Pieces of a Dream first started playing throughout the Tri-State area, and were soon featured on Temple University’s pioneering jazz radio station, WRTI-FM. Long before the “Young Lions” era of Wynton Marsalis, Lloyd and Harmon were swinging so hard as teenagers that the great Count Basie once proclaimed them “a tough act to follow.” But it was another jazz legend, the late Grover Washington Jr., the sax man who made Philadelphia his home, who helped Pieces of a Dream become the internationally known stars they are today.
After quickly becoming popular around Philadelphia, the trio landed a spot as the house band for a local television show called City Lights. Their experience widened as they played backup on the broadcasts to a wide variety of artists, and that’s where Washington first heard them. One day while the teenagers were playing at the Bijou (where Grover had recorded his Live at the Bijou album), he sat in with them to play “Mr. Magic.” Soon Washington announced that he was starting a production company and that Pieces of a Dream would be his first act. Lloyd was only a senior in high school when his first record came out.
From 1981 to 1984, Pieces of a Dream built their reputation with three albums on Elektra that would come to define the musical essence of the smooth jazz radio explosion: Pieces of a Dream, We Are One and Imagine This. Those seminal records yielded some of their earliest hits, including “Warm Weather,” “Mount Airy Groove” and “Fo Fi Fo.” Soon after completing Joyride, their last effort for Elektra, Pieces of a Dream moved to EMI/Blue Note and went on to record seven more albums. During this period, the group amicably parted ways with long time friend Cedric Napoleon.
In 2001, Pieces of a Dream signed with Heads Up International and celebrated their 25th anniversary with what was undoubtedly their best album in years, Acquainted with the Night. The group’s silver anniversary release featured guitarist Ronny Jordan, vocalist Maysa Leak, and saxophonists Gerald Albright and Kenny Blake. Highlights included compositions from Albright and Michael Bearden, along with remakes of “Mahogany” and “Upside Down.” Acquainted with the Night generated two top-five singles on R&R's NAC chart. The follow up album Love's Silhouette also scored top radio chart positioning and Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart top 10 status. Their April 2004 release, No Assembly Required, is sure to be another hit album in their long and illustrious career.
One of their former singers Norwood Young is now a cast member on the E! Cable channel's TV show High Maintenance 90210.
Addition - May 9,2009
Formed: 1975 in Philadelphia, PA
Styles: Crossover Jazz, Urban, Smooth Jazz
Group Members: Curtis Harmon, Ron Kerber, James K. Lloyd, Cedric A. Napoleon
Biography
Comprised of bassist Cedric Napoleon, drummer Curtis Harmon, and keyboardist James Lloyd, Pieces of a Dream were founded in 1975 in Philadelphia when the principal members were all teenagers. Originally somewhat jazz-oriented, Pieces of a Dream have mostly emphasized R&B, although they usually include a few jazz numbers in their performances. Grover Washington, Jr. produced their first three albums (all for Elektra during 1981-1983); they have since recorded for Manhattan and Blue Note. Saxophonist Ron Kerber became a member in the 1990s, preceding the four varied releases that appeared throughout the decade. A collection appeared at the turn of the century, but the band proved to still be going strong with 2001's Acquainted with the Night and 2002's Love's Silhouette. No Assembly Required was released in 2004 on Cleveland's Heads Up label, followed by 2006's Pillow Talk, also on Heads Up. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
We've Already Said Goodbye
Pieces Of A Dream Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The apprehension and fear
First you get the romance
And then there's trouble
Maybe tears
Still I loved you in spite
Of distance or myself
Before I dealt with someone else
But there is nothing to say
We didn't know yesterday
We've already said Goodbye
Before we say Hello
Its in our formal gestures
Based around the words
Theres left in love some subtlety
Even lovers try to make heard
No
Well maybe theres some feelings
Behind our choice we change
Our choice is leave them abandoned
And maybe they'll go away
And there's not much to be saved
Those promises have been betrayed
We've already said Goodbye
Before we said Hello
Well maybe theres some feelings
Behind our choice we change
Our choice is leave them abandoned
And maybe they'll go away
Yeah
And theres not much to be saved
Those promises are betrayed
We've already said goodbye
Before we said hello
Nobody cried when we said goodbye
No reason why
Goodbye
Goodbye
Goodbye Baby
Ooh Goodbye
The song "We've Already Said Goodbye" by Pieces Of A Dream is about a relationship that is over before it even begins. The song talks about the apprehension and fear of starting a romance due to the possibility of trouble and tears that might come later. The lyrics state that even though the singer still loved the other person despite their distance or personal issues, they wanted to resolve the issues before they moved on to someone else. However, the relationship is already doomed as they have already said goodbye before they even said hello.
The lyrics describe how the absence of communication and formal gestures between the two eventually led to their detachment. Although there might still be some feelings left behind, they were abandoned, and their promises were betrayed. The song expresses the heartbreak of losing a relationship that never had a chance, and nobody cried when they said goodbye.
In conclusion, "We've Already Said Goodbye" is a poignant ballad about a relationship that never had a chance. The song talks about the fear of starting a relationship, the distance that separates people, and the formal gestures that come with it. Ultimately, the message is about the importance of communication and the dangers of letting fear control one's life.
Line by Line Meaning
It could read like a Dime Store novel
The situation we find ourselves in could make for interesting storytelling.
The apprehension and fear
The uncertainty and anxiety that comes with a difficult decision or situation.
First you get the romance
Initially, the relationship was characterized by passion and infatuation.
And then there's trouble
However, as time went on, our relationship was marred by difficulties.
Maybe tears
It is possible that our relationship ended in sadness and pain.
Still I loved you in spite
Despite the issues we were facing, my feelings for you remained strong.
Of distance or myself
Regardless of the physical or emotional barriers that existed between us.
I wanted to resolve us
I had hoped to find a way to fix our problems and salvage our relationship.
Before I dealt with someone else
However, I knew that I could not move on to another relationship until I had tried to make things work with you first.
But there is nothing to say
Despite our efforts to fix things, there was nothing left to discuss.
We didn't know yesterday
We did not realize the relationship was over until after it had ended.
We've already said Goodbye
We have already ended our relationship.
Before we say Hello
Without even giving our relationship a chance to begin or develop fully.
Its in our formal gestures
We are both putting up a façade of politeness and formality in order to hide our true feelings.
Based around the words
Our interactions are restricted and artificial, only centered around common pleasantries.
Theres left in love some subtlety
Despite our relationship's end, there are still lingering feelings of affection that are not overtly expressed.
Even lovers try to make heard
However, we both struggle to voice these emotions and have them acknowledged.
No
We are unable to communicate how we feel to one another.
Well maybe theres some feelings
It is possible that we still harbour emotions for one another.
Behind our choice we change
Although we have made the decision to end our relationship, there are still conflicting feelings and a chance for reconciliation.
Our choice is leave them abandoned
Despite these emotions, we have chosen to let them go and move on with our separate lives.
And maybe they'll go away
We hope that suppressing these feelings will result in them dissipating over time.
And there's not much to be saved
At this point, there is little hope for us to repair our relationship.
Those promises have been betrayed
The commitments we made to each other have been broken.
Nobody cried when we said goodbye
Neither of us expressed strong emotion when we ended our relationship.
No reason why
There was no obvious catalyst or reason for our relationship's end.
Goodbye
Our relationship is over, and we have parted ways.
Goodbye
A final farewell to our relationship.
Goodbye Baby
A more endearing farewell to our romantic partner.
Ooh Goodbye
An additional note of farewell and finality to our past relationship.
Contributed by Madison B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.