Kirk was born Ronald Kirk on 7th August 1935, in Columbus, Ohio, but felt compelled by a dream to transpose two letters in his first name to make Roland. After another dream in about 1970 he added Rahsaan to his name.
His playing was generally rooted in soul jazz or hard bop, but Kirk's encyclopedic knowledge of jazz history allowed him to draw convincingly on any element of the music's history, from ragtime to swing and free jazz. Kirk also regularly explored classical and pop music.
Kirk played and collected a vast number of musical instruments, mainly various saxophones, clarinets, and flutes. His main instruments were tenor saxophone, and two obscure saxophones: the manzello (similar to a soprano sax) and the stritch (a straight alto sax lacking the instrument's characteristic upturned bell). Kirk modified these instruments himself to accommodate his simultaneous playing technique. He typically appeared on stage with all three horns hanging around his neck, as well as a variety of other instruments, including flutes and whistles. Kirk also played harmonica, cor anglais, recorders, and was a competent trumpeter. He often used unusual instruments or combinations of instrument parts, using a saxophone mouthpiece on a trumpet or playing nose flute. He additionally used many extramusical sounds in his music, such as alarm clocks, whistles, sirens, and even primitive electronic sounds (before such things became commonplace).
In addition to the saxophones, Kirk was also an influential flautist, employing several novel techniques that he developed himself. One technique was to sing or hum into the flute at the same time as playing. (This technique was adopted later by many other players, including Jeremy Steig and Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull.) Another was to play the standard transverse flute at the same time as a nose flute.
My Heart Stood Still )
Rahsaan Roland Kirk Lyrics
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That's all I meant to do
And then my heart stood still
My feet could step and walk
My lips could move and talk
And yet my heart stood still
I could tell you knew
That unfelt clasp of hands
Told me so well you knew
I never lived at all
Until the thrill of that moment
When my heart stood still
I took one look at you
That's all I meant to do
And then my heart stopped right there
My feet could step and walk
My lips could move and talk
And yet my heart stood still
Though not a single word was spoken
I could tell you knew
That unfelt claps of hands
Told me so well you knew
I never lived at all
Until the thrill of that moment
When my heart stood still
In Rahsaan Roland Kirk's "My Heart Stood Still," the lyrics tell the story of a love at first sight experience. The singer says that they only meant to take one look at the person they are singing about, but something extraordinary happened. Their feet could still function, their lips could still talk, but their heart stood still. Even though there were no words spoken yet, there was a nonverbal acknowledgement that the other person felt too. The unfelt clasp of hands demonstrated that the other person knew what was happening in the singer's heart. The singer never truly lived until this moment when their heart stood still.
The lyrics tell a timeless story of love and how it has the power to stop time. The idea of love at first sight is something that many people yearn for, but it can be elusive. The singer in this song experienced it, but it was not because of anything they did. Love just happens, and it can be a powerful force that changes a person's life forever. The song's lyrics capture the emotions that accompany such an experience, while the music blends jazz and swing to create a timeless sound.
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Line by Line Meaning
I took one look at you
As soon as I looked at you, I knew
That's all I meant to do
I didn't need to do anything else, just seeing you was enough
And then my heart stood still
My heart was overwhelmed by the sight of you and stopped beating for a moment
My feet could step and walk
Physically, I was still functional
My lips could move and talk
I could still speak and interact with my surroundings
And yet my heart stood still
Despite being able to function outwardly, internally I was frozen by the emotion
Though not a single word was spoken
We didn't need to talk to understand
I could tell you knew
I sensed that you also felt the same way
That unfelt clasp of hands
Even though we didn't touch, our emotions were palpable
Told me so well you knew
It was clear that you understood my feelings without any explanation
I never lived at all
Before seeing you, my life lacked true meaning or purpose
Until the thrill of that moment
But that all changed in the instant I saw you
When my heart stood still
My heart was so overcome with emotion that it seemed to stop in time
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: LORENZ HART, RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind