Willy DeVille (born William Paul Borsey Jr. in Stamford, Connecticut, on Au… Read Full Bio ↴Willy DeVille (born William Paul Borsey Jr. in Stamford, Connecticut, on August 25, 1950; died in New York City on August 6, 2009) was an American singer and songwriter of Basque, Pequot, and Irish descent. During his thirty-five year career, first with his band Mink DeVille (1974–1986) and later on his own, Deville created original songs rooted in various American musical styles. He worked with collaborators from across the spectrum of contemporary music, including Jack Nitzsche, Doc Pomus, Dr. John, Mark Knopfler, Allen Toussaint, and Eddie Bo. A wide range of styles, including latin rhythms, blues riffs, doo-wop, Cajun music, strains of French cabaret, and echoes of early-1960s uptown soul, can be heard in DeVille's work.

As a teenager, DeVille had a band named Billy and the Kids. He moved to London looking to form a band, but was unsuccessful in finding like-minded musicians. Eventually he landed in San Francisco where he formed a band with bassist Ruben Siguenza and drummer Tom "Manfred" Allen. The band played under the names Billy DeSade & the Marquis and the Lazy Eights before settling on the name Mink DeVille. Later, DeVille took the band to New York City, where they helped to pioneer punk rock music and were one of the original house bands at CBGB, the New York nighclub where punk rock music was born in the mid-1970s.

The typical DeVille song -- if any of his songs can be called "typical" -- is filled with romantic conviction and yearning. Latin rhythms, Blues riffs, and strains of country music can be heard in DeVille songs. Spanish Stroll was a hit in the U.S. and the UK in 1978; Storybook Love (nominated for an Academy Award in 1987) is the theme song of the movie The Princess Bride.

DeVille suffered from drug addiction for many years, which stifled his career. Among fellow musicians and songwriters, he was widely respected. Songwriter Doc Pomus said about Deville, "He knows the truth of a city street and the courage in a ghetto love song."

DeVille died of pancreatic cancer during the night of August 6, 2009 in a New York hospital.

DeVille had homes in New Orleans and Mississippi.

All by myself
Willy DeVille Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Little girl don't you want to stay?
I want to be your lover man
All by myself
All by myself

I don't need no one to love you
I'm gonna love you all by myself

You'll find, little girl, you know it too,
Don't you know I'm in love with you
All by myself
All by myself.

I don't want no one to love you
I want to love you all by myself

Meet me in the parlor 'bout half past one,
We'll go on down and have some fun
All by ourselves,
All by ourselves,

We don't need nobody with us
We gonna do it all by ourselves.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Willy DeVille Acoustic Trio's song "All by Myself" are about a man who wants to be with a girl all by himself. He doesn't want any interference or involvement from anyone else. He tells the girl that he loves her and he wants to be her lover man. He doesn't need any help to do that. He wants to love her all by himself. The man wants to meet the girl in the parlor and go down and have some fun. He doesn't want anybody with them. They'll do it all by themselves.

The song's lyrics suggest that the man is deeply in love and wants to be with the girl all by himself. He doesn't want anybody else in their relationship, and he is willing to go to any lengths to make that happen. The song has a nostalgic feel to it, with elements of rock, blues, and folk music. The verses are simple, with repeated lines that are easy to remember. The chorus has more energy and emotion, building up to a climax before starting over.

Line by Line Meaning

Little girl don't you want to stay?
Won't you spend time with me?

I want to be your lover man
I wish to have a romantic relationship with you.

All by myself
Without anyone else present.

All by myself
Exclusively me.

I don't need no one to love you
I don't require external assistance to love you.

I'm gonna love you all by myself
I plan to be your sole romantic interest.

You'll find, little girl, you know it too,
You'll realize it as well, young lady.

Don't you know I'm in love with you
I am romantically attached to you.

All by myself
Solo-style.

All by myself.
All alone without any external help.

I don't want no one to love you
I don't want anyone else loving you.

I want to love you all by myself
I desire to give you exclusive love.

Meet me in the parlor 'bout half past one,
Let's rendezvous in the specific room at approximately 1:30 PM.

We'll go on down and have some fun
Then we can enjoy ourselves together.

All by ourselves,
Just the two of us involved.

All by ourselves,
Without any additional participants.

We don't need nobody with us
We don't require any third party company.

We gonna do it all by ourselves.
We plan to accomplish everything without any external help.

Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group, Tratore, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Eric Carmen, Sergei Rachmaninoff

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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