Lush Life (1965) Copyright disclaimer: images, logos, and music are property of their legitimate owners, and the undersigned does not intend any rights over them.
Billy Strayhorn was ahead of his time, a virtuoso, and a savant. As a composer and arranger, the fact that he wrote this at 16 or 17 just boggles the mind of an ordinary person. He also had the courage to be openly gay as a black man at a time when that was unheard of. He is definitely on my list of remarkable human beings and his collaborations with Duke Ellington led to some of the most well loved songs in the American Songbook. In fact, Duke Ellington may not have reached the heights of success that he did if it were not for his collaborations with Billy Strayhorn.
Ellington's talent and success was established well before his collaborations with Strayhorn. What I would say, however, is that their collaborations are a demonstrable instance of the following ... 1+1 > 2
Melodically this is one tune that most singers won't even attempt. The chord changes are difficult, but Ella, as usual, just hears everything and sings it perfectly.
@@mollywolly4201 I can’t imagine a 17 year old writing something like this without having gone through hell. At the very least it caused him to give birth to something beautiful, and that’s an understatement.
You hit the nail on the head. I would SO love to hear her version of Guess Who I Saw Today; I’d think it must have been in her repertoire but I can’t find it. Of course Nancy Wilson’s rendition is flawless; then I made the mistake of listening to Eydie Gorme’s take. Wow. Ripe, lush string section (so wrong IMO)…and she substituted the word COFFEE for MARTINI. Extremely odd. Different strokes!
Singing is like breathing to artists like this. They just effortlessly flow from the top and to the bottom of their range and vice versa. Johnny Mathis, Karen Carpenter, Roy Orbison…….
The best rendition I have listened to, and I have heard numerous recordings to date (yr 2021) of Lush Life by other greats!. Kudos to the phenomenal Ella and her collaboration with the Duke... Effortless! 🎶🎵
I will say Johnny Hartman's version from his album with John Coltrane is the best I've heard. Ella does a wonderful job and in my opinion the best general Ellington interpreter, but this particular song was written to be sung by a man. It's sung from a man's perspective. No one did it better than Johnny.
@@direfranchement I actually like it the most when Billy Strayhorn himself sings it. Hartman's is kind of too perfect, Billy is not close to being a singer Hartman is, but you could tell that he wrote it, he is feeling it, there is some raw emotion and depression and melancholy in that version.
used to visit all the very gay places Those come-what-may places Where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life To get the feel of life from jazz and cocktails The girls I knew had sad and sullen gray faces With distinguish traces that used to be there You could see where they'd been washed away By too many through the day, twelve O'clock tales Then you came along with your siren song To tempt me to madness I thought for awhile that your poignant smile Was tinged with the sadness of a great love for me Ah, yes, I was wrong, again, I was wrong Life is lonely again and only last year Everything seemed so sure Now life is awful again a trough full of hearts Could only be a bore A week in Paris could ease the bite of it All I care is to smile in spite of it I'll forget you, I will while yet you are still Burning inside my brain Romance is mush stifling those who strive I'll live a lush life in some small dive And there I'll be while I rot with the rest Of those whose lives are lonely too Romance is mush stifling those who strive I'll live a lush life in some small dive And there I'll be while I rot with the rest Of those whose lives are lonely too
I used to visit all the very gay places Those come what may places Where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life To get the feel of life From jazz and cocktails. The girls I knew had sad and sullen gray faces With distingué traces That used to be there you could see where they'd been washed away By too many through the day Twelve o'clock tales. Then you came along with your siren song To tempt me to madness! I thought for a while that your poignant smile was tinged with the sadness Of a great love for me. Ah yes! I was wrong Again, I was wrong. Life is lonely again, And only last year everything seemed so sure. Now life is awful again, A trough full of hearts could only be a bore. A week in Paris will ease the bite of it, All I care is to smile in spite of it. I'll forget you, I will While yet you are still burning inside my brain. Romance is mush, Stifling those who strive. I'll live a lush life in some small dive And there I'll be, while I rot With the rest of those whose lives are lonely, too
Frank Sinatra attempted this song for his “Only the Lonely” album in 1958: [ ruclips.net/video/Vj7S7DER3Bg/видео.htmlsi=UDPUYzyV3E0NhpX8 ] Nelson Riddle provided a lush orchestral accompaniment for him. Unfortunately, during the recording session, Frank found the vocal dynamics were very difficult, frustrating and abandoned the project. After listening to this outtake, I think that he should have stuck with it until he got it.
@@margeshilling7983 Glad you liked it. I enjoyed the Queen Latifah, too. Thanks for posting that. Ella + Duke and Strayhorn's own version may have phrasing more as Lush Life was written but I like the more laid back Latifah and Hartman ones. [Edit - Latifah-Gaga flub, sheesh]
Really hard to sing. Ella's version loses the melancholy of the song. It's more of a spoken word piece. The singer has to be careful not to over sing it.
Billy Strayhorn was ahead of his time, a virtuoso, and a savant. As a composer and arranger, the fact that he wrote this at 16 or 17 just boggles the mind of an ordinary person. He also had the courage to be openly gay as a black man at a time when that was unheard of. He is definitely on my list of remarkable human beings and his collaborations with Duke Ellington led to some of the most well loved songs in the American Songbook. In fact, Duke Ellington may not have reached the heights of success that he did if it were not for his collaborations with Billy Strayhorn.
Ellington's talent and success was established well before his collaborations with Strayhorn. What I would say, however, is that their collaborations are a demonstrable instance of the following ... 1+1 > 2
Yep!
My uncle was in Westinghouse High School when he wrote this.
Melodically this is one tune that most singers won't even attempt. The chord changes are difficult, but Ella, as usual, just hears everything and sings it perfectly.
1,000,000% agree!!!
Other planetary
it's far from perfect. she makes tons and tons of mistakes. it is in fact a terrible performance as all her other performances are.
very funny, Lazarus.@@Lazarus1001
Two words... Johnny Hartman !
Could you believe that Billy Staryhorn wrote Lush Life when he was seventeen years old .
Such great lyrics full with a sense of realism and pain !
Absolutely gives me chills! (thought it was 16 years old ....? I may be off a year)
At 16, I didn't even know what I wanted to eat for lunch. Simply amazing...
Incredible! What a great thing to know.
I knew he wrote it but had no idea he wrote it at 17. Astounding. How he could even imagine these things at that age. 👏👏❤️❤️. Thank you.
@@mollywolly4201 I can’t imagine a 17 year old writing something like this without having gone through hell. At the very least it caused him to give birth to something beautiful, and that’s an understatement.
Ella's storytelling ability. Breathtaking.
You hit the nail on the head. I would SO love to hear her version of Guess Who I Saw Today; I’d think it must have been in her repertoire but I can’t find it. Of course Nancy Wilson’s rendition is flawless; then I made the mistake of listening to Eydie Gorme’s take. Wow. Ripe, lush string section (so wrong IMO)…and she substituted the word COFFEE for MARTINI. Extremely odd. Different strokes!
This woman was incredible.
Exquisite flawless singing, phrasing, breath control by the great Ella!
One of the greatest songs ever written, played by one of the greatest singers and one of the greatest composers.
So many versions, but Ella connected the dots and made it sound like the most natural and honest thing in the world.
Yep!!
Singing is like breathing to artists like this. They just effortlessly flow from the top and to the bottom of their range and vice versa. Johnny Mathis, Karen Carpenter, Roy Orbison…….
wonderful Singer, increidible pianist Ellington is just full of Wows
Two icons that you can’t duplicate. 🎼
No one interpreted Duke Ellington better than Ella. Two Taurean geniuses. Get Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook if you don't have it.
true, but do be aware this is a Strayhorn tune
Ella and the Duke were Taureans, Billy Strayhorn was a Sagittarian.
Thanks for the recommendation
Imagine singing with Duke Ellington!!! Wow!
Imagine playing with Ella
Imagine listening to Ella and Duke making music together.
Imagine being there!
@@marcellomentasimonsennico5670 I would have so loved to be there, a dream!
Classic song. Thank you, Billy.
Jesus! What perfection. 🙏🏻
Lush Life, written by Billy Strayhorn
The best rendition I have listened to, and I have heard numerous recordings to date (yr 2021) of Lush Life by other greats!. Kudos to the phenomenal Ella and her collaboration with the Duke... Effortless! 🎶🎵
I will say Johnny Hartman's version from his album with John Coltrane is the best I've heard. Ella does a wonderful job and in my opinion the best general Ellington interpreter, but this particular song was written to be sung by a man. It's sung from a man's perspective. No one did it better than Johnny.
@@direfranchement I actually like it the most when Billy Strayhorn himself sings it. Hartman's is kind of too perfect, Billy is not close to being a singer Hartman is, but you could tell that he wrote it, he is feeling it, there is some raw emotion and depression and melancholy in that version.
How do you like Kurt Elling's rendition?
.....she is MAGIC...to sound like a SCHOOLGIRL....and a WEARY SOPHISTICATE....SIMULTANEOUSLY....
Utterly captivated.
Frank Sinatra tried recording this song at least 3 times during his career, but finally gave up.
another time, another place, another planet....
Thanks Billy Strayhorn for this tune!
No words. Thank you.
Beautiful Song truly 💕🎷
Pure genius!
0:30 I melt every time
Awesome!
used to visit all the very gay places
Those come-what-may places
Where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life
To get the feel of life from jazz and cocktails
The girls I knew had sad and sullen gray faces
With distinguish traces that used to be there
You could see where they'd been washed away
By too many through the day, twelve O'clock tales
Then you came along with your siren song
To tempt me to madness
I thought for awhile that your poignant smile
Was tinged with the sadness of a great love for me
Ah, yes, I was wrong, again, I was wrong
Life is lonely again and only last year
Everything seemed so sure
Now life is awful again a trough full of hearts
Could only be a bore
A week in Paris could ease the bite of it
All I care is to smile in spite of it
I'll forget you, I will while yet you are still
Burning inside my brain
Romance is mush stifling those who strive
I'll live a lush life in some small dive
And there I'll be while I rot with the rest
Of those whose lives are lonely too
Romance is mush stifling those who strive
I'll live a lush life in some small dive
And there I'll be while I rot with the rest
Of those whose lives are lonely too
"...with distingué traces". ........ to rhyme with "sullen gray faces."
@@marquamfurniture you are right. I have listened and loved many versions of this song and this phrase is frequently misinterpreted.
@@sarahalbers5555 Thanks, Sarah.
Amazing as expected... Johnny Hartman does a great version with Coltrane as well
Piano player did a good job! 👏👏👏
Breathless... some oxygen please...
President Obama brought me here.❤️
That’s it !
Just because she's one of the my favorite ever, does not mean that I like this version.
A matter of tate, this is not her finest.
I used to visit all the very gay places
Those come what may places
Where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life
To get the feel of life
From jazz and cocktails.
The girls I knew had sad and sullen gray faces
With distingué traces
That used to be there you could see where they'd been washed away
By too many through the day
Twelve o'clock tales.
Then you came along with your siren song
To tempt me to madness!
I thought for a while that your poignant smile was tinged with the sadness
Of a great love for me.
Ah yes! I was wrong
Again,
I was wrong.
Life is lonely again,
And only last year everything seemed so sure.
Now life is awful again,
A trough full of hearts could only be a bore.
A week in Paris will ease the bite of it,
All I care is to smile in spite of it.
I'll forget you, I will
While yet you are still burning inside my brain.
Romance is mush,
Stifling those who strive.
I'll live a lush life in some small dive
And there I'll be, while I rot
With the rest of those whose lives are lonely, too
Obama brought me here ❤️❤️
Is Ellington really playing here? His hand movements don‘t match the piano track at all. See 0:37
Frank Sinatra attempted this song for his “Only the Lonely” album in 1958: [ ruclips.net/video/Vj7S7DER3Bg/видео.htmlsi=UDPUYzyV3E0NhpX8 ] Nelson Riddle provided a lush orchestral accompaniment for him. Unfortunately, during the recording session, Frank found the vocal dynamics were very difficult, frustrating and abandoned the project.
After listening to this outtake, I think that he should have stuck with it until he got it.
I dunno how Barry brang people here, but Rickie Lee brang me
Its in color you know....
I know thanks
A king and queen! Thanks Obama :)
What the hell does politics have to do with this masterpiece? Your statement makes no sense!
@@bszmik Every year, around this time, Barack Obama publishes his summer playlist on instagram
I love Ella but I like Queen Latifah's version better.
Me too.
The Johnny Hartman + John Coltrane version is another one that works for me.
@@BobGeogeo I just listened to this. Just beautiful.
@@margeshilling7983 Glad you liked it. I enjoyed the Queen Latifah, too. Thanks for posting that. Ella + Duke and Strayhorn's own version may have phrasing more as Lush Life was written but I like the more laid back Latifah and Hartman ones.
[Edit - Latifah-Gaga flub, sheesh]
Really hard to sing. Ella's version loses the melancholy of the song. It's more of a spoken word piece. The singer has to be careful not to over sing it.