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.
Let's Call the Whole Thing Off
Oscar Peterson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Our romance is growing flat,
For you like this and the other
While I go for this and that.
Goodness knows what the end will be,
Oh, I don't know where I'm at...
It looks as if we two will never be one,
Something must be done.
You say eether and I say eyether,
You say neether and I say nyther,
Eether, eyether, neether, nyther,
Let's call the whole thing off!
You like potato and I like potahto,
You like tomato and I like tomahto,
Potato, potahto, tomato, tomahto!
Let's call the whole thing off!
But oh! If we call the whole thing off,
Then we must part.
And oh! If we ever part,
Then that might break my heart!
So, if you like pajamas and I like pajahmas,
I'll wear pajamas and give up pajahmas.
For we know we need each other,
So we better call the calling off off.
Let's call the whole thing off!
You say laughter and I say lawfter,
You say after and I say awfter,
Laughter, lawfter, after, awfter,
Let's call the whole thing off!
You like vanilla and I like vanella,
You, sa's'parilla and I sa's'parella,
Vanilla, vanella, Choc'late, strawb'ry!
Let's call the whole thing off!
But oh! If we call the whole thing off,
Then we must part.
And oh! If we ever part,
Then that might break my heart!
So, if you go for oysters and I go for ersters
I'll order oysters and cancel the ersters.
For we know we need each other,
So we better call the calling off off!
Let's call the whole thing off!
The song “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” is a playful duet between two lovers who find themselves at odds with each other. The song begins with the singer admitting that their romance has reached a “pretty pass” and that they are not seeing eye-to-eye on many things. There is a sense of frustration and confusion in the singer's voice as they sing about not knowing where they stand with their partner. However, the mood of the song changes dramatically once the two lovers start playfully arguing about their differences in pronunciation and preferences. The singer sings about how their partner pronounces words like “either” and “neither” differently from how they do, and how they have different tastes in things like potatoes, tomatoes, and even pajamas. Despite all the differences, there is a realization that they need each other and that calling it off would be heartbreaking. As a result, they decide to call the calling off off and acknowledge that their love is worth working through their differences.
Overall, “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” is a sweet and humorous song about the ups and downs of being in a relationship. It captures the feeling of being in love while also acknowledging the challenges and differences that come with it. The playful banter between the two lovers helps to lighten the mood of the song and makes it an enjoyable listen.
Line by Line Meaning
Things have come to a pretty pass,
Our relationship has come to a difficult point
Our romance is growing flat,
Our love is losing its spark
For you like this and the other
You prefer one thing while I prefer another
While I go for this and that.
I also have my own preferences
Goodness knows what the end will be,
We are unsure where our relationship is heading
Oh, I don't know where I'm at...
I am confused about our relationship
It looks as if we two will never be one,
It seems like we will never agree or come together
Something must be done.
We must take action to save our relationship
You say eether and I say eyether,
We have different ways of pronouncing words
You say neether and I say nyther,
We also have different ways of pronouncing other words
Eether, eyether, neether, nyther,
We have different preferences about language and dialect
Let's call the whole thing off!
Let's end our relationship because of our differences
You like potato and I like potahto,
We have different preferences about the same thing
You like tomato and I like tomahto,
We also have different preferences about another thing
Potato, potahto, tomato, tomahto!
These differences seem trivial, but they add up
But oh! If we call the whole thing off,
Ending our relationship will have consequences
Then we must part.
Breaking up with each other is inevitable
And oh! If we ever part,
Breaking up will be very difficult
Then that might break my heart!
Breaking up will cause emotional pain
So, if you like pajamas and I like pajahmas,
Our differences are not insurmountable
I'll wear pajamas and give up pajahmas.
I can compromise to make our relationship work
For we know we need each other,
We cannot do without each other
So we better call the calling off off.
We must work to overcome our differences
You say laughter and I say lawfter,
We have different accents that reflect our backgrounds
You say after and I say awfter,
We also have different ways of pronouncing other words
Laughter, lawfter, after, awfter,
Our differences extend beyond just language
You like vanilla and I like vanella,
We have different tastes in food
You, sa's'parilla and I sa's'parella,
We also have different ways of pronouncing specific foods
Vanilla, vanella, Choc'late, strawb'ry!
Our differences are vast and diverse
Let's call the whole thing off!
However, we still cannot end our relationship
So, if you go for oysters and I go for ersters
Our differences are still present, but we can still make it work
I'll order oysters and cancel the ersters.
I am willing to give up my preferences to keep our relationship alive
For we know we need each other,
Our love for each other is worth preserving
So we better call the calling off off!
We must work to overcome our differences and stay together
Let's call the whole thing off!
Ending our relationship is not an option
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IRA GERSHWIN, GEORGE GERSHWIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind