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.

Younger Than Springtime
Pete Jolly Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Younger than springtime are you
Softer than starlight are you
Warmer than winds of June
Are the gentle lips you gave me

Gayer than laughter are you
Sweeter than music are you
Sunlight and moon beans

Heaven and earth
Are you to give me
And when your youth and joy
Invade my soul
And fill my heart
As now they do, then

Younger than springtime am I
Gayer than laughter am I
Sunlight and moon beans

Heaven and earth
Am I with you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song 'Younger Than Springtime' by Pete Jolly tell of an intense love and admiration for someone who is described as being softer than starlight, warmer than winds of June and younger than springtime. The subject of the lyrics is compared to the beauty of nature and the gentleness of life. The lyrics express the joy and happiness that the singer feels in the presence of their lover, and how their love invades their soul and fills their heart.

The second part of the song sees the singer expressing his own youth and happiness in the relationship, describing himself as being gayer than laughter and younger than springtime too. The lyrics convey a sense of the two of them being one in love, each completing the other and making each other's lives complete. The song is a beautiful tribute to the beauty and power of love, and how it can elevate one's spirit and fill their heart with gratitude and joy.

Line by Line Meaning

Younger than springtime are you
You are younger than the season in which flowers bloom.

Softer than starlight are you
You are gentler than the light of stars.

Warmer than winds of June
You are more comforting than the winds of early summer.

Are the gentle lips you gave me
Your kisses are as soft and delicate as the breeze of the warm sun.

Gayer than laughter are you
You are more joyful than the sound of laughter.

Sweeter than music are you
You are more pleasant than the notes of a melody.

Sunlight and moon beans
You are like the light of the sun and moon.

Heaven and earth
You make me feel like I have everything I need.

Are you to give me
You offer me all these wonderful things.

And when your youth and joy
When your youthful spirit and happiness

Invade my soul
Come into my heart