Clark was born and raised in Herminie, Pennsylvania, a coal mining town southeast of Pittsburgh. At age 12, he moved to Pittsburgh. When visiting an aunt in California at age 20, Clark decided to stay and began working with saxophonist Wardell Gray. Clark went to San Francisco with Oscar Pettiford and after a couple months, was working with clarinetist Buddy DeFranco in 1953. Clark toured the U.S. and Europe with DeFranco until January 1956, when he joined The Lighthouse All-Stars, led by bassist Howard Rumsey.
Wishing to return to the east coast, Clark served as accompanist for singer Dinah Washington in February 1957 in order to relocate to New York City. In New York, Clark was often requested as a sideman by many musicians, partly because of his rhythmic comping. He frequently recorded for Blue Note Records, playing as a sideman with many hard bop players, including Kenny Burrell, Donald Byrd, Paul Chambers, John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Art Farmer, Curtis Fuller, Grant Green, Philly Joe Jones, Clifford Jordan, Jackie McLean, Hank Mobley, Art Taylor, and Wilbur Ware. He also recorded sessions with Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins, Billie Holiday, Stanley Turrentine, and Lee Morgan.
As a band leader, Clark recorded albums Dial "S" for Sonny (1957), Sonny's Crib (1957), Sonny Clark Trio (1957), with Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones, and Cool Struttin' (1958). Sonny Clark Trio, with George Duvivier and Max Roach was released in 1960.
Clark died of a heart attack in New York City, although commentators attribute the early death to Clark's drug and alcohol abuse.
Close friend and fellow jazz pianist Bill Evans dedicated the composition "NYC's No Lark" (an anagram of "Sonny Clark") to him after his death, included on Evans' Conversations with Myself (1963). John Zorn, Wayne Horvitz, Ray Drummond, and Bobby Previte recorded an album of Clark's compositions, Voodoo (1985), as The Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet. Zorn also recorded several of Clark's compositions with Bill Frisell and George Lewis on News for Lulu (1988) and More News for Lulu (1992).
Can't We Be Friends
Sonny Clark Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't excuse it on the grounds of youth,
I was no babe in the wild, wild wood.
She didn't mean it,
I should have seen it,
But now it's too late.
I thought I'd found the girl of my dreams,
This is how the story ends:
She's gonna turn me down and say,
"Can't we be friends?"
I thought for once it couldn't go wrong,
Not for long,
I can see the way this ends:
She's gonna turn me down and say,
"Can't we be friends?"
Why should I care though she gave me the air,
Why should I cry,
Heave a sigh,
And wonder why,
And wonder why?
I thought I found the gal I could trust,
What a bust, this is how the story ends:
She's gonna turn me down and say,
"Can't we be just friends?"
In Sonny Clark's Can't We Be Friends, the lyrics describe the pain of being rejected by someone who you thought you had a chance with. The singer believed he had found the girl of his dreams and overlooked the warning signs that she was not interested. He took her words as gospel truth, demonstrating that he was really invested in the relationship. He now realizes that he was foolish to believe everything she said, and he regrets not seeing that she was not as interested in him as he thought. At the end of the song, she turns him down and tells him she wants to be just friends.
The song reflects the difficulty of navigating relationships, particularly when one person is more invested than the other. The singer's vulnerability is palpable, and the lyrics highlight the pain and complexity of unrequited love. The line "Why should I care though she gave me the air?" suggests that he is trying to play it cool and not show his pain, but it is clear that he is deeply hurt.
Overall, Can't We Be Friends is a poignant exploration of the ups and downs of relationships that resonates with many people. It captures the painful experience of being rejected and the complex emotions that go along with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Took each word she said as gospel truth the way a silly little child would.
I believed everything she said without question like a naive child.
I can't excuse it on the grounds of youth, I was no babe in the wild, wild wood.
I can't blame my youth for my gullibility, I should have known better.
She didn't mean it, I should have seen it, But now it's too late.
She didn't intend to hurt me, I should have realized that, but it's too late now.
I thought I'd found the girl of my dreams, Now it seems, This is how the story ends:
I thought I had finally found the perfect girl for me, but it turns out that's not the case and this is how my story ends.
She's gonna turn me down and say, "Can't we be friends?"
She's going to reject me and ask to just be friends instead of pursuing a romantic relationship.
I thought for once it couldn't go wrong, Not for long, I can see the way this ends:
I believed for once that everything would work out perfectly, but it's evident that's not the case.
Why should I care though she gave me the air, Why should I cry, Heave a sigh, And wonder why, And wonder why?
Why should I be upset even though she ended things? Why should I cry, sigh, and wonder why things didn't work out?
I thought I found the gal I could trust, What a bust, this is how the story ends:
I thought I had finally found someone I could trust, but it's clear that's not the case and my story ends here.
She's gonna turn me down and say, "Can't we be just friends?"
She's going to reject me and ask to just be friends instead of pursuing a romantic relationship.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KAY SWIFT, PAUL JAMES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@javierazmat4498
Me encantó!!!
@adnls6926
Ultimate jazz phrasing right there!
@mariolongo7369
Ottimo interplay!!!