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.
The Song Is You
Sonny Rollins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A beautiful theme of every
Dream I ever knew.
Down deep in my heart I hear it play.
I feel it start, then melt away.
I hear music when I touch your hand,
A beautiful melody
Down deep in my heart, I hear it say,
Is this the day?
I alone have heard this lovely strain,
I alone have heard this glad refrain,
Must it be forever inside of me,
Why can't I let it go,
Why can't I let you know,
Why can't I let you know the song
My heart would sing?
That beautiful rhapsody
Of love and youth and spring,
The music is sweet,
The words are true
The song is you.
The opening line, “I hear music when I look at you,” sets the tone for Sonny Rollins’ smooth jazz standard “The Song Is You.” The song is a beautiful, poetic account of the feelings that love can inspire. The melody is a gorgeous, sweeping tune that is full of emotion.
In the first verse, Sonny Rollins describes how he hears a beautiful theme that evokes all the dreams he has ever had when he looks at his lover. The beautiful melody is so deep in his heart that it feels like it melts away after it plays. In the second verse, he explains how he hears the music when he touches his lover's hand. The melody is from some enchanted land and it makes him wonder if this day could be the day that he shares his feelings with her.
The final verse is poignant and bittersweet, describing how the melody is something that he alone has heard. It’s a lovely strain that he can’t let go of, and he wishes he could let his lover know the song that his heart would sing. The song is about the beautiful rhapsody of love and youth and spring and the music is sweet, and the words are true. The song is his lover, captured in a beautiful tune that evokes all his feelings.
Overall, “The Song Is You” is a beautiful and romantic portrayal of love, perfectly exemplifying Sonny Rollins' signature smooth jazz sound, while also being a perfect example of poetic songwriting.
Line by Line Meaning
I hear music when I look at you,
When I gaze upon you, I am entranced by the beautiful sounds of a melodic theme that encompasses every dream I've ever had.
A beautiful theme of every
Dream I ever knew.
This theme is so beautiful that it encapsulates all of my dreams, and it resonates within me in a powerful way.
Down deep in my heart I hear it play.
This melodic theme is so deeply ingrained within me that I can hear it playing in my heart at all times.
I feel it start, then melt away.
Despite its intensity, this theme eventually fades into the background of my thoughts, almost as if it were melting away.
I hear music when I touch your hand,
Not only do I hear this beautiful music when I look at you, but when I touch you, a beautiful melody from an enchanted land fills my senses.
A beautiful melody
From some enchanted land.
This enchanting melody seems to come from a mystical, faraway place and fills me with a sense of wonder each time I hear it.
Down deep in my heart, I hear it say,
Is this the day?
This melody deep within my heart sometimes prompts me to question whether or not today might be the day that the object of my affection returns my love.
I alone have heard this lovely strain,
This melody is something that I alone have heard, and it feels like a precious secret that I carry within me.
I alone have heard this glad refrain:
This beautiful refrain is something that only I have been lucky enough to hear, and it fills me with joy every time I think of it.
Must it be forever inside of me,
Despite how deeply this melody has affected me, it seems as though it might be destined to remain within me forever and never be shared with anyone else.
Why can't I let it go,
Even though sharing my feelings might be painful, I sometimes question why I can't just let go of this beautiful melody and move on.
Why can't I let you know,
Despite my fears, I find myself wondering why I can't just be honest with you and share this beautiful melody that I've been carrying around for so long.
Why can't I let you know the song
My heart would sing?
I feel like my heart is singing a beautiful song every time I think of you, and I desperately want to be able to share this song with you, but I'm afraid of being rejected or hurt.
That beautiful rhapsody
Of love and youth and spring,
This song that feels like a beautiful rhapsody is full of everything that I associate with love - the joy and innocence of youth, the energy of springtime, and the beauty of life itself.
The music is sweet,
The words are true
This song strikes a perfect balance between beautiful music and meaningful lyrics that speak to the depths of my heart.
The song is you.
Ultimately, this beautiful melody that has taken over my senses is all about you - it represents everything that is beautiful and wonderful about you, and I can't help but be completely captivated by it.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jerome Kern, Oscar II Hammerstein
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind