After learning guitar at the age of 12, Scaggs met Steve Miller at St. Mark's School of Texas in Dallas. In 1959, he became the vocalist for Miller's band The Marksmen. The pair later attended the University of Wisconsin together, playing in blues bands like The Ardells and The Fabulous Knight Trains. Leaving school, Scaggs briefly left Texas to join the burgeoning rhythm and blues scene in London. After singing in bands such as The Wigs and Mother Earth, he recorded his first solo album Boz in 1965, which was not a commercial success. He traveled to Sweden as a solo performer and did a brief stint with the band The Other Side with fellow American Jack Downing and Brit Mac MacLeod.
Returning to the US, Scaggs promptly headed for the booming psychedelic music center of San Francisco in 1967. Linking up with Steve Miller again, he appeared on the Steve Miller Band's first two albums Children of the Future and Sailor, which won over critical reviews. After being spotted by Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner, Scaggs secured a solo contract with Atlantic Records in 1968. Despite good reviews, his first Atlantic album was met with lukewarm sales, as were followup albums on Columbia Records. In 1976, he linked up with session musicians who would later form Toto and recorded his smash album Silk Degrees. The album reached number 2 on the US charts and number 1 in a number of countries across the world, spawning three hit singles: "Lowdown", "Lido Shuffle", and "What Can I Say", as well as the MOR standard "We're All Alone", later a hit for Rita Coolidge. A sellout world tour followed, but his follow-up album, the 1977 Down Two Then Left, lacked the cohesion of Silk Degrees.
Scaggs' 1980 album Middle Man would spawn two top 20 hits, "Breakdown Dead Ahead" and "Jojo," and Scaggs would enjoy two more hits over 1980 and 1981 ("Look What You've Done to Me" from the Urban Cowboy soundtrack, and "Miss Sun" from a greatest hits set).
Scaggs continued to record and tour sporadically throughout the 1980s and 1990s, although he semi-retired from the music business and turned owner of the San Francisco nightclub Slim's. His lengthy hiatus from the music industry slowed his chart career down dramatically.
Scaggs recorded Other Roads in 1988, took another hiatus, and then came back in 1994 with Some Change. In the late 190s he released Come On Home, an album of blues, and My Time, an anthology. He garnered good reviews with Dig, although the CD, which was released on September 11, 2001, was lost in the post-911 melée. In May, 2003, Scaggs released But Beautiful, a collection of jazz standards that debuted at number 1 on the jazz charts.
In 2013 he released the album Memphis
SIMONE
Boz Scaggs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What more is there to say?
Here's to your eyes and my final demise
Oh, Simone, it's you
I knew from the start that my easily-touched heart
Was about to go out for a ride
Conquer the room with a touch of perfume
Oh, Simone, it's you
Oh, Simone, my heart is breakin'
Yes, my dear, I think it's goin' fast
Gotta let me know
Gotta let it show, for it to last
Oh, Simone, to hold you
Dance you into the night
And on into the dawn
And on and on and on to make it right
Make it romantic, make it up I don't care
Look up and sigh even if it's a lie
Oh, Simone, what can I do?
What charm could sway me
Then burn and betray me
But thrill me the way that you do
Second to none, so completely undone
Oh, Simone, it's you
Oh, Simone, my heart is breakin'
Yes, my dear, I think it's goin' fast
Gotta let me know
Gotta let it show, for it to last
Oh, Simone, to hold you
Dance you into the night
And on into the dawn
And on and on and on to make it right
It's time they told you, it's about time you knew
Straighten your gown, throw a Manhattan down
Yes, Simone, it's true
What do you think, you're foolin' somebody?
Do you think that I can't see?
There's no doubt, not a trace
It's all over your face
Oh, Simone, it's me, ooh
Oh, Simone, my heart is breakin'
Yes, my dear, I think it's goin' fast
Gotta let me know
Gotta let it show, for it to last
Oh, Simone, to hold you
Dance you into the night
And on into the dawn
And on and on and on to make it right, oh
Yes, my dear, I think it's goin' fast
The song "Simone" by Boz Scaggs is a romantic ballad about being completely captivated by a woman named Simone. The lyrics suggest that the singer has fallen deeply in love with Simone, but also knows that their love is not meant to be, and that it will eventually come to an end. The song emotes a feeling of longing, desire, and acceptance of an unattainable love.
In the first verse, the singer speaks of how their heart was easily-touched and how they knew from the start they were about to go on a ride - a ride that would end in their final demise. Despite this, the singer still finds himself wholly enthralled by Simone, who he describes with a touch of perfume as being the conqueror of the room.
The singer's heart is breaking in the chorus, with the realization that he's fallen too deeply and too fast for Simone. While he knows their love is not meant to last, he desires to hold her and dance with her into the night, and on into the dawn, and he'll do whatever it takes to make it right.
The final verse is a realization. The singer speaks as if talking to Simone and telling her that he knows the game she's playing. He tells her that he can see it all over her face, and that there's no doubt that it's him she wants. The song ends on a poignant note with the last repetition of the chorus.
Line by Line Meaning
Darling, let's stop this pretending
Let's be honest with each other and stop pretending everything is okay.
What more is there to say?
We've said everything we need to say and there's nothing left to discuss.
Here's to your eyes and my final demise
I am captivated by your beauty, but it's also leading to my downfall.
Oh, Simone, it's you
You're the one who has captured my heart and attention.
I knew from the start that my easily-touched heart
I was aware from the beginning that my heart is easily swayed by love and affection.
Was about to go out for a ride
I was about to fall in love again.
Conquer the room with a touch of perfume
You have the power to fill the room with your fragrance and presence.
Oh, Simone, it's you
You have a magnetic pull that draws me to you.
Oh, Simone, my heart is breakin'
My heart is breaking because of my feelings for you.
Gotta let me know
You need to tell me how you feel about me.
Gotta let it show, for it to last
Our relationship can only last if we openly express our feelings for each other.
Oh, Simone, to hold you
I long to hold you in my arms.
Dance you into the night
I want to dance with you until dawn.
And on into the dawn
Our love will continue on into the morning.
Make it romantic, make it up I don't care
Even if it's not completely true, let's make our relationship romantic and full of passion.
Look up and sigh even if it's a lie
Let's create a fantasy love story, even if it's not completely genuine.
Oh, Simone, what can I do?
I am helplessly in love with you and don't know what to do.
What charm could sway me
You possess a charm that was able to win me over.
Then burn and betray me
But that same charm could also lead you to betray me.
But thrill me the way that you do
Despite the potential for betrayal, your charm still thrills me.
Second to none, so completely undone
You are unparalleled and have undone me completely.
Oh, Simone, it's you
You are the one who has captured my heart and attention.
It's time they told you, it's about time you knew
It's time for you to know the truth about my feelings for you.
Straighten your gown, throw a Manhattan down
Get ready, let's have a drink to celebrate our newfound love.
Yes, Simone, it's true
What I feel for you is true and genuine.
What do you think, you're foolin' somebody
Do you think you're able to deceive someone with your charm?
Do you think that I can't see?
I see through your charm and know the truth about my own feelings.
There's no doubt, not a trace
There's no doubt in my mind about the sincerity of my feelings.
It's all over your face
Your true feelings are evident on your face.
Oh, Simone, it's me, ooh
It's me who loves you and is hoping for a future together.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: David W. Foster, William R. Royce Scaggs
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind