Shirley Horn was born and raised in Washington, D.C.. Encouraged by her grandmother, an amateur organist, Horn began piano lessons at the age of four. Aged 12, she studied piano and composition at Howard University, later graduating from there in classical music. Horn was offered a place at the Juilliard School, but her family could not afford to send her there. Horn formed her first jazz piano trio when she was 20. Horn's early piano influences were Erroll Garner, Oscar Peterson and Ahmad Jamal, and moving away from her classical background, Horn later said that "Oscar Peterson became my Rachmaninov, and Ahmad Jamal became my Debussy." She then became enamored with the famous U Street jazz area of Washington (largely destroyed in the 1968 riots), sneaking into jazz clubs before she was of legal age.
Horn first achieved fame in 1960, through her association with Miles Davis. Davis' praise had particular resonance in two respects: because he was so highly respected as a musician, and because he rarely offered public praise for fellow musicians at that time. Horn had, though, recorded several songs with violinist Stuff Smith in 1959 both as a pianist and a singer. After her discovery by Davis, she recorded albums on different small labels in the early 1960s, eventually landing contracts with larger labels Mercury Records and Impulse Records. She was popular with jazz critics, but did not achieve significant popular success.
Quincy Jones attempted to make Horn into a pure vocalist in several recording sessions, something he later hinted may have been a mistake. Horn was also disturbed by the changes in popular music in the 1960s following the arrival of The Beatles. Largely rejecting efforts to remake her into a popular singer, she stated: "I will not stoop to conquer."[4] From the late-1960s, she concentrated on raising her daughter Rainy with her husband, Shepherd Deering (whom she had married in 1955), and largely limited her performances to her native Washington, D.C.
Miles Davis made a rare appearance as a sideman on Horn's 1991 album You Won't Forget Me. Although she preferred to perform in small settings, such as her trio, she also recorded with orchestras, as on the 1992 album Here's to Life, the title song (lyrics by Phyllis Molinary, music by Artie Butler) of which became her signature song. A video documentary of Horn's life and music was released at the same time as "Here's To Life" and shared its title. At the time, arranger Johnny Mandel commented that Horn's piano skill was comparable to that of the noted jazz great Bill Evans. A follow-up was made in 2001, named You're My Thrill.
Horn worked with the same rhythm section for 25 years: Charles Ables (bass) and Steve Williams (drums). Don Heckman wrote in the Los Angeles Times (February 2, 1995) about "the importance of bassist Charles Ables and drummer Steve Williams to Horn's sound. Working with boundless subtlety, following her every spontaneous twist and turn, they were the ideal accompanists for a performer who clearly will tolerate nothing less than perfection".
Her albums Here's to Life, Light Out of Darkness (A Tribute to Ray Charles) and I Love You, Paris all reached number one on the Billboard jazz charts.
Due to health problems in the early 2000s, Horn had to cut back on her performances. After 2002, a foot amputation (from complications of diabetes) led her to leave the piano playing to pianist George Mesterhazy. In late 2004, Horn felt able to play piano again, and recorded a live album for Verve, at Manhattan's Au Bar with trumpet player Roy Hargrove, which did not satisfy her.[citation needed] It remains unreleased except for tracks on But Beautiful - The Best of Shirley Horn.
A breast cancer survivor, she had been battling diabetes when she died of complications from the condition, aged 71. She is interred at Ft. Lincoln Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
Horn was nominated for nine Grammy Awards during her career, winning the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance at the 41st Grammy Awards for I Remember Miles, a tribute to her friend and mentor (the album's cover featuring a Miles Davis drawing of them both).
She was officially recognized by the 109th US Congress for "her many achievements and contributions to the world of jazz and American culture", and performed at The White House for several U.S. presidents. Horn was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the Berklee College of Music in 2002.
She was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award in 2005 (the highest honors that the United States bestows upon jazz musicians).
Close Enough For Love
Shirley Horn Lyrics
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Took the time to touch, to share
Worlds apart the night we met
We braved the odds and won the bet
Not perfect yet but close enough for love
How old fashioned, pure romance
Shared a kiss and shared a dance
We'll taste the wine another day
When you and I are close enough for love
Not just lovers, more than friends
Who knows where one starts, one ends
Tracing lights through sleepless nights
That I'll remember always and always
Long goodbyes and tearful looks
Hold up well in poems and books
But you and I have life to hold
The greatest story never told
Not perfect yet but close enough for love
Not just lovers, more than friends
Who knows where one starts, one ends
Tracing lights through sleepless nights
That I'll remember always and always
Long goodbyes and tearful looks
Hold up well in poems and books
But you and I have life to hold
The greatest story never told
Not perfect yet but close enough for love, for love
The lyrics to Shirley Horn's song "Close Enough For Love" tell the story of two people who are an "unmatched pair" but took the time to "touch, to share" and become "close enough for love." They are not perfect yet but have shared a "pure romance" that includes "kiss" and dancing. They have a unique connection that goes beyond just being lovers, they are "more than friends" and can't be defined as one starts and one ends.
The song is nostalgic of those sleepless nights and long goodbyes that even though they "hold up well in poems and books", the greatest story is their life spent together, which has never been told. The lyrics express the sentiment of being content with the state of their relationship, not needing it to be perfect, but being "close enough for love."
Shirley Horn's tender and intimate voice emotions are expressed beautifully through the lyrics and music "Close Enough for Love" is an affirmation of love in its purest, most heartfelt form — a moment shared between two people who have grown close enough to one another, to weather life’s challenges and find strength in each other's embrace.
Line by Line Meaning
You and I, an unmatched pair
We are a unique couple, unlike any other
Took the time to touch, to share
We have taken the necessary time to build a connection and share our lives together
Worlds apart the night we met
We were drastically different from one another when we first met
We braved the odds and won the bet
Despite the challenges we faced, we overcame them and are together now
Not perfect yet but close enough for love
Although we are not without flaws, we are close enough to one another to feel love and affection
How old fashioned, pure romance
Our love is traditional and based on true romanticism
Shared a kiss and shared a dance
We have shared intimate and romantic moments together
Shared the body and bouquet
We have both physically and emotionally shared ourselves with one another
We'll taste the wine another day
We have a lifetime together to enjoy the pleasures of life
When you and I are close enough for love
When we are intimately close enough to feel true love and affection for one another
Not just lovers, more than friends
We share a deep emotional bond beyond just a romantic relationship
Who knows where one starts, one ends
Our love is so intertwined and deep that it's hard to tell where one person ends and the other begins
Tracing lights through sleepless nights
We have shared many special moments together, both good and bad
That I'll remember always and always
These memories will always stay with me and be cherished
Long goodbyes and tearful looks
Saying goodbye and being apart from one another is difficult and emotional
Hold up well in poems and books
Our love story is like something out of a romantic novel
But you and I have life to hold
We have a lifetime together to share and grow old with one another
The greatest story never told
Our love is the most amazing and inspiring story that is yet to be fully told and realized
Not perfect yet but close enough for love, for love
Although we are not without flaws, we are close enough to one another to feel love and affection. And we will continue to grow and mature together in love.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Johnny Mandel, Paul H. Williams
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind