics of "Learnin' the Blues" paint a vivid picture of the emotional journey one goes through when dealing with heartbreak. It captures the feelings of loneliness, longing, and the painful process of learning to accept and live with the blues.
Line by Line Meaning
The tables are empty
There is no one sitting at the tables
The dance floor's deserted
No one is dancing on the dance floor
You play the same love song
You keep listening to the same song about love
It's the tenth time you've heard it
You have heard it ten times already
That's the beginning
This is just the start
Just one of the clues
It is a hint or indication
You've had your first lesson
You have learned something important
In learnin' the Blues
In understanding the feeling of the Blues
The cigarettes you light
The cigarettes you are lighting
One after another
One cigarette after another
Won't help you forget him
Smoking won't make you forget about him
And the way that you loved him
And how you loved him
You're only burning
You are only consuming
A torch you can't lose
An emotional reminder you can't get rid of
But you're on the right track
But you are moving in the right direction
For learnin' the blues
To understand the true essence of the blues
When you're at home alone
When you are alone at home
The blues will taunt you constantly
The feeling of sadness will torment you continuously
When you're out in a crowd
When you are surrounded by people
The Blues will haunt your memory
The sadness will linger in your thoughts
The nights when you don't sleep
The nights when you cannot sleep
The whole night you're crying
You spend the entire night crying
But you can't forget him
But you cannot forget about him
Soon you even stop trying
Eventually, you stop making an effort
You walk the floor
You pace back and forth
And wear out your shoes
And your shoes become worn out
When you feel your heart break
When you experience intense heartbreak
You're learnin the blues
You are beginning to understand the feeling of the blues
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Dolores Vicki Silvers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind