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.
They Can't Take That Away From Me
Oscar Peterson Lyrics
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Though by tomorrow you're gone
The song is ended, but as the songwriter wrote,
The melody lingers on.
They may take you from me, I'll miss your fond caress.
But though they take you from me, I'll still possess.
The way you wear your hat
The memory of all that
No, no, they can't take that away from me
The way your smile just beams
The way you sing off key
The way you haunt my dreams
No, no, they can't take that away from me
We may never, never meet again
On the bumpy road to love
Still, I'll always, always keep the memory of
The way you hold your knife
The way we danced till three
The way you changed my life
No, no, they can't take that away from me
No, they can't take that away from me
We may never, never meet again
On the bumpy road to love
Still, I'll always, always keep the memory of
The way you hold your knife
The way we danced till three
The way you changed my life
No, no, they can't take that away from me
No, they can't take that away
Can't take that away
Can't take that away from me
The song "They Can't Take That Away From Me" by Oscar Peterson is a poignant reminder that even though love may end, memories linger on forever. The lyrics, written in the first person, express the singer's confidence that the romance, though it may end, won't be a sorrowful one. Although his lover may be gone by tomorrow, the melody of their love will stay with him forever. This sentiment is reiterated in the last two lines of the chorus 'No, no, they can't take that away from me'. Despite any outside interference, the memories of his love will stay with him for a lifetime.
Throughout the song, the singer lists the things that he will always remember about his lover, and that he will miss when they part. From the way she wears her hat to how she sings off-key, these memories are precious to him and can never be taken away. The way that she haunts his dreams and the way that she changed his life are also included in this list of things that are unforgettable. The song's final lines highlights that although they may never meet again on the bumpy road to love, the memories of their time together will always be treasured.
Line by Line Meaning
Our romance won't end on a sorrowful note,
Even if you leave tomorrow, our love won't end in sadness.
Though by tomorrow you're gone
Even if you leave tomorrow
The song is ended, but as the songwriter wrote,
Even though the song has ended
The melody lingers on.
The tune still lingers on in our hearts.
They may take you from me, I'll miss your fond caress.
They may separate us, I'll miss your warm touch.
But though they take you from me, I'll still possess.
Even if they separate us, I'll still hold onto what we had.
The way you wear your hat
I'll always remember the unique way you wore your hat.
The way you sip your tea
I'll never forget the elegant way you drank your tea.
The memory of all that
I'll keep the memory of these special moments in my heart.
No, no, they can't take that away from me
These memories can never be taken away from me.
The way your smile just beams
Your radiant smile will always stay with me.
The way you sing off key
I'll never forget the way you sang, even if it was off key.
The way you haunt my dreams
You'll always be a part of my dreams.
We may never, never meet again
We may never cross paths again.
On the bumpy road to love
As we faced the difficulties and challenges of love.
Still, I'll always, always keep the memory of
Nevertheless, I'll always cherish the memories of our time together.
The way you hold your knife
I'll always remember the way you used to hold your knife.
The way we danced till three
I'll always remember the way we danced until three in the morning.
The way you changed my life
You had a significant impact on my life and I'll always remember that.
No, they can't take that away from me
These memories cannot be taken away from me.
No, no, they can't take that away
These memories will always stay with me.
Can't take that away
These special memories can never be taken away from me.
Can't take that away from me
These memories will always be a part of me.
Lyrics © RALEIGH MUSIC PUBLISHING, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ira Gershwin, George Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind