Music: It Don't Mean a Thing

It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing
It don't mean a thing all you got to do is sing
It makes no difference
If it's sweet or hot
Just give that rhythm
Everything you've got

Duke Ellington was one of the most influential and principal jazz musicians of all time. With the inventive uses of his orchestral unit, Ellington and his "big band" revolutionized jazz and helped to define the music of the Harlem Renaissance. 

In 1931, Duke Ellington wrote, composed and arranged one of his most famous hits, It don't mean a thing (If it ain't got that swing). Its simple lyrics and catchy tune introduced the term "swing" into everyday language that eventually lead to the swing era of music. 

It is a simple song about the music that defined a generation. Ellington himself described his song as, “the expression of a sentiment which prevailed among jazz musicians at the time.” The straightforward and concise lyrics express the core of jazz music and what it was that made this type of music so special. Although no specific lyric points to the themes of the Harlem Renaissance, its underlying motif is one of pride. The song itself is a celebration of the music created and inspired by the black people of Harlem. Jazz was the “Negro Music” that excited the nation, or as Ellington liked to call it, “American Music.”

The song's iconic tune is still prevalent today with its appealing rhythm and melody that simply make you want to get up and dance.

http://www.dukeellington.com/ellingtonbio.html