… Read Full Bio ↴Blossom Dearie (1924-2009) was an American jazz singer and pianist.
Born on 28th April 1924 in East Durham, New York, of mixed Scottish and Norwegian ancestry, Dearie began her career in vocal groups in New York. In the early 1950s she moved to Paris, forming her own vocal group, The Blue Stars, later to become the Swingle Singers.
After signing to Verve, Dearie returned to the U.S. where, despite developing a successful career and achieving international fame, by 1974 the lack of interest from major labels led her to start her own label, Daffodil Records. She continued performing into her eighties.
Blossom Dearie died on 7th February 2009, at her apartment in Greenwich Village, New York City
Charade
Blossom Dearie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We were like children posing
Playing at games, acting out names
Guessing the parts we played
Oh what a hit we made
We came on next to closing
Best on the bill, lovers until
Fate seemed to pull the strings
I turned and you were gone
While from the darkened wings
That music box played on
Sad little serenade
Song of my heart's composing
I hear it still, I always will
Best on the bill
Charade
In Blossom Dearie's song Charade, the lyrics describe a game of charades between two people who act out different characters and try to guess who the other person is portraying. The playful and lighthearted tone of the lyrics is reflected in the song's upbeat jazz melody. The song takes an introspective turn in the second verse when the reference to fate suggests that the charade game symbolizes the masks people wear in their lives. The couple in the song is revealed to be in love, but when one of them takes off their mask, the other is gone. The lyrics are melancholic as the singer reflects on their lost love, and the music box that plays in the background adds to the song's nostalgic and wistful tone.
Line by Line Meaning
When we played our charade
When we pretended our love was real
We were like children posing
We were innocent and carefree like kids playing make-believe
Playing at games, acting out names
We were presenting different personas, acting out roles
Guessing the parts we played
We were trying to figure out who we were pretending to be
Oh what a hit we made
We were so convincing in our performance that we impressed everybody
We came on next to closing
Our love affair was coming to an end
Best on the bill, lovers until
We were the highlight of the show, presenting ourselves as lovers until our performance ended
Love left the masquerade
Our love affair ended when we stopped pretending and faced reality
Fate seemed to pull the strings
It felt like our lives were controlled by an unseen force
I turned and you were gone
You disappeared when I least expected it
While from the darkened wings
From a hidden place, a mystery entity was watching
That music box played on
The music of love and heartbreak continued
Sad little serenade
A melancholic song that reminds me of our charade
Song of my heart's composing
A tune that perfectly captures the emotions I'm feeling
I hear it still, I always will
I can still hear the echoes of our love and the pain of our separation
Best on the bill
Our charade was the most impressive act of the show
Charade
The play-acting game of our love affair
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WILLIAM STUART ADAMSON, RICHARD JOBSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Heather Collins
on Comment Allez Vous
(Parlez-vous Français?)
Mais oui, allons-y
(Parlez-vous chère madame?)
Comment allez vous? Fancy bumping into you
Comment allez vous? Tell me everything that's new
Are you happy are you sad?
Feeling good or feeling bad?
(and is there anything you're craving?)
(do you feel like misbehaving?)
Comment allez vous? Gee, it's nice to see you here
Comment allez vous? You look better every year
I was really on my way, but I had to stop and say:
Comment allez vous?
(Comment allez vous petit chou?)
Say it, it has 'savoir faire'
(Comment allez vous mon minou?)
Has a continental air
(once she heard it in the land, from a chinese laundry man)
Cloaks and suitors, by the oodles, say it to their cute french poodles
Comment allez vous?
Spaniards say it, so do Greeks
Comment allez vous?
In the desert, so do Sheiks
(show they know a thing or two)
(it's so easy, why can't you say?)
Comment?
Comment?
Comment allez vous?