Chick Webb was born in Baltimore, Maryland to William H. and Marie Johnson Webb. Since childhood, he suffered from tuberculosis of the spine, leaving him with short stature and a badly deformed spine. He supported himself as a newspaper boy to save enough money to buy drums, and first played professionally at age 11.
At the age of 17 he moved to New York City and by the following year, 1926, he was leading his own band in Harlem. Jazz drummer Tommy Benford said he gave Webb drum lessons when he first reached New York.
He alternated between band tours and residencies at New York City clubs through the late 1920s. In 1931, his band became the house band at the Savoy Ballroom. He became one of the best-regarded bandleaders and drummers of the new "Swing" style. Drumming legend Buddy Rich cited Webb's powerful technique and virtuoso performances as heavily influential on his own drumming, and even referred to Webb as "the daddy of them all". The Savoy often featured "Battle of the Bands" where Webb's band would compete with other top bands (such as the Benny Goodman Orchestra or the Count Basie Orchestra) from opposing bandstands.
Webb married Martha Loretta Ferguson (also known as "Sallye"), and in 1935 he began featuring a teenaged Ella Fitzgerald as vocalist. Despite rumors otherwise, "Ella was not adopted by Webb, nor did she live with him and his wife, Sallye," according to Stuart Nicholson in Ella Fitzgerald; A Biography of the First Lady of Jazz (page 36). Charles Linton, who was with the Chick Webb band, told Nicholson, "He didn't adopt her. Later he said to me, 'I'll say that I adopted her, for the press people.'"
In November of 1938, Webb's health began to decline, and from then until his death he alternated time on the bandstand with time in hospitals. He died the following year in Baltimore. After his death, Ella Fitzgerald led the Chick Webb band until she left to focus on her solo career in 1942.
I Can't Dance
Chick Webb and His Orchestra Lyrics
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Though by tomorrow you're gone;
The song is ended, but as the songwriter wrote,
The melody lingers on.
They may take you from me, I'll miss your fond caress.
But though they take you from me, I'll still possess.
The way you wear your hat
The memory of all that
No, no, they can't take that away from me
The way your smile just beams
The way you sing off key
The way you haunt my dreams
No, no, they can't take that away from me
We may never, never meet again
On the bumpy road to love
Still, I'll always, always keep the memory of
The way you hold your knife
The way we danced till three
The way you changed my life
No, no, they can't take that away from me
No, they can't take that away from me
We may never, never meet again
On the bumpy road to love
Still, I'll always, always keep the memory of
The way you hold your knife
The way we danced till three
The way you changed my life
No, no, they can't take that away from me
No, they can't take that away
Can't take that away
Can't take that away from me
The lyrics of Chick Webb and His Orchestra’s song, I Can't Dance, are about a man who refuses to dance with a woman, despite her being charming and lovely. The song is a lover's quarrel in which the man is attracted to and admires the woman's beauty but is too self-conscious to dance with her. The woman is persistent and urges him to dance, but he stands his ground.
The man's reluctance to dance may symbolize his fear of vulnerability and rejection. Dancing is an intimate act that requires trust and cooperation, and the man may feel that he is not ready for that level of emotional openness with the woman. Despite his reservations, the man recognizes the power of music as a conduit to romance and expresses that he would happily hold the woman in his arms.
The song's playful lyrics and lively jazz instrumentals convey the carefree spirit of the 1930s, a time when jazz music and dance were popular forms of entertainment. The song was a hit when it was first released in 1934 and has since become a timeless classic.
Line by Line Meaning
I won't dance, don't ask me
I refuse to dance, please don't ask me to.
I won't dance madame with you
I won't dance with you, madame.
My heart won't
My heart will not allow me to.
Let me feet do things that they should do
I can't let my feet move the way they want to while dancing.
You know what, you're lovely you know what, you're so lovely
You are a beautiful person, truly lovely in every way.
And you know what you do to me
Your presence has a profound effect on me.
I'm like an ocean wave that's bumped on the shore
I feel like a wave crashing on the shore, helpless and exhausted.
I feel so absolutely stumped on the floor
I am completely bewildered and unable to move on the dance floor.
When you dance, you're charming and you're gentle
Your dancing is delightful and graceful.
Especially when you do the Continental
I especially enjoy your Continental-style dancing.
But this feeling isn't purely mental
My feelings for you are not just in my mind.
For heaven rest us, I'm not asbestos
I am not immune to your charms and emotions.
And that's why I won't dance, why should I?
This is why I cannot dance with you, why should I try and fail?
I won't dance, how could I?
It is impossible for me to dance in this situation.
Merci beau coup
Thank you very much.
I know That music lead the way to romance
I understand that music often creates a romantic atmosphere.
So if I hold you in arms I won't dance
If I hold you in my arms, I still won't dance because of my feelings.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, O/B/O DistroKid, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ira Gershwin, George Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind