Lewis began taking piano lessons at the age of four. As a young man, Lewis played with a number of local ensembles, such as Edward Virgil Abner's Knights of Music. Lewis would eventually join a jazz group called The Clefs.
He formed The Ramsey Lewis Trio in 1956 with Eldee Young and Isaac Holt. They started as primarily a jazz unit but after their hit, "The In Crowd", in 1965 (the single reached fifth place on the pop charts, and the album second place) the trio concentrated more and more on pop material. Young and Holt left in 1966 to form the Young-Holt Trio and were replaced by Cleveland Eaton and Maurice White. White was replaced by Maurice Jennings in 1970. In the late 1970s an additional keyboard player was frequently added to the lineup. A contemporary version of "The In Crowd" was recorded for Lewis' 2004 album, Time Flies.
His 2005 album "With One Voice" pays homage to his gospel roots with the help Smokie Norful, Darius Brooks, and Donald Lawrence and the J.W. James Memorial A.M.E. Church Combined Choir.
In addition to recording and performing, he was a radio host on Chicago's Smooth Jazz station, WNUA (95.5 FM). His syndicated show Legends of Jazz, featuring classic jazz recordings from artists such as Charlie Parker and Miles Davis), could be heard in 60 cities in the United States and other countries as well. His Legends of Jazz television series on PBS, was first aired in April 2006.
From December 2006, the Ramsey Lewis Morning Show became a part of Broadcast Architecture's Smooth Jazz Network, simulcasting on other Smooth Jazz stations across the country for the first time.
Lewis was artistic director of Jazz at Ravinia (an annual feature at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois) and helped organize Ravinia's Jazz Mentor Program.
It Could Happen to You
Ramsey Lewis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It was the sweetest melody
I know I lost heaven 'cause you were the song
Since you and I have drifted apart
Life doesn't mean a thing to me
Please come back, sweet music, I know I was wrong
You know that we were meant to be more than just friends, just friends
I let a song go out of my heart
Believe me, darlin', when I say
I won't know sweet music until you return some day
I let a song go out of my heart
Believe me, darlin', when I say
I won't know sweet music until you return some day
In Ramsey Lewis's song "Work It Out," the lyrics are lamenting over a lost love that was once the sweetest thing in the singer's life. The lost love is compared to a song that has gone out of the singer's heart, leaving a void in their life that nothing can replace. The singer knows that they have lost something special by letting this love go and the metaphorical comparison of this love to a "sweet melody" that they let go is a representation of the depth of the love that the singer had for the person who has left them.
The lyrics also talk about the regret and longing the singer feels, as they believe they have lost heaven because they let this special person and love go. They note that they were wrong and plea for the love to come back as it is the only way that life will have true meaning again, as the love was the "sweet music." The singer expresses their hope that it is not too late to make amends and move beyond friendship with their lost love, though the final lyrics suggest a sense of resignation that the singer may have to simply wait and hope for this person to return in the future.
Line by Line Meaning
I let a song go out of my heart
I lost something that was once meaningful to me
It was the sweetest melody
It was the best thing in my life
I know I lost heaven 'cause you were the song
I know I lost happiness because of your absence
Since you and I have drifted apart
Since we are no longer together
Life doesn't mean a thing to me
I feel empty and lost without you
Please come back, sweet music, I know I was wrong
I want you to come back and I admit I made a mistake
Am I too late to make amends?
Is it too late for me to fix things?
You know that we were meant to be more than just friends, just friends
You and I had a special connection and relationship
Believe me, darlin', when I say
Trust me when I tell you
I won't know sweet music until you return some day
I won't be truly happy until you come back into my life
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Duke Ellington, Henry Nemo, John Redmond, Irving Mills
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind