Dinah Washington - Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be) Roulette Records 1962

4,677 views · Published 29 November 2018 · 3:11 · Indexed 26 October 2026

Channel: RoundMidnightTV · 2018 · Music

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"Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)" (often called simply "Lover Man") is a 1941 popular song written by Jimmy Davis, Roger ("Ram") Ramirez, and James Sherman. It is particularly associated with Billie Holiday, for whom it was written, and her version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1989. Charlie Parker did a rendition of "Lover Man", considered by many to be one of his most passionate recordings, during which he was horribly intoxicated. Parker himself considered it one of his most shameful moments.

Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed and recorded in a wide variety of styles including blues, R&B, and traditional pop music, and gave herself the title of "Queen of the Blues". She was a 1986 inductee of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

Dinah's accompanied by Don Costa and his Orchestra.  Recorded in New York, May-August 1962.

I don't know why, but I'm feeling so sad
I long to try something I never had
Never had no kissin'
Oh, what I've been missin'
Lover man, oh, where can you be?

The night is cold and I'm so all alone
I'd give my soul just to call you my own
Got a moon above me
But no one to love me
Lover man, oh, where can you be?

I've heard it said
That the thrill of romance
Can be like a heavenly dream
I go to bed with a prayer
That you'll make love to me

Strange as it seems
Someday we'll meet
And you'll dry all my tears
Then whisper sweet
Little things in my ears

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