McRae was born in Harlem, New York, on the 8th April 1920, and studied piano as a child. As a teenager she came to the attention of Teddy Wilson and his wife, the composer Irene Kitchings Wilson. Through their influence, one of McRae’s early songs, "Dream of Life", was recorded by Wilson’s longtime collaborator Billie Holiday.
By the late 1940s she was well known among the modern jazz musicians who gathered at Minton's Playhouse, Harlem’s most famous jazz club, where she was the intermission pianist. But it was while working in Brooklyn that she came to the attention of Decca’s Milt Gabler. Her five year association with Decca yielded twelve LPs.
The musicians she sang with include Benny Carter, Mercer Ellington, Count Basie, Sammy Davis Jr, Dave Brubeck, and Louis Armstrong. She was married once (and briefly), to drummer Kenny Clarke.
McRae died on the 10th November 1994.
The Meaning of the Blues
Carmen McRae Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Till my lover left me
Blue was just a blue bird in a tree
Till he said forget me
Blue always made me think of summer
Cloudless summer skies so fresh and warm
Now the blue I see is more like winter
Winter skies with clouds about to storm
Till he said goodbye love
Blue was just a ribbon for first prize
Till he said dont you cry love
And blues were only toward somes
Fashioned for impulsive engineer
But now I know
Too well I know
Too well I know the meaning of the Blues
In these lyrics, the singer delves into the profound emotional impact of heartbreak. Blue, which traditionally symbolizes calm and tranquility, has become a symbol of sadness, grief, and loneliness for the singer. Before her lover left her, blue was just a color, a bird, or a bright summer sky. But now, blue represents the pain and emptiness that she feels in the aftermath of the breakup. The singer notes that blue is no longer associated with happy summer days, but with cold and stormy winter skies.
When the singer mentions blue as the color of her lover's eyes, we can infer that his departure from her life was the cause of much hurt and distress. A blue ribbon which probably stood for achievement, for her it could be a regretful moment since it reminds of a time when things were fine, and her sadness didn't exist. She goes on to say that she used to see the blues as a musical genre meant for an impulsive, passionate crowd, but now she realizes that the blues relate to the deep pain and sorrow that she feels.
The song portrays a profound realization that the pain of a lost love can transform one's perception of things. The blues, for the singer, represents a deeper understanding of the agonizing consequences of losing someone you love.
Line by Line Meaning
Blue was just the color of the sea
The color blue was just an identifier of the sea until my lover left me.
Till my lover left me
The singer did not understand the true meaning of blue until their lover left.
Blue was just a blue bird in a tree
The singer previously thought of blue birds in a tree when they thought of the color blue.
Till he said forget me
The lover departed, causing the artist to associate the color blue with pain and heartbreak.
Blue always made me think of summer
The artist once associated blue with happy memories of summer.
Cloudless summer skies so fresh and warm
The shade of blue in the summer sky used to remind the singer of the warmth and beauty of the season.
Now the blue I see is more like winter
The singer now associates blue with the harshness of winter.
Winter skies with clouds about to storm
The color blue now invokes the artist's feelings of impending negativity and gloominess, which are likened to the stormy winter skies.
Blue was just the color of his eyes
Blue used to simply be the color of the artist's lover's eyes.
Till he said goodbye love
After the lover left, blue became associated with the heartache and loss of their departure.
Blue was just a ribbon for first prize
The singer used to associate blue with success, such as a first-place ribbon.
Till he said dont you cry love
The lover leaving changed the artist's associations with blue, making them feel sad and tearful.
And blues were only toward somes
The singer previously thought that blues were meant for a few individuals only.
Fashioned for impulsive engineer
The singer thought that the true meaning of blues was something that was only understood by musicians in the moment.
But now I know
The singer now understands the true meaning of the blues.
Too well I know
The artist knows the meaning of the blues deeply and intimately.
Too well I know the meaning of the Blues
The artist's experiences with heartbreak and loss have given them a deep understanding of the true meaning of the blues.
Writer(s): Leah Worth, Bobby Troup
Contributed by Brooklyn S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.