She had been an admirer of Jimmy Smith and over time would play piano and trumpet before moving to the Hammond organ. The organ would be her main instrument, but on occasion she still played piano. In the 1950s she became known for her work with saxophone player Eddie Davis, particularly the song "In the Kitchen." She was married to Stanley Turrentine in the 1960s and the collaboration proved musically fruitful. In the 1980s she became a jazz educator of merit.
An admirer of the seminal Jimmy Smith, Shirley Scott has been one of the organ's most appealing representatives since the late '50s. Scott, a very melodic and accessible player, started out on piano and played trumpet in high school before taking up the Hammond B-3 and enjoying national recognition in the late '50s with her superb Prestige dates with tenor sax great Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis. Especially popular was their 1958 hit "In the Kitchen." Her reputation was cemented during the '60s on several superb, soulful organ/soul-jazz dates where she demonstrated an aggressive, highly rhythmic attack blending intricate bebop harmonies with bluesy melodies and a gospel influence, punctuating everything with great use of the bass pedals. Scott married soul-jazz tenor man Stanley Turrentine, with whom she often recorded in the '60s. The Scott/Turrentine union lasted until the early '70s, and their musical collaborations in the '60s were among the finest in the field. Scott wasn't as visible the following decade, when the popularity of organ combos decreased and labels were more interested in fusion and pop-jazz (though she did record some albums for Chess/Cadet and Strata East). But organists regained their popularity in the late '80s, which found her recording for Muse. Though known primarily for her organ playing, Scott is also a superb pianist -- in the 1990s, she played piano exclusively on some trio recordings for Candid, and embraced the instrument consistently in Philly jazz venues in the early part of the decade. At the end of the '90s, Scott's heart was damaged by the diet drug combination, fen-phen, leading to her declining health. In 2000 she was awarded $8 million in a lawsuit against the manufacturers of the drug. On March 10, 2002 she died of heart failure at Presbyterian Hospital in Philadelphia.
When a Man Loves a Woman
Shirley Scott Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everybody falls in love somehow
Something in your kiss just told me
My sometime is now
Everybody finds somebody someplace
There's no telling where love may appear
Something in my heart keeps saying
If I had it in my power
I'd arrange for every girl to have your charm
Then every minute, every hour
Every boy would find what I've found in your arms
Everybody loves somebody sometime
And although my dream was overdue
Your love made it well worth waiting
For someone like you
Everybody loves somebody sometime
And although my dream was overdue
Your love made it well worth waiting
For someone like you
The lyrics to Shirley Scott's song "When a Man Loves a Woman" explore the universal concept of love and falling in love. The opening lines convey the idea that everyone experiences love at some point in their lives, depicted through the repetition of "everybody." Through the verse "Something in your kiss just told me, my sometime is now," the singer recognizes the moment of falling in love with someone, where a simple gesture, like a kiss, can reveal the depth of their feelings.
The second verse continues the theme of love, with the singer acknowledging that love can appear anywhere and to anyone, as it's an unpredictable and mysterious force. The line "Something in my heart keeps saying my someplace is here" suggests that the singer has found the place where they belong, in the arms of their loved one. The chorus offers a hopeful and romantic message, that every person has the possibility to find love and that it's worth waiting for.
In the final verse, the singer expresses their admiration for their loved one, imagining a world where everyone could experience the same love they have found. The final lines reinforce the idea that love is worth waiting for and that finding someone like their partner has made the wait worthwhile.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody loves somebody sometime
Love is a universal feeling and everybody experiences it at some point in their lives.
Everybody falls in love somehow
Falling in love is not something we can control, it just happens.
Something in your kiss just told me
Sometimes words are not needed to express love, a simple gesture like a kiss can convey deep feelings.
My sometime is now
The feeling of love has finally arrived for the artist, and they are ready to embrace it.
Everybody finds somebody someplace
Love can happen anywhere, and you never know when or where you'll find that special someone.
There's no telling where love may appear
Love is unpredictable and can happen unexpectedly.
Something in my heart keeps saying
The singer's heart is telling them that they have found the right person.
My someplace is here
The person the artist has been searching for is right in front of them.
If I had it in my power
The artist wishes they had the power to give everyone the opportunity to experience the love they have found.
I'd arrange for every girl to have your charm
The artist believes that the person they love has qualities that everyone would benefit from having in their partner.
Then every minute, every hour
If everyone had the love the singer has found, there would be happiness and love around the clock.
Every boy would find what I've found in your arms
If everyone had the opportunity to be with the person the artist loves, they too would experience the same deep feelings the artist has for them.
And although my dream was overdue
The singer has been waiting for love for a while, but now that they have found it, they know it was worth the wait.
Your love made it well worth waiting
The love the singer has found is so special that waiting for it was worth it.
For someone like you
The singer believes that the person they love is one of a kind, and they are grateful to have found them.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Calvin Houston Lewis, Andrew James Wright
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind