Shaw grew up in Newark, New Jersey, and began his study of music at the age of 11. Early in his career he was influenced by Clifford Brown, Fats Navarro, Booker Little, Dizzy Gillespie (whom Woody Jr's father had gone to high school with), Freddie Hubbard, amongst others, yet the influence of saxophonist Eric Dolphy, with whom he played and recorded in the 1960s, and John Coltrane, were equally as important to the development of his style and concept as a trumpeter and composer. He worked during the 1960s with such greats as Horace Silver, Max Roach, and Art Blakey . During this period he also recorded for Blue Note Records as a sideman with Andrew Hill, Jackie McLean, Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner, and others. Beginning in the mid-1970s he worked primarily as a leader.
In 1978 Shaw was signed to Columbia Records and recorded the albums Rosewood, Stepping Stones, Woody III, For Sure, and United. Rosewood was nominated for 2 Grammies and was voted Best Jazz Album of 1978 in the Down Beat Reader's Poll, which also voted Woody Shaw Best Jazz Trumpeter of the Year and #4 Jazz Musician of the Year.
Imagination
Woody Shaw Lyrics
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Can you tell me what you see
There's a thousand voices whispering
Songs and you're the melody
So I imagine my heart with you
See what imagination can do
It's not hard to conceive
Many, many days our shadows passed
Seeing visions of a new bright horizon
Set the morning light
And that morning light is you
So I imagine my heart with you
See what imagination can do
It's not hard to conceive
love ecstasy imagining you, imagining me
The beauty we both can see
You're the dream I prayed would come along
To make my fantasy
Day and night you live inside my heart
You're the flame of love to me
The lyrics of Woody Shaw's song "Imagination" is an ode to the power of imagination and its ability to conjure up love and ecstasy. The song takes the listener on a journey of self-discovery as the singer invites a magic mirror to search his heart and reveal what it sees. The mirror is able to uncover a thousand voices whispering songs, with the singer's voice being the melody. This serves as a metaphor for how different emotions and thoughts reside in the human heart, and how it is up to the person to choose which ones to give precedence to.
The lyrics then shift to the singer's mental image of a bright horizon, where he sees himself and his love interest walking hand in hand. He marvels at the power of imagination, exclaiming how it is not hard to conceive love and ecstasy when thinking of them together. This verse reinforces the idea that imagination can be a tremendous force to shape one's reality. Finally, the singer acknowledges the pivotal role his love interest plays in his life, confessing how they are the dream he had hoped for and how they live inside his heart day and night.
Overall, "Imagination" is a beautiful and poetic representation of how the human imagination can fuel our perception of love and the world around us. The lyrics are layered with metaphors, and the narrative is rich with imagery that evokes a sense of longing and wonder.
Line by Line Meaning
Magic mirror come and search my heart
Asking for introspection and reflection in order to understand oneself
Can you tell me what you see
To understand one's true emotions and inner feelings
There's a thousand voices whispering
Mixed emotions and thoughts in one's mind
Songs and you're the melody
One single thought or person standing out amidst the many
So I imagine my heart with you
Visualizing oneself with their love interest
See what imagination can do
The power of the mind to create and shape dreams and desires
It's not hard to conceive
It's easy to think and dream about love
Love ecstasy imagining you with me
The intense emotion of love when thinking about being in a relationship with someone
Many, many days our shadows passed
Time spent dreaming and thinking about someone
Seeing visions of a new bright horizon
Positive and hopeful thoughts of the future
Set the morning light
A new beginning or starting over
And that morning light is you
That new beginning or fresh start is with their love interest
The beauty we both can see
The shared beauty of the love and relationship between the two people
You're the dream I prayed would come along
Describing the love interest as a dream come true
To make my fantasy
To fulfill the dream and desire of being in a happy and fulfilling relationship
Day and night you live inside my heart
The constant presence of the love interest in one's thoughts and emotions
You're the flame of love to me
The intense and passionate love felt towards the love interest
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANKA WOLBERT, RONNIE MOERINGS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@anthonyhollis476
One of the Lions!
@recklessmoody7503
so what?
@MyFlare123
No, it's "Imagination," a standard written in 1940 that has been covered by dozens of people including Sinatra.