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).
Do It Again
Shirley Horn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You hadn't any right
I really shouldn't have let you
Kiss me
And although it was wrong
I never was strong.
So as long as you've begun it
And you know you shouldn't have done it
Oh.
Do it again
I may say no, no, no, no, no
But do it again
My lips just ache
To have you take the kiss
That's waiting for you
You know if you do
You won't regret it
Come and get it.
Oh
No one is near
I may cry oh. Oh. oh. oh. oh.
But no one can hear.
Mamma may scold me
Coz' she told me
It was naughty but then
Please
Do it again
Yes do it again And again and again and again and again and again
Turn out the light.
And hold me close
In your arms
All through the night.
I know tomorrow morning
You will say
Goodbye and amen.
But until then
Please do it again
The song "Do It Again," performed by Shirley Horn, expresses the sensual and romantic desires of a woman despite knowing it is wrong. The lyrics begin with the reflection of the singer, who admits that the kissing and intimacy should not have happened at all since they did not have any right to do it. Though it might have been wrong, the singer is not strong enough to resist the forbidden temptation, and so she lets the kissing continue.
The chorus then commences, which reveals the singer's longing for more kisses. She insists that the object of her desire should kiss her again and again, even though she might refuse initially. Her innate desires are stronger, and she knows that she will not regret it. The singer entreats her lover to come closer and quench her thirst for intimacy, emphasizing that no one is around to deter them from pursuing their desires. She anticipates her mother's scolding, but the attraction is too intense and worth indulging, even if it is only a fleeting moment.
In the second verse, the singer's passion continues to build. She pleads for her lover to turn off the light and hold her close all through the night. She acknowledges that the intimacy probably won't last and that 'goodbye and amen' awaits her in the morning, but she insists that the moment is worth repeating. The overall message of the song is about giving in to physical desires, regardless of its results.
Line by Line Meaning
You really shouldn't have done it
It was wrong of you to act the way you did
You hadn't any right
You didn't have permission to do what you did
I really shouldn't have let you
I regret allowing you to do what you did
Kiss me
Give me a gentle and loving kiss
And although it was wrong
Even though it was immoral
I never was strong
I lacked the strength to resist you
So as long as you've begun it
Since you've started it already
And you know you shouldn't have done it
And you're aware of the fact that it was inappropriate
Oh.
Expressing surprise or excitement
Do it again
Repeat the same action again
I may say no, no, no, no, no
I might initially refuse
But do it again
But please do it
My lips just ache
I desire a kiss from you
To have you take the kiss
To make a move and kiss me
That's waiting for you
That I've been waiting for you to give me
You know if you do
You're aware that if you give me the kiss
You won't regret it
You won't feel remorseful about it
Come and get it.
Come and kiss me
Oh
Expressing surprise or excitement
No one is near
There's no one around us
I may cry oh. Oh. oh. oh. oh.
I might cry emotionally
But no one can hear.
But no one can listen to me
Mamma may scold me
My mother may reprimand me
Coz' she told me
Because she had warned me
It was naughty but then
It was inappropriate, but I couldn't resist it
Please
Asking or requesting
Do it again
Repeat the same action again
Yes do it again And again and again and again and again and again
Do it many more times
Turn out the light.
Switch off the light
And hold me close
Embrace me tightly
In your arms
Cradled by you
All through the night.
For the entire night
I know tomorrow morning
I'm aware that tomorrow morning
You will say
You'll speak
Goodbye and amen.
Farewell and so be it
But until then
But before that
Please do it again
Please kiss me again
Contributed by Xavier M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Classics
Genius. She’s one of my favorite singers.
Who Dat Superbowl Queen
I've just discovered her. I love her voice!
Classics
Me too. Off the Glengarry soundtrack
Jorge Vega Mendoza
Que canción tan hermosa
AlabamaPowell
I stumbled upon the music of Mrs. Horn last night. I've never experience anything like her. I'm in love.
Muziekgenot
Didn't know her at all till some years ago. And then I found out that she's such an enormous talent, not only her singing, but also her piano playing. She certainly belongs to the greatest in jazz music.
ロムスカ・パロ・ウル・ラピュタ
素晴らしい✨
Enkhule 1108
beautiful <3
C SB
Who still here since 1996 when they were two listening to this 💖💖😭😭😭😭😭😭
Who Dat Superbowl Queen
Yes, so sweet a voice!