You Don’t Know What Love Is
| PROFILE | |
| Composer | Gene de Paul |
| Lyricist | Don Raye |
| Year Written | 1941 |
| About You Don’t Know What Love Is | |
| This song was written for a 1941 Abbott and Costello film called Keep ‘Em Flying, but was cut from the film before it opened. The song was finally used in a B picture named Behind the Eight Ball. “You Don’t Know What Love Is” gradually became a jazz standard, as evidenced by the Miles Davis recording from 1954. Other significant jazz recordings included those by Chet Baker, John Coltrane, Anita O’Day, Sonny Rollins, Nina Simone and Cassandra Wilson. | |
Lyrics
You don’t know what love is
Until you’ve learned the meaning of the blues
Until you’ve loved a love you’ve had to lose
You don’t know what love is
You don’t know how lips hurt
Until you’ve kissed and had to pay the cost
Until you’ve flipped your heart and you have lost
You don’t know what love is
Do you know how lost heart feels
At the thought of reminiscing?
And how lips that taste of tears
Lose their taste for kissing
You don’t know how hearts burn
For love that cannot live yet never dies
Until you’ve faced each dawn with sleepless eyes
You don’t know what love is
You don’t know how hearts burn
For love that cannot live yet never dies
Until you’ve faced each dawn with sleepless eyes
You don’t know what love is
Session / Album Information
1976-1
“You Don’t Know What Love Is” was recorded in September, 1976 and was released the following year on Together Again.
This recording released on:
- 1977: Improv LP 12″: 7117 — Together Again
- Disky CD: BX 883552 — As Time Goes By
- 1991: DRG CD: CDMRS901 — Together Again
- 1996: Victor CD: VICJ-5177 — Together Again
- 1999: Rhino CD: R2 75837 — Together Again
- 2000: Horatio Nelson CD: HNRCD9001 — The Essential Tony Bennett (UK)
- 2002: Recall CD: RECA 353 — Have You Met Miss Jones? [UK]
- 2003: Concord CD: CCD-2198 — Together Again
- 2004: Concord CD: CCD4-2255 — The Complete Improv Recordings
- 2009: Concord CD: FAN-31281 — The Complete Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Recordings
- 2011: Disc #53 in The Tony Bennett Complete Collection (88697874602-JK52) Together Again
1976-2
“You Don’t Know What Love Is” (alternate, take 18) was recorded in September, 1976 but was not released until the 1999 Rhino release of Together Again.
This recording released on:
- 1999: Rhino CD: R2 75837 — Together Again
- 2003: Concord CD: CCD-2198 — Together Again
- 2004: Concord CD: CCD4-2255 — The Complete Improv Recordings
- 2009: Concord CD: FAN-31281 — The Complete Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Recordings
- 2011: Disc #53 in The Tony Bennett Complete Collection (88697874602-JK52) Together Again
1976-3
“You Don’t Know What Love Is” (alternate, take 16) was recorded in September, 1976 but was not released until the 2003 Concord release of Together Again.
This recording released on:
- 2003: Concord CD: CCD-2198 — Together Again
- 2004: Concord CD: CCD4-2255 — The Complete Improv Recordings
- 2009: Concord CD: FAN-31281 — The Complete Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Recordings