Rollins was born in New York City to parents from the United States Virgin Islands. The youngest of three siblings, he grew up in central Harlem and on Sugar Hill, receiving his first alto saxophone at the age of seven or eight. He attended Edward W. Stitt Junior High School and graduated from Benjamin Franklin High School in East Harlem. Rollins started as a pianist, changed to alto saxophone, and finally switched to tenor in 1946. During his high school years, he played in a band with other future jazz legends Jackie McLean, Kenny Drew, and Art Taylor.
As a saxophonist he had initially been attracted to the jump and R&B sounds of performers like Louis Jordan, but soon became drawn into the mainstream tenor saxophone tradition. The German critic Joachim Berendt described this tradition as sitting between the two poles of the strong sonority of Coleman Hawkins and the light flexible phrasing of Lester Young, which did so much to inspire the fleet improvisation of bebop in the 1950s. Other tenor saxophone influences include Ben Webster and Don Byas. By his mid-teens, Rollins became heavily influenced by alto saxophonist Charlie Parker. During his high school years, he was mentored by the pianist and composer Thelonious Monk, often rehearsing at Monk's apartment.
Rollins has played, at various times, a Selmer Mark VI tenor saxophone and a Buescher Aristocrat. During the 1970s he recorded on soprano saxophone for the album Easy Living. His preferred mouthpieces are made by Otto Link and Berg Larsen. He uses Frederick Hemke medium reeds.
Round Midnight
Sonny Rollins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Round midnight, midnight
I do pretty well, till after sundown
Suppertime I'm feelin' sad
But it really gets bad
'Round midnight
Memories always start 'round midnight
When my heart is still with you
And ol' midnight knows it, too
When a quarrel we had needs mending
Does it mean that our love is ending
Darlin' I need you, lately I find
You're out of my heart
And I'm out of my mind
Let our hearts take wings'
'Round midnight, midnight
Let the angels sing
For your returning
Till our love is safe and sound
And old midnight comes around
Feelin' sad
Really gets bad
Round, Round, Round Midnight
The lyrics of "Round Midnight" by Sonny Rollins begin with the line "It begins to tell 'Round midnight, midnight". The phrase "It begins to tell" can refer to a feeling of melancholy or sadness that comes with the end of the day, often around midnight. The lyrics then describe how the singer is able to do pretty well until after sundown, but after supper, they start to feel sad. As the night goes on, the sadness gets worse, especially when memories start to flood in around midnight.
The lyrics then focus on the memories that come around midnight, specifically memories of a lost love. The singer talks about how they haven't got the heart to stand those memories, especially when their heart is still with the person they lost. The singer wonders if a quarrel they had means the love is ending and expresses a deep longing for the person they lost. The song ends with the hopeful message that they will be reunited someday and their love will be safe and sound.
Overall, the lyrics of "Round Midnight" convey a sense of deep sadness and longing for lost love, with a glimmer of hope for a reunion in the future. The specific reference to midnight adds to the melancholic tone of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
It begins to tell
The song begins to tell a story
'Round midnight, midnight
The story is set at midnight
I do pretty well, till after sundown
The singer is generally okay until the evening
Suppertime I'm feelin' sad
The artist feels sad during suppertime
But it really gets bad
The sadness worsens
'Round midnight
The sadness peaks at midnight
Memories always start 'round midnight
The singer is haunted by memories that always come up at midnight
Haven't got the heart to stand those memories
The memories are painful and the artist can't handle them
When my heart is still with you
The memories are related to a person the artist loves
And ol' midnight knows it, too
The artist feels like even midnight can sense their heartache
When a quarrel we had needs mending
The singer and their loved one had a fight that needs to be resolved
Does it mean that our love is ending
The fight has made the artist worry that their love might be over
Darlin' I need you, lately I find
The singer misses their loved one and feels like they've been apart lately
You're out of my heart
The singer feels like their loved one has left their heart
And I'm out of my mind
The singer is going crazy without their loved one
Let our hearts take wings'
The artist wants their love to be free and happy
'Round midnight, midnight
This desire for love is still set at midnight
Let the angels sing
The singer thinks of their love as something heavenly
For your returning
The singer wants their loved one to come back
Till our love is safe and sound
The artist wants their love to be secure and happy
And old midnight comes around
The artist expects to feel the same sadness and heartache when midnight comes again
Feelin' sad
The artist ends the song feeling sad
Really gets bad
The sadness taking over the singer's emotions
Round, Round, Round Midnight
The cycle of sadness and heartache continues every midnight
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cootie Williams, Bernard D Hanighen, Theolonious S Monk
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Charles Barry
One of the saxophone greats. Still performing. Many of his peers are no longer with us.
Nat Images
Magic ,awesome interpretation,absolutely gorgeous!!
Who plays the bass,?Very impressive!
Anthony Winkler
Great version, by a great player!
Rosana Aquino
A melhor interpretação. Linda!
Arsen Dolboev
Almost everything, where Herbie Hancock plays is masterpiece. Both Herbie and Sonny are greatest.
Jeff T
Genius. Not one note more than needed.
Maxim Popov
Masterpiece 💙💙💙
MARCELLO MENTA SIMONSEN NICO
A mysterious and raw interpretation of this classic. No introduction, no coda, only the theme with slight variations, almost to the bone. Pure Sonny Rollins.
jimi3b999
Sonny Rollins - sax, Ron Carter - bass, Roy McCurdy - drums, Herbie Hancock - piano, you can find it on that great Bluebird release from 1990. called "All The Things You Are"...Coleman Hawkins is also there...
Diana Heaberlin
Ah yes--soothes the soul--thanks and have a wonderful day!