He emerged in the 1970s and at the time he was considered to be one of the few musicians of real talent who carried the tradition of the classic jazz tenor saxophone in the style of Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins as well as Zoot Sims and Don Byas forward. He began playing in various rhythm & blues outfits in Providence (Rhode Island), but subsequently shifted to jazz and the tenor saxophone. In 1976 he moved to New York City at, in part the recommendation of Roy Eldridge. He there joined Benny Goodman for a period of time. During this time, he also developed an alcohol problem.,[1] In the early 1980's he had formed his own quintet and toured all over the world. By then free from his drinking habit, in 1982 he had matured sufficiently to be able to break away from the spell of mainly Ben Webster and Zoot Sims, of whom he had been criticized of imitating. From this point on both his playing and his tone was very much his own.
Living in New York City, he toured all around the world during the 1980's, playing Japan and all over Europe. He was in particular a recurrent visitor to the UK, Sweden and the Grand Parade du Jazz, held in Nice, France. By the early 1990's he was ready for a next step and by 1994 when he released Organic Duke, he had developed a quite singular style: a large, well rounded but still focused tone and improvising, ostensibly still based on the swing idiom (especially Ellington), but incorporating more modern elements. During this period, he relocated to London, and formed his current quartet, featuring John Pearce (p), Dave Green (b) and Steve Brown (dr). He is currently active touring all over Europe.
He has had over forty albums as a lead most on the Concord Records label.
If You Could See Me Now
Scott Hamilton Lyrics
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One look is all you'd need to see the mood I'm in.
Perhaps then you'd realize I'm still in love with you.
If you could see me now, you'd find me being brave
And trying awfully hard to make my tears behave
But that's quite impossible, I'm still in love with you.
You'll happen my way on some mem'rable day
I'll try to smile but can I play the part
Without my heart behind the smile?
The way I feel for you I never could disguise
The look of love is written plainly in my eyes.
I think you'd be mine again if you could see me now.
The lyrics of Scott Hamilton's "If You Could See Me" Now portray the emotions of a person who is still in love with someone who has left. The lines "If you could see me now, you'd know how blue I've been" and "One look is all you'd need to see the mood I'm in" suggest that the person is feeling very low and depressed. They are hoping that if the person they love could see them now, they would understand the depth of their feelings and perhaps realize that they are still in love.
The following lines "And trying awfully hard to make my tears behave/But that's quite impossible, I'm still in love with you" indicate that despite the person's efforts to control their emotions, they cannot help but feel the pain of being separated from their loved one. The lines "The way I feel for you, I never could disguise" convey that the person has been unable to move on and still has strong feelings for their former lover.
The lyrics also include elements of hope, as the person imagines a future encounter with their loved one, when "the month will be May for a while." While they acknowledge the difficult task of trying to hide their true emotions ("I'll try to smile but can I play the part without my heart behind the smile?"), the person still holds on to the belief that their love for the other person is apparent and that they could potentially reconcile ("I think you'd be mine again if you could see me now").
Overall, the lyrics of "If You Could See Me Now" offer a poignant and relatable portrayal of the pain and hope associated with lost love.
Line by Line Meaning
If you could see me now, you'd know how blue I've been
Just one glance is all you'd need to understand the depth of my sadness.
Perhaps then you'd realize I'm still in love with you.
If you saw me now, you'd see that even though we're apart, my heart still belongs to you.
If you could see me now, you'd find me being brave
I'm trying my best to be strong, but it's not easy.
And trying awfully hard to make my tears behave
I'm trying to keep from crying in front of others, but it's getting harder every day.
But that's quite impossible, I'm still in love with you.
No matter how hard I try, I can't force myself to stop loving you.
You'll happen my way on some mem'rable day
Someday you'll come back into my life, unexpectedly.
And the month will be May for a while.
It will feel like springtime again when we're together.
I'll try to smile but can I play the part
I'll do my best to act happy, but my true feelings will be hard to conceal.
Without my heart behind the smile?
Will I really be able to fool you, or will you see through my act?
The way I feel for you I never could disguise
My love for you is too strong to hide, it's always been plain to see.
The look of love is written plainly in my eyes.
Whenever I see you, my love for you is written all over my face.
I think you'd be mine again if you could see me now.
If you could only see me now and realize how much I still love you, maybe we could be together again.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CARL SIGMAN, TADD DAMERON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind