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.
You Do Something To Me
Sonny Rollins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What a rare mood I'm in!
Why, it's almost like being in love
There's a smile on my face
For the whole human race
Why it's almost like being in love
Like a bell that is ringing for me
And from the way that I feel
When the bell starts to peal
I would swear I was falling
I could swear I was falling
It's almost like being in love
In this classic jazz tune, the singer expresses his overwhelming feelings of joy and excitement. The opening lines of "What a day this has been" and "What a rare mood I'm in" are indicative of a transformative experience that has lifted the singer's spirits. He then compares this experience to "almost like being in love," indicating that whatever he is feeling is as close as one can come to the euphoria felt in the early stages of romance. The singer says that there is a smile on his face for the whole human race, which suggests an overall sense of contentment and positivity. He goes on to describe how all the music of life seems to be like a bell ringing for him, and he feels like he's falling. Overall, the lyrics suggest that the singer is experiencing a heightened state of awareness and happiness, one that is so powerful it can almost be compared to falling in love.
The song "Almost Like Being in Love" was written by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe for the 1947 musical Brigadoon. In the musical, the song is sung by the characters Tommy and Jeff as they dance through the Scottish Highlands. The song has since become a jazz standard and has been recorded by many artists, including Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Diana Krall.
Line by Line Meaning
What a day this has been!
Today has been an exceptional day, full of overwhelming events.
What a rare mood I'm in!
I am experiencing a unique and uncommon emotion at the moment.
Why, it's almost like being in love
The way I am feeling is similar to that of being in love.
There's a smile on my face
My facial expression is exhibiting a smile which expresses happiness and a positive feeling.
For the whole human race
This positive feeling is extended not just to myself, but to all other people as well.
Why it's almost like being in love
This feeling is so powerful and intense that it can be likened to that of being in love.
All the music of life seems to be
I am appreciating and enjoying every aspect of existence as if it were a beautiful music-performence.
Like a bell that is ringing for me
I can hear a sound, reminiscent of a bell chime, which seems to be announcing and signaling to me.
And from the way that I feel
Judging from the emotions I am experiencing at this moment,
When the bell starts to peal
Whenever that sound is heard and becomes louder,
I would swear I was falling
I would testify or say with certainty that I am starting to lose control or balance.
I could swear I was falling
I am so certain of falling that I can testify about it.
It's almost like being in love
All these overwhelming feelings I am experiencing at this moment, including the fear of falling, can be equated to the emotions related to being in love.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind