Paul Desmond (1924-1977) was a U.S jazz saxophonist.

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

Where Is Love
Paul Desmond Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I was a hum-drum person
Leading a life apart
When love flew in through my window wide
And quickened my hum-drum heart
Love flew in through my window
I was so happy then
But after love had stayed a little while
Love flew out again

What is this thing called love?
This funny thing called love?
Just who can solve its mystery?
Why should it make a fool of me?
I saw you there one wonderful day
You took my heart and threw my heart away
That's why I ask the Lawd up in Heaven above
What is this thing called love?

You gave me days of sunshine
You gave me nights of cheer
You made my life an enchanted dream
'Til somebody else came near
Somebody else came near you
I felt the winter's chill

And now I sit and wonder night and day
Why I love you still

Overall Meaning

The song Where Is Love? by Paul Desmond beautifully describes the complexities of love that leave one bewildered and lost. The lyrics portray the transformation that takes place when love enters one's life. The opening lines "I was a hum-drum person, Leading a life apart" depict a life devoid of love, but things change when love enters through the window and enlivens the heart that was once mundane. However, love is transient and fleeting as it flies out again, leaving the singer wondering about its nature and impact. The repeated lines, "What is this thing called love? This funny thing called love?" express the confusion that love can bring about.

The second stanza talks about the singer's encounter with the object of their affection, and how swiftly they fell in love. But just as quickly as they fell in love, their heart was shattered when their love was unrequited. The lines "You took my heart and threw my heart away. That's why I ask the Lawd up in Heaven above. What is this thing called love?" brings out the agony of unreturned love.

The last stanza touches on the aftermath of love when somebody else gets in the way of the love that was once pure and full of enchantment. Now the singer is left with the remnants of the love they once had as they continue to wonder what love truly is.

Overall, Where Is Love? by Paul Desmond speaks about the universal experience of love and its impact on everything that it touches. The song aptly captures the elusive nature of love and its often perplexing impact on our lives.

Line by Line Meaning

I was a hum-drum person
I led a dull and uneventful life

Leading a life apart
I was living a solitary life

When love flew in through my window wide
Love unexpectedly entered my life

And quickened my hum-drum heart
It made my dull heart beat again

Love flew in through my window
Love arrived uninvited

I was so happy then
I felt joy in my heart

But after love had stayed a little while
Love left me after a short time

Love flew out again
Love departed

What is this thing called love?
What is the nature of love?

This funny thing called love?
This perplexing phenomenon called love?

Just who can solve its mystery?
Who can provide a definitive answer to its riddle?