… 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
Lush Life
Blossom Dearie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Those come-what-may places
Where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life
To get the feel of life
From jazz and cocktails
The girls I knew had sad and sullen gray faces
With distingue traces
You could see where they'd been washed away
By too many through the day
Twelve o'clock tales
Then you came along with your siren song
To tempt me to madness
I thought for awhile that your poignant smile
Was tinged with the sadness
Of a great love for me
Ah yes, I was wrong
Again, I was wrong
Life is lonely again
And only last year
Everything seemed so sure
Now life is awful again
A trough full of hearts could only be a bore
A week in Paris could ease the bite of it
All I care is to smile in spite of it
I'll forget you, I will
While yet you are still
Burning inside my brain
Romance is mush
Stifling those who strive
So I'll live a lush life in some small dive
And there I'll be, while I rot with the rest
Of those whose lives are lonely too
In Blossom Dearie's song Lush Life, the singer describes her past experiences of visiting gay places to feel the life and jazz with cocktails, where the girls she knew had sad and sullen gray faces with distinguished traces of their past that have been washed away. Then, the singer shares how a person came along with a siren song that tempted her to madness, thinking that her smile was tinged with sadness of great love for her, but she was wrong. The singer accepts that life is lonely again, and everything she felt to be sure last year is now awful. However, in the midst of this despair, the singer expresses her desire to smile in spite of it all and forget about the person who burned inside her brain. The singer rejects romance as it is stifling, and she chooses to live a lush life in some small dive and rot with the rest of those whose lives are lonely too.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to visit all the very gay places
I used to go to vibrant places where people embraced life and all its ups and downs.
Those come-what-may places
Places where people threw caution to the wind, living in the moment without planning for the future.
Where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life
Where people take a break from routine and get a taste of life's many possibilities.
To get the feel of life
To experience different emotions and experiences to fully understand the richness of life.
From jazz and cocktails
From the rhythms of jazz music and the enjoyment of cocktails.
The girls I knew had sad and sullen gray faces
The women I knew were unhappy and had lost their spark.
With distingue traces
Their once elegant features had been replaced with hardened lines due to their life experiences.
That used to be there
The beauty that was once present in their faces had faded away.
You could see where they'd been washed away
Their hardships had taken a toll on their outward appearance.
By too many through the day
Their daily struggles had accumulated over time, causing them pain.
Twelve o'clock tales
The stories people tell late at night, when they're at their most honest and vulnerable.
Then you came along with your siren song
Then you came into my life, tempting me with your alluring voice.
To tempt me to madness
Your charm was so powerful that it made me lose my mind.
I thought for awhile that your poignant smile
I believed for a moment that your bittersweet and meaningful smile was directed towards me.
Was tinged with the sadness
Your smile had a touch of sadness, but I thought it was because you loved me deeply.
Of a great love for me
I believed that you had a deep and significant love for me.
Ah yes, I was wrong
Unfortunately, my beliefs were misplaced, and I made a mistake in thinking that you loved me.
Again, I was wrong
I was mistaken once again.
Life is lonely again
Now that you're gone, I feel lonely once again.
And only last year
It wasn't long ago that everything was going so well.
Everything seemed so sure
My life seemed stable and predictable, with no major challenges or obstacles to face.
Now life is awful again
Now that you've left me, my life feels terrible again.
A trough full of hearts could only be a bore
Dating many people at once would be boring, and not worth my time.
A week in Paris could ease the bite of it
A short trip to Paris could help me forget about my sadness.
All I care is to smile in spite of it
My only concern is to maintain a positive outlook, even if things are hard.
I'll forget you, I will
I'll do my best to forget you.
While yet you are still
Even though you're still in my mind.
Burning inside my brain
Occupying my thoughts and emotions continuously.
Romance is mush
My hopes for romantic love have been shattered.
Stifling those who strive
Stopping people who are trying to achieve their dreams.
So I'll live a lush life in some small dive
To escape my pain, I'll live a comfortable but questionable lifestyle in a small bar.
And there I'll be, while I rot with the rest
I'll join the others who are also living unfulfilling and lonely lives.
Of those whose lives are lonely too
Of those who have also lost their way, struggling to find happiness.
Lyrics © K SMITH MUSIC CO., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Billy Strayhorn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kleinequietboykleinequietb7126
You and Me, Blossom my dearie. 2o years on, i know the melody and lyrics, and 89.26719 % of the changes, but still fuck up bar 6 of the D section. Every fucking time. And Bars 8-12 of the B section. Every fucking time. The rest i play perfectly. I dinne get it laddeee! I dinne ken the reason that... "HE KANNE DO IT". somebody help me please
I think i got it now. Part of it.
I -"of Ab13 a (great) love for I me B9 (b5)" I
i'll try this for memory triggers.
I "AAAhhh---vvv (soft A for Ab)---Ab13 a FLAT love for I MEE.. B7 .( B rhymes with mee) I
I "BUT (Bb9) yes I was FLAT I AAAA-gain (A7) I was I
I Ebm dong dong (ii) WRONG I D7 ding dang dong tri sub of Db dong I
you see the problem don't you? too many Ab and A's . and an asymmetric VII7 chord shit.
I 've tried to memorize it with the "number system" too, but it doest stick.
Try again i guess.
Ab is the V dom of Db. the key of the song.
B9b5 is a VII dom. how do you remember that? it's not really part of "standard progressions"
then it goes to V of ii (of Db).... descending a half step from the VII dom chord
i guess that's easy enough to remember. I hope it will be.
Bar 8 of the B section , after 8 bars of a very standard minor blues progression, lands on the V dom of the original key. ( Db) Which is the relative major of f minor.
(repeat after me, 8 times, please :
Bar 8 of the B section , after 8 bars of a very standard minor blues progression, lands on the V dom of the original key. ( Db) Which is the relative major of f minor.Bar 8 of the B section , after 8 bars of a very standard minor blues progression, lands on the V dom of the original key. ( Db) Which is the relative major of f minor.Bar 8 of the B section , after 8 bars of a very standard minor blues progression, lands on the V dom of the original key. ( Db) Which is the relative major of f minor.Bar 8 of the B section , after 8 bars of a very standard minor blues progression, lands on the V dom of the original key. ( Db) Which is the relative major of f minor.Bar 8 of the B section , after 8 bars of a very standard minor blues progression, lands on the V dom of the original key. ( Db) Which is the relative major of f minor.Bar 8 of the B section , after 8 bars of a very standard minor blues progression, lands on the V dom of the original key. ( Db) Which is the relative major of f minor.
then it goes to VII dom of Db, which is B79b5
then it descends a half step then it descends s half step
then it descends a half step then it descends s half stephen
then it descends a half step then it descends s half step
then descends a half step then it descends s half step to......
Bb 7 9 which is the V of ii
to Ebm7
to a raised V (A7b5) "ahhh (A) gain"
back to the min ii
Ebm7 (sus)
to V dom of db ( tritone sub. )
D13 #11
Easy fucking peasy...... right.
Actually, it works. Once you get the first A (aahh)chord, in bar 8
I can i hope remember that it steps out of *normal progression, and goes to B7
then a half step down to Bb7 which is the V of
the ii Ebm
* now somehow symmetric, in terms of pattern, change to the asymmetric A7
back to the ii
end of V (tri sub)
well it worked
ask me again in a week to play it without the book.. oh my
having a bad memory is definitely a handicap whilst trying to play jazz
@werkzeugmann6224
The starkness of this recording is mesmerizing, true vocaleeze, no autotune, just notes vocals and the "space" in-between
@michaeltekulsky5665
This will always be my favorite version of Lush Life. I did see her perform in the 80's when I was in college and she joined us for a drink afterwards. Sweet lady and large talent.
@sanmarinojr
You lucky lucky guy!!
@dallasstiles118
Nice
@totalt6600
Truly a great version.
@andreashoppe1969
It's incredible how many artists strayhorn has inspired to cover his brilliant song. Everyone adding his own seasoning to it
@EdwardRobinson15580
Absolutely. I actually met a relation to Billy Strayhorn in college. A girl. She is beautiful I might add. Good genes.
@totalt6600
A lesson in song writing, and interpretation. 💛🎶
@RalphDratman
Wonderful. Those years she was learning how to play and sing Lush Life were years well spent.
@acemoss2878
This has always been one of my favorite jazz standards, and I think this has become my favorite version.