Pete Jolly—born Peter Ceragioli Jr. June 5, 1932, in New Haven, Connecticut… Read Full Bio ↴Pete Jolly—born Peter Ceragioli Jr. June 5, 1932, in New Haven, Connecticut; died November 6, 2004, in Pasadena, California—was an American West Coast jazz pianist and accordionist, likely best known for his performance of television themes and various movie soundtracks.

He began playing the accordion at age 3, and appeared on the radio program Hobby Lobby at age seven.

His composition "Little Bird" was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1963 (a minor hit on Fred Astaire's Ava label), and he formed the Pete Jolly Trio in 1964. With the Trio, and also as a solo artist, he recorded several albums, the last being in 2000, a collaboration with Swedish jazz pianist Jan Lundgren. He also worked with other notable jazz artists, including Buddy DeFranco, Art Pepper, and Red Norvo, and for many years with EZ music arranger and director Ray Conniff.

Jolly's music can be heard on television programs such as Get Smart, The Love Boat, I Spy, Mannix, M*A*S*H, and Dallas, as well as hundreds of movie soundtracks.

He died in Pasadena, California, from complications of bone marrow cancer, having been hospitalized from August to November, 2004.

Easy To Love
Pete Jolly Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I know too well that I'm just wasting precious time
In thinking such a thing could be
That you could ever care for me
I'm sure you hate to hear
That I adore you, dear
But grant me

Just the same

I'm not entirely to blame
For love
You'd be so easy to love
So easy to idolize
All others above
So worth the yearning for
So swell to keep every home fire burning for

We'd be so grand at the game
So carefree together
That it does seem a shame
That you can't see

Your future with me
Cause you'd be oh, so easy to love

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Pete Jolly's song Easy To Love speak of unrequited love and the pain that comes with it. The singer acknowledges that they are wasting their time hoping for reciprocation from someone who may never care for them in the same way. Despite knowing this, they continue to adore the object of their affection and wish for a future together. The singer believes that if only the person they love could see how easy it would be to love them back, they could have a wonderful life together.

The lyrics express the universal feeling of love and the struggles that come with it. The singer speaks to the hopelessness that comes with pining for someone who may never love you back. The song also highlights the ease of love when love is mutual. It speaks to the grandness and carefreeness that come when two people are in love and the shame that comes when one person cannot see a future with the other. Ultimately, the song is about the power of love and the pain that comes with it when it is unrequited.

Line by Line Meaning

I know too well that I'm just wasting precious time
I am well-aware that spending time thinking about this is pointless

In thinking such a thing could be
It's silly to think that this is even possible

That you could ever care for me
It's highly unlikely that you could have any feelings for me

I'm sure you hate to hear
I know it's uncomfortable for you to hear

That I adore you, dear
But I can't help but have strong feelings for you

But grant me
Please indulge me

Just the same
Regardless

I'm not entirely to blame
I can't help feeling the way that I do

For love
It's just love

You'd be so easy to love
You're the perfect person to love

So easy to idolize
You're so admirable and worthy of worship