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.
Watch What Happens
Carmen McRae Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No, I can't believe you heart is cold
Maybe slow to one from a long lonely night
Let someone start believing in you
Let him hold out his hand
Let him touch you and watch what happens
One someone who can look in your eyes
And see into your heart
Cold?
No, I won't believe your heart is cold
Maybe just afraid to be broken again
Let someone with a deep love to give
Give that deep love to you
And what magic you'll see
Let someone give his heart
Someone who cares like me
In Carmen McRae's song "Watch What Happens," the singer addresses someone whose heart they believe to be cold or guarded. The singer argues that the person's heart is not truly cold, but rather perhaps slow to warm up after a long period of loneliness or maybe just hesitant to be broken once again. The singer then offers a solution - to let someone start believing in them, to allow someone to touch them and see into their heart, and ultimately to let someone care for them deeply. The singer insists that if the person takes these steps, they will experience something magical and transformative.
The lyrics of this song are an intriguing blend of detachment (the singer seems somewhat removed from the situation they are describing) and urgency (the use of imperatives like "let him" and "let someone" imply a sense of insistence on the singer's part). The song seems to be about taking risks and opening oneself up to the possibility of hurt in order to experience something greater. The idea that someone's guardedness might not be a permanent condition but rather a temporary state that could be undone by the right person is a hopeful one, and the song encourages listeners to have faith in the power of love to transform.
Line by Line Meaning
Cold?
Are you really cold-hearted?
No, I can't believe your heart is cold
I don't think you're really cold-hearted. There must be a reason for your behavior.
Maybe slow to one from a long lonely night
Perhaps you're just guarded because of past experiences that have left you feeling lonely.
Let someone start believing in you
Allow someone to trust and have faith in you.
Let him hold out his hand
Let him reach out to you and offer his support.
Let him touch you and watch what happens
Allow him to connect with you and see what happens when you open yourself up to him.
One someone who can look in your eyes
Find someone who can truly see into your soul.
And see into your heart
And understand your deepest desires and fears.
Let him find you and watch what happens
Let him discover the real you and see how it transforms your life.
No, I won't believe your heart is cold
I refuse to accept the idea that you're incapable of love and connection.
Maybe just afraid to be broken again
Perhaps you're simply afraid of getting hurt again.
Let someone with a deep love to give
Find someone who is capable of giving you the love you deserve.
Give that deep love to you
And allow that person to share their love with you fully.
And what magic you'll see
And see how this love can transform your life in magical ways.
Let someone give his heart
Allow yourself to receive the love someone else has to offer.
Someone who cares like me
Someone who truly loves and cares for you and wants to see you happy.
Writer(s): Norman Gimbel, Michel Legrand, Jacques Demy
Contributed by Zoe N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.