- The … Read Full Bio ↴“In a world of pretenders, Carmen Lundy is a genuine Jazz Singer”
- The Evening Standard
Carmen Lundy began her professional career in Miami, FL as a jazz vocalist and composer when there were very few young, gifted and aspiring jazz vocalists on the horizon. Over four decades later, Ms. Lundy is celebrated throughout the world for her vocal artistry and is highly regarded for her jazz innovation.
Currently on the Afrasia Productions label, Carmen is releasing her 14th album in the Fall of 2014. Almost two years in the making, “Soul To Soul” consists of new original songs by Lundy, and a few very special collaborations. The album features legendary artists - specialists on their respective instruments - including Patrice Rushen, Geri Allen, Randy Brecker, Ada Rovatti, Warren Wolf, Bennie Maupin, harpist Carol Robbins, and Simphiwe Dana, a stunning South African vocalist and composer, among others.
The highly regarded 2012 release “Changes” (Afrasia Productions) is on several ‘Top 10 Albums of 2012’ lists, and continues to garner both critical and popular acclaim. Said James Nadal of All About Jazz, “With her release of Changes, veteran singer Carmen Lundy rises to that proverbial summit to enjoy the rarefied air of the chosen few.”
Terri Lyne Carrington’s Mosaic Project - Grammy Winner for Best Jazz Vocal Album of 2011- features the Carmen Lundy composition “Show Me A Sign”, with Ms. Lundy’s original performance from the album “Solamente” reinvented on the arrangement.
Carmen has had several Top Ten albums on JazzWeek (“Jazz and the New Songbook-Live at The Madrid”, “Come Home”, and “Changes”) and a #3 spot on Billboard’s Jazz Chart for 23 weeks with her debut album “Good Morning Kiss”. Among her other awards and recognitions, especially rewarding was Miami-Dade's County Office of the Mayor and Board of County Commissioners proclaiming January 25th "Carmen Lundy Day”, along with handing Ms. Lundy the keys to the City of Miami.
Having recorded more than thirteen albums as a leader, Carmen’s far-reaching discography also includes performances and recordings with such musicians as brother and bassist Curtis Lundy, Ray Barretto, Kenny Barron, Bruce Hornsby, Mulgrew Miller, Terri Lyne Carrington, Kip Hanrahan, Courtney Pine, Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Cobb, Ron Carter, Marian McPartland, Regina Carter, Steve Turre, Geri Allen, Robert Glasper, Patrice Rushen and the late Kenny Kirkland. Ms. Lundy’s 2005 release, the hugely successful “Jazz and The New Songbook-Live at The Madrid”, features some of the jazz world’s best known musicians paying tribute to Ms. Lundy.
Carmen Lundy’s work as a vocalist and composer has been critically acclaimed by The New York Times, The Village Voice, The Los Angeles Times, Variety, The Washington Post, Jazz Times, Jazziz, Downbeat and Vanity Fair among many others, as well as numerous foreign publications.
Christopher Loudon of Jazz Times writes “Carmen Lundy, as beautiful inside as out, has accomplished the near impossible for a jazz singer by maintaining a solid, successful, three-decade career while focusing largely on original, self-penned material.” And Don Heckman of The Los Angeles Times – “Lundy’s performance was the product of talent that has ripened fully. Her far-ranging, fluidly mobile voice roved through and around the melodies, and her innate sense of theatricality illuminated every layer of drama in her story-driven songs.”
As a composer, Ms. Lundy’s catalogue numbers over 100 published songs, one of the few jazz vocalists in history to accomplish such a distinction, and has led to the first publication of the Carmen Lundy Songbook (2007). Her songs have been recorded by such artists as Kenny Barron ("Quiet Times"), Ernie Watts ("At The End Of My Rope"), and Straight Ahead ("Never Gonna Let You Go"). Officially endorsed by Neumann microphones, Carmen Lundy continues to compose and expand her vast catalogue.
Her own recordings consist of 1985’s “Good Morning Kiss” (CLR/Afrasia Productions), “Moment To Moment” (Arabesque/Afrasia Productions), “Night And Day” (CBS/SONY and re-issued by Afrasia in 2011), “Old Devil Moon” (JVC), “Self Portrait” (JVC), “Something To Believe In” and “This Is Carmen Lundy” (both for Justin Time), “Jazz and The New Songbook – Live at The Madrid” (2-disc set and DVD, Afrasia Productions), “Come Home” (Afrasia), “Solamente” and the 2012 release “Changes” (Afrasia Productions). Her newest recording “Soul To Soul” is almost 2 years in the making, and will be released in the Fall of 2014 on Afrasia Productions.
www.carmenlundy.com
Star Eyes
Carmen Lundy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That to me is what your eyes are,
Soft as stars in April skies are,
Tell me some day you'll fulfill
Their promise of a thrill.
Star eyes,
Flashing eyes in which my hopes rise,
Let me prove that it adores
That loveliness of yours.
All my life I've felt
Content to stargaze at the skies.
Now I only want to to melt
The stardust in your eyes.
Star eyes,
When if ever, will my lips know
If it's me for whom those eyes glow?
Makes no diff'rence where you are,
Your eyes still hold my wishing star,
Oh, star eyes, how lovely you are.
Carmen Lundy's "Star Eyes" is a poignant exploration of the captivating nature of love at first sight. The singer is taken by the beauty of the other individual, whose eyes are described as "soft as stars in April skies." The lyrical repetition of "star eyes" emphasizes the allure and enchantment the singer feels for the object of their affection. They desire to prove their adoration and devotion to the individual, wishing to "show" them where their heart lies.
The lyrics also communicate the singer's realization that they no longer wish to live a life of mere stargazing; the singer's love has moved them from a life of passive observation to active participation. The imagery of the stars melting in the individual's eyes highlights the idea of transformation and transcendence, and the line "let me prove that it adores that loveliness of yours" suggests that the connection is mutual. The overall theme of the song is not only about the initial attraction between two individuals but also about the desire to understand and capture the essence of that attraction.
Line by Line Meaning
Star eyes,
Describing the person's eyes as stars.
That to me is what your eyes are,
Asserting that the person's eyes are like stars to them.
Soft as stars in April skies are,
Comparing the softness of the person's eyes to stars in the April sky.
Tell me some day you'll fulfill
Asking the person to fulfill the promise of their star-like eyes someday.
Their promise of a thrill.
Referring to the excitement the person's eyes promise to bring.
Flashing eyes in which my hopes rise,
Describing the assuring eyes that boost one's hopes.
Let me show you where my heart lies.
Asking the person to let them express the depth of their emotions.
Let me prove that it adores
Assuring the person that they adore their loveliness.
That loveliness of yours.
Reminding the person of their charming nature.
All my life I've felt
Referring to their past experiences.
Content to stargaze at the skies.
Content with gazing at stars in the sky.
Now I only want to to melt
Expressing their desire to connect with the person.
The stardust in your eyes.
Referring to the person's eyes as stardust.
When if ever, will my lips know
Wondering if they'll ever experience the person's love.
If it's me for whom those eyes glow?
Questioning whether the person loves them back.
Makes no diff'rence where you are,
Indicating that they'll always love the person regardless of their location.
Your eyes still hold my wishing star,
Describing the person's eyes as holding their wishes.
Oh, star eyes, how lovely you are.
Appreciating the person's beauty and charm.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, ANTHEM ENTERTAINMENT LP, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Gene De Paul, Don Raye
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind