A Detroit, Michigan … Read Full Bio ↴Carla Cook is a Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist.
A Detroit, Michigan native, music seized hold of Cook at an early age. As a student at Cass Technical High School she played string bass in the school orchestra, studied piano and voice on weekends, and sang in her churchâs choir. An elder brother introduced her to jazz, Cook chose voice as her instrument of choice, and she became a disciple of jazz icon Eddie Jefferson, founder of a singing technique called âvocaleseâ where a singer sings lyrics to a famous instrumental solo. During this time she and close friend Regina Carter formed dreams of becoming jazz musicians; Cook as a singer, and Carter as a violinist. At Carterâs urging she applied to and was accepted by Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. While at Northeastern she remained in close contact with Carter (who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music and met Cyrus Chestnut, a jazz pianist studying at nearby Berklee School of Music. After graduating from Northeastern in 1985 Cook remained in Boston preparing herself for a career singing jazz in New York. In February of 1990 she moved to New York and supported herself as a school teacher and book seller during the day, and singing at night. After five years she traveled to Europe and from 1993-1994 Cook served as a guest vocal and ensemble instructor at the Jazzschule in Basel, Switzerland, and Jazz and Rock Schule in Freiburg, Germany. She returned to New York two years later and her work included singing with Lionel Hamptonâs Orchestra and George Geeâs Make Believe Ballroom Orchestra. In 1998 she signed with MaxJazz, a fledgling music label, and that year she released her first CD, âItâs All About Loveâ, to great acclaim, including a best jazz vocal Grammy nomination. Her second CD, âDem Bonesâ (a tribute to all the trombone players sheâd worked with in the Lionel Hampton and George Gee groups), released in 2001, was also a success, and received a glowing review from Down Beat magazine, the leading jazz publication. In 2002 she released her CD âSimply Naturalâ, which was inspired by her love for the beauty found in nature.
Cook performs globally both with her own groups, most notably 'the Carla Cook Quintet', and as a guest soloist with artists including Eric Reed and old friends Regina Carter and Cyrus Chestnut (both of whom have become young luminaries in the jazz world). Her eclectic venues include the digital realm as she is featured as a character in the Sony Playstation game, âParappa the Rapper IIâ, and she has said that it is a dream of hers to appear with her favorite characters on Sesame Street.
These Foolish Things
Carla Cook Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh! Will you never set me free?
The ties that bound us
Are still around us
There's no escape that I can see
And still those little things remain
That bring me happiness or pain
An airline ticket to romantic places
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
A tinkling piano in the next apartment
Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant
A fair ground's painted swings
These foolish things remind me of you
You came you saw you conquer'd me
When you did that to me
I knew somehow this had to be
The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
A telephone that rings but who's to answer?
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
First daffodils and long excited cables
And candle lights on little corner tables
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
The park at evening when the bell has sounded
The "Ile de France" with all the gulls around it
The beauty that is Spring's
These foolish things remind me of you
How strange how sweet to find you still
These things are dear to me
They seem to bring you near to me
The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations
Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
Gardenia perfume ling'ring on a pillow
Wild strawb'ries only seven francs a kilo
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses
The waiters whistling as the last bar closes
The song that Crosby sings
These foolish things remind me of you
How strange how sweet to find you still
These things are dear to me
They seem to bring you near to me
The scent of smould'ring leaves, the wail of steamers
Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
Carla Cook's "These Foolish Things" is a slow, romantic ballad that talks about how certain things remind her of the person she cannot seem to forget. The song opens up with Cook singing about how she cannot seem to break free of the ties that bind her and the person she is singing about. She lists the various things that remind her of this person, such as the scent of cigarette smoke with lipstick traces left behind, airline tickets to romantic places, and even a tinkling piano in the next apartment. Each little thing brings back the memories that she holds deeply in her heart.
As the song progresses, Cook talks about how Spring, with its first daffodils and long excited cables, still reminds her of the person she cannot forget. She sings about the beauty of the evening park when the bell has sounded and the romantic "Ile de France" surrounded by gulls. There are certain things, such as the scent of gardenia on her pillow and the taste of seven francs a kilo wild strawberries, which bring back the memories and cling to her heart, just like the ghost of her lover.
Overall, "These Foolish Things" is a poignant look at how we can never truly forget the people who have touched our lives. Even the little things in our surroundings bring back memories of a lost love, and we cannot help but cherish them. It is a song of longing, nostalgia, and the power of memories to bring us closer to those we love.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh! Will you never let me be?
Are you never going to leave me alone?
Oh! Will you never set me free?
Will you never allow me to break free?
The ties that bound us
The connection between us
Are still around us
Still present in our lives
There's no escape that I can see
I don't see a way out of this situation
And still those little things remain
The small reminders of you are still present
That bring me happiness or pain
Which evoke both happy and painful memories
A cigarette that bears a lipstick's traces
A cigarette that you touched with your lipstick on it
An airline ticket to romantic places
A ticket to a place we went to together
And still my heart has wings
I still feel a sense of freedom in my heart
These foolish things remind me of you
All of these little things bring back memories of you
A tinkling piano in the next apartment
Hearing a piano play nearby
Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant
The clumsy words I used to express my love for you
A fair ground's painted swings
The swings we rode together at a fair
You came you saw you conquer'd me
You arrived, you conquered my heart
When you did that to me
When you won me over
I knew somehow this had to be
I knew that this was meant to happen
The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
The happy feeling I get from the March winds
A telephone that rings but who's to answer?
A ringing phone that no one answers
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
You still haunt me
First daffodils and long excited cables
The first flowers of spring and the thrill of long phone calls
And candle lights on little corner tables
The romantic setting of candles on small tables
The park at evening when the bell has sounded
The peaceful atmosphere of a park in the evening
The 'Ile de France' with all the gulls around it
The ship 'Ile de France' surrounded by seagulls
The beauty that is Spring's
The beauty of Spring
How strange how sweet to find you still
It's strange yet comforting to still have you in my mind
These things are dear to me
These memories are precious to me
They seem to bring you near to me
These memories make me feel closer to you
The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations
The sound of trains passing through quiet stations at midnight
Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations
Silk stockings left behind after dancing together
Gardenia perfume ling'ring on a pillow
The scent of gardenia lingering on a pillow
Wild strawb'ries only seven francs a kilo
The cheap price of wild strawberries
The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses
The smile of Greta Garbo and the scent of roses
The waiters whistling as the last bar closes
The sound of waiters whistling at the end of the night
The song that Crosby sings
The sound of a Crosby song
The scent of smould'ring leaves, the wail of steamers
The smell of burning leaves and the sound of steamers
Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers
Watching two lovers walking dreamily
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOB STANLEY, PETER STEWART WIGGS, SARAH CRACKNELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
spoonz202
all recipes need to be finished by serving them to this baby, obvs.
Nora Wotton
I love the idea of this series and the way youâve decided up your chapters.
Brooke Bransky
Itâs so smart!! So reader friendly đđŒ
SwInGeRsNuMeRo11
Carla: âDo you wanna wash it down with a little red wine?â
Gia: âIllegal.â
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SebastiĂĄn PetruĆĄka
"It's a special, special sound"
smiles as she realises, she can't mention WAP in her family friendly video
M C
The fact that Carla didnât get a single drop of ragu on her sweater throughout this entire video is iconic.
Sofiane Bouchou
honestly, it's always a pleasure to watch you cook, Carla. You have a very chill and laid back look about you while you're doing, and it just makes your videos even more special! Can't wait to try the recipe soon!
Jaison Layney
So excited for this series Carla!! And Gia is adorable!
Ambrose Reed
I wasnât afraid for your sweatshirt until Gia showed up and started eating the pasta by hand đ
Amber Lewis
I was just telling mu husband we need to use up bunch of the meat in the freezer to make space for holiday baked goods. I am totally going to make a ragu! Thank you for the idea. I can even use the last sad tomatoes of the year from my garden.