… 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
I'm Shadowing You
Blossom Dearie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I′m shadowing you.
Turn around and find I'm half a step behind
I′m shadowing you.
You lug, you, I wouldn't bug you
Except whenever I can.
You see love, you are to me love,
The indispensable man.
I′m shadowing you.
There′ll be no escape, I'm getting out the tape and video too.
In Venice I′ll be a menace, in your Italian motel.
In Paris I shall embarrass you on the Rue de Chappelle.
If you do decide you want me for a bride
The deed will be done.
Both of us will be so independent we will live on the run.
Picketed for every cause.
Fighting all unjust laws.
Happy as can be, just you, J. Edgar Hoover and me.
Everywhere you go I think you ought to know
I'm shadowing you.
Turn around and find I′m half a step behind
I'm shadowing you.
You lug, you, I wouldn′t bug you, except whenever I can.
You see love, you are to me, love,
The indispensable man.
Like I said before I'm camping at your door
I'm shadowing you.
There′ll be no escape I′m getting out of tape and video too.
In Venice I'll be a menace, in your Italian motel.
In Paris I shall embarrass you on the Rue de Chappelle.
If you do decide you want me for a bride
The deed will be done.
Both of us will be so independent we will live on the run.
Picketed for every cause.
Fighting all unjust laws.
Happy as can be, just you, the secret service and me.
I′m shadowing you.
I'm shadowing you.
I′m shadowing you.
In the song "I'm Shadowing You" by Blossom Dearie, the singer is expressing her intense devotion to a person who she sees as the "indispensable man." She follows him wherever he goes, half a step behind him, and declares that she's even got tape and video ready to document his every move. She talks of camping at his door and being a menace in Venice or Paris, all while vowing to fight unjust laws and picket for every cause alongside him. She even suggests that they could be so independent together that they'll have to live on the run. The lyrics suggest a deep infatuation with this person, to the point where she's willing to give up her own identity and become a part of his life, even if it means stalking him.
The song is both humorous and slightly unsettling in its depiction of an obsessive love. The playful melody and witty lyrics make it easy to overlook the potential severity of the situation – after all, who hasn't had a crush at some point and felt like they were following their object of affection around? But the repeated refrain of "I'm shadowing you," combined with the singer's insistence on being so involved in her love interest's life, hints at a darker tone beneath the surface.
Overall, "I'm Shadowing You" is a witty and catchy tune that showcases Blossom Dearie's talents both as a singer and a lyricist. It's a fun song to listen to, but its subtext reveals a more complex take on the nature of love and obsession.
Line by Line Meaning
Everywhere you go I think you ought to know
I′m shadowing you.
I'm following you wherever you go and I want you to be aware of it.
Turn around and find I'm half a step behind
I′m shadowing you.
If you turn around, you'll see that I'm closely tailing you.
You lug, you, I wouldn't bug you
Except whenever I can.
You see love, you are to me love,
The indispensable man.
I won't bother you unnecessarily, but I can't help being obsessed with you. You are everything to me - my love and the most important person in my life.
Like I said before, I'm camping at your door.
I′m shadowing you.
As I've mentioned earlier, I'm staying close to your residence and watching your every move.
There'll be no escape, I'm getting out the tape and video too.
In Venice I'll be a menace, in your Italian motel.
In Paris I shall embarrass you on the Rue de Chappelle.
You can't get away from me as I even have recording devices to follow you. I'll be a problem for you in Venice and Paris by causing trouble and embarrassing you in public.
If you do decide you want me for a bride
The deed will be done.
Both of us will be so independent we will live on the run.
If you ever agree to marry me, we'll be on the move all the time, but still be independent and happy together.
Picketed for every cause.
Fighting all unjust laws.
Happy as can be, just you, J. Edgar Hoover and me.
We'll be fighting for every cause, protesting against all the unfair laws and being very happy with just the three of us - you, me and J. Edgar Hoover, the former director of the FBI.
I'm shadowing you.
I'm still following you.
Writer(s): Johnny Mercer, Blossom Dearie
Contributed by Natalie M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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?