Desmond was bor… Read Full Bio ↴Paul Desmond (1924-1977) was a U.S jazz saxophonist.
Desmond was born Paul Emil Breitenfeld in San Francisco, California on 25th November 1924. He came to prominence with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, which lasted from 1951 until 1967. Desmond wrote their biggest hit, "Take Five".
Desmond's alto saxophone tone and technique owed nothing to the great alto player of the time, Charlie Parker; instead his was a clear, light, floating sound and highly melodic playing style. Much of the success of the classic Brubeck quartet was due to the superposition of his fragile, airy sound over Brubeck's sometimes relatively heavy, polytonal piano work.
Desmond died on 30th May 1977.
Paul Desmond is widely recognized for his genius as a melodic improviser and as the benchmark of cool jazz sax players. His warm, elegant tone was one that he admittedly tried to make sound like a dry martini. He and Art Pepper were virtually the only alto players of their generation not directly influenced by Charlie Parker. Desmond was influenced by Lester Young, but took it further, into melodic and harmonic worlds never before traveled by reedmen -- especially in the upper registers. Desmond is best known for his years with the Dave Brubeck Quartet (1959-1967) and his infamous composition "Take Five." He met Brubeck in the late '40s and played with his Octet. The Quartet formed toward the end of 1950 and took final shape with Eugene Wright and Joe Morello a few years later. Jazz at Oberlin and Take Five were considered essential purchases by college students of the era, but Jazz Impressions of Japan was its most innovative recording. Desmond played his loping, slow, ordered, and intricate solos in direct contrast to the pianist's obsession with large chords, creating a myriad of textures for melodic and rhythmic counterpoint unlike any heard in jazz. His witty quotations from musicals, classical pieces, and folk songs were also a watermark of his artistry. When the Quartet split in 1967, Desmond began an intermittent yet satisfying recording career. It included dates with Gerry Mulligan for Verve, various sessions with Jim Hall, and a concert with the the Modern Jazz Quartet. He played his last gigs with the Brubeck Quartet at reunions before dying of lung cancer. Desmond's recordings for RCA have gotten box-set treatment and Mosaic issued one of the complete sessions with Hall. There are also reissues from A&M and CTI, though recordings on Artist House and Finesse remain regrettably out of print. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi
These Foolish Things
Paul Desmond Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh! Will you never set me free?
The ties that bound us
Are still around us
There's no escape that I can see
And still those little things remain
That bring me happiness or pain
An airline ticket to romantic places
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
A tinkling piano in the next apartment
Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant
A fair ground's painted swings
These foolish things remind me of you
You came you saw you conquer'd me
When you did that to me
I knew somehow this had to be
The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
A telephone that rings but who's to answer?
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
First daffodils and long excited cables
And candle lights on little corner tables
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
The park at evening when the bell has sounded
The "Ile de France" with all the gulls around it
The beauty that is Spring's
These foolish things remind me of you
How strange how sweet to find you still
These things are dear to me
They seem to bring you near to me
The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations
Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
Gardenia perfume ling'ring on a pillow
Wild strawb'ries only seven francs a kilo
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses
The waiters whistling as the last bar closes
The song that Crosby sings
These foolish things remind me of you
How strange how sweet to find you still
These things are dear to me
They seem to bring you near to me
The scent of smould'ring leaves, the wail of steamers
Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
The lyrics in Paul Desmond's song 'These Foolish Things' revolve around the thought of a love lost and the memories that still linger on. The opening lines ‘Oh! Will you never let me be?’ and ‘Oh! Will you never set me free?’ express the singer’s frustration with the ties that still bind him to his past love. He acknowledges that though he may want to forget and move on, the little things around him always remind him of his lost love, whether good or bad memories. Paul expresses emotions of regret and sorrow through the lyrics, as he reflects upon the moments that he shared with his former lover.
The song talks about various objects and sights that trigger memories, ranging from a cigarette bearing a lipstick trace to the winds of March, the park at evening, the scent of roses, and two lovers on the street. It seems that the singer is struggling to come to terms with the fact that his past love is indeed past and they are no longer together. But even though he suffers a great deal of pain, he also experiences happiness whenever he remembers the moments of happiness he shared with his ex-partner. The song ends on a note of nostalgia, as the singer accepts that he will always have memories of his past love.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh! Will you never let me be?
Are you not going to give me my freedom?
Oh! Will you never set me free?
Aren't you ever going to let me go?
The ties that bound us
The things that connected us
Are still around us
They still exist between us
There's no escape that I can see
I can't find a way out
And still those little things remain
Those small things persist
That bring me happiness or pain
That give me joy or hurt me
A cigarette that bears a lipstick's traces
A cigarette with lipstick marks
An airline ticket to romantic places
A ticket to a place we once went together
And still my heart has wings
My heart is still free
These foolish things remind me of you
These small things make me think of you
A tinkling piano in the next apartment
A piano playing somewhere nearby
Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant
The clumsy words that conveyed what was in my heart
A fair ground's painted swings
The colorful swings at a carnival
You came you saw you conquer'd me
You won me over
When you did that to me
When you won me over
I knew somehow this had to be
I felt like it was destiny
The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
The brisk March winds that make me feel alive
A telephone that rings but who's to answer?
A phone that keeps ringing without anyone answering it
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
How your memory still haunts me!
These foolish things remind me of you
These small things make me think of you
First daffodils and long excited cables
The first daffodils and long conversations filled with excitement
And candle lights on little corner tables
Candlelight on small tables in corners
The park at evening when the bell has sounded
The park in the evening when the bell has rung
The "Ile de France" with all the gulls around it
The "Ile de France" ship surrounded by seagulls
The beauty that is Spring's
The beauty of Spring
How strange how sweet to find you still
How strange yet pleasing it is to still remember you
These things are dear to me
These things are precious to me
They seem to bring you near to me
They seem to make you feel closer to me
The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations
The sound of midnight trains in deserted stations
Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations
Silk stockings discarded after dancing invitations
The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses
The smile of Garbo and the fragrance of roses
The waiters whistling as the last bar closes
The waiters whistling as the bar closes for the night
The song that Crosby sings
The song that Crosby sings
The scent of smould'ring leaves, the wail of steamers
The scent of burning leaves and the sound of steamers' horns
Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers
Two lovers on the street, lost in their own world
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
How your memory still haunts me!
These foolish things remind me of you
These small things make me think of you
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOB STANLEY, PETER STEWART WIGGS, SARAH CRACKNELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
TheFunkyKingston
What a masterpiece, and what a hard work to write down, this beauty! Thank you for the visualization of the knowledge!
Mark Roberts
this was super helpful. do you have this transcription available for download?
cooljazzr
Brilliant!
Benjermin
Can you put this in PDF ? :)
Dr.Chris Keto
Danke! super!
グリチル
And I dont think dats “Seriously Laid Back”. Its fit right on the 4 beat tempo. There is a missing note on that part. Thats Y u heard like its laid back
Gabriel Barros Tavares
thank you