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).
FEVER
Shirley Horn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never know how much I care
When you put your arms around me
I get a fever that's so hard to bear
You give me fever when you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever in the morning
Ev'rybody's got the fever
that is something you all know
Fever isn't such a new thing
Fever started long ago
Sun lights up the daytime
Moon lights up the night
I light up when you call my name
And you know I'm gonna treat you right
You give me fever when you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever in the morning
Fever all through the night
Romeo loved Juliet
Juliet she felt the same
When he put his arms around her
He said, Julie baby, you're my flame
Thou givest fever when we kisseth
Fever with thy flaming youth
Fever, I'm afire
Fever, yea I burn forsooth
Captain Smith and Pocahontas
Had a very mad affair
When her daddy tried to kill him
She said Daddy-o don't you dare
He gives me fever with his kisses
Fever when he holds me tight
Fever, I'm his Missus,
Oh daddy, won't you treat him right
Now you've listened to my story
Here's the point that I have made
Cats were born to give chicks fever
Be it Fahrenheit or centigrade
They give you fever when you kiss them
Fever if you live and learn
Fever till you sizzle
What a lovely way to burn
What a lovely way to burn
What a lovely way to burn
Shirley Horn's "Fever" is a bluesy and sultry take on the standard made famous by Peggy Lee. The opening lines of the song display the infatuation the singer has for her lover. She expresses how she never knew how deep her love was until he wrapped his arms around her, a feeling she describes as feverish. The chorus tells us that her lover gives her fever when he kisses her and holds her tightly. It doesn't matter what time of day it is, she feels feverish for him morning, noon, and night.
The second stanza explains that everyone is familiar with the feeling of fever, and this sensation of being hot and bothered is not new. The next verse takes us through the vocalist's reaction to her lover when he calls her name, and she is more than willing to treat him right. She feels like she is lighting up when he talks to her, furthering the idea that the love between them is red hot.
The song then goes on to tell us stories of famous lovers that had feverish love affairs, and their love was so intense that they literally caught "fever." The last two verses remind us that, in general, this is the effect of love. The final line of the song concludes that love is a lovely way to burn, and although it might not always be comfortable, it's worth it.
Line by Line Meaning
Never know how much I love you
I cannot express the depth of my love for you
Never know how much I care
I cannot express how much I am concerned for you
When you put your arms around me
When you embrace me tightly
I get a fever that's so hard to bear
I experience a strong feeling of passion and desire that I cannot control
You give me fever when you kiss me
Your kisses ignite a strong desire in me
Fever when you hold me tight
I feel a burning passion when you embrace me
Fever in the morning
The feeling of passion persists even in the morning
Fever all through the night
The feeling of passion persists throughout the night
Ev'rybody's got the fever
Everyone experiences the feeling of passion
that is something you all know
It is a common knowledge that everyone can relate to
Fever isn't such a new thing
Passion and desire are not a new phenomenon
Fever started long ago
The feeling of passion has existed for a long time
Sun lights up the daytime
The sun illuminates the day
Moon lights up the night
The moon illuminates the night
I light up when you call my name
I feel joy and excitement when you address me
And you know I'm gonna treat you right
You are aware that I will treat you well
Thou givest fever when we kisseth
You ignite a feeling of intense passion whenever we kiss
Fever with thy flaming youth
The intensity of your passion is burning like flames
Fever, I'm afire
The feeling of passion that I experience is so intense that I feel like I am on fire
Fever, yea I burn forsooth
The feeling of passion that I experience is so real that it burns me inside-out
Captain Smith and Pocahontas
The story of Captain Smith and Pocahontas
Had a very mad affair
They had a passionate and intense romantic relationship
When her daddy tried to kill him
When her father attempted to kill Captain Smith
She said Daddy-o don't you dare
She warned her father not to harm Captain Smith
He gives me fever with his kisses
Captain Smith ignites a feeling of passion and desire in Pocahontas with his kisses
Fever when he holds me tight
The feeling of passion that Pocahontas experiences persists even when Captain Smith embraces her
Fever, I'm his Missus,
Pocahontas is passionately in love with Captain Smith
Oh daddy, won't you treat him right
Pocahontas requests her father to show kindness and fairness towards Captain Smith
Now you've listened to my story
The story I have told you
Here's the point that I have made
The conclusion I have arrived at
Cats were born to give chicks fever
Cats have always been associated with igniting a feeling of passion in women
Be it Fahrenheit or centigrade
Irrespective of the scale in which temperature is measured
They give you fever when you kiss them
Women feel an intense desire when they are kissed by cats
Fever if you live and learn
The feeling of passion and desire persists as long as you live and love
Fever till you sizzle
The feeling of passion and desire persists till it reaches a boiling point
What a lovely way to burn
The experience of passion and desire is beautiful, even if it burns you out
What a lovely way to burn
The experience of passion and desire is beautiful, even if it burns you out
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Sentric Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Eddie Cooley, Otis Blackwell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robert Cody
Shirley has just moved up in rank, recently. I now put her on a pedestal that is just as tall as Ella's or Sarah Vaughn's. I always enjoyed her, but big difference between enjoying one's skills and appreciating those skills!
stuntcat666
Shirley!!! Amazing ♪♪ლ(╹◡╹ლ)♪♪
Peter Menard
love it...want more!
Aditya Pradipta
I like how she sits in concerts, with her clothing draping over her chair/stool.
Rosheena Beek
Bad azzzzz!!!!
keepthemusicplaying0
How ridiculous to remove the audio track !!! This song has been performed many times by other singers, without any problems. Please fusion clarify this issue with YouTube, they have NO right to block the sound.
Esther Gavillet
R.I.P. SHIRLEY HORN - 01.05.1934-20.10.2005 - Shared on G+ May 1, 2016
RICHENEL
Wish the audience didn't clap****
Nataly Martins
Putz. cade a musica?
M.J. Leger
MUST you show that horrible ad before such nice music? Too long, too radical, too disgusting! Thank GOD we can click "skip ad!"