Wilson's repertoire includes both jazz and blues standards and renditions of pop and rock songs. Her contralto voice has been described as bluesy and sultry, and the style of her music ranges from swing to funk to bossa nova. Many of the songs she covers are by artists who usually record in other genres.
Wilson counts the late Miles Davis as one of her greatest influences. In 1989 she performed as the opening act for Davis at the JVC Jazz Festival in Chicago. In 1999 she produced Traveling Miles as a tribute to Davis. The album developed from a series of jazz concerts that she performed at Lincoln Center in November 1997 in Davis's honor and includes three selections based on Davis's own compositions, in which Wilson adapted the original themes.
A Brief Discography
Point of View (1986, JMT)
Days Aweigh (1987, JMT)
Blue Skies (1988, JMT)
Jumpworld (1989, JMT)
She Who Weeps (1990, JMT)
Live (1991, JMT)
After the Beginning Again (1992, JMT)
Dance to the Drums Again (1992, DIW/Columbia)
Blue Light 'til Dawn (1993, Blue Note)
New Moon Daughter (1995, Blue Note)
Rendezvous (with Jacky Terrasson) (1998, Blue Note)
Traveling Miles (1999, Blue Note)
Belly of the Sun (2002, Blue Note)
Glamoured (2003, Blue Note)
Thunderbird (2006, Blue Note)
Loverly (2008, Blue Note)
Silver Pony (2010, Blue Note)
Another Country (2012, eOne)
Official website: www.cassandrawilson.com
'Round Midnight
Cassandra Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Round midnight, midnight.
I do pretty well, till after sundown,
Suppertime I'm feelin' sad;
But it really gets bad,
'Round midnight.
Memories always start 'round midnight
When my heart is still with you,
And ol' midnight knows it, too.
When a quarrel we had needs mending,
Does it mean that our love is ending.
Darlin' I need you, lately I find
You're out of my heart,
And I'm out of my mind.
Let our hearts take wings'
'Round midnight, midnight
Let the angels sing,
For your returning.
Till our love is safe and sound.
And old midnight comes around.
Feelin' sad,
Really gets bad
'Round, 'round, 'round midnight
Cassandra Wilson's "Round Midnight" is a song about the loneliness and heartache that can come after a breakup or a difficult relationship. The lyrics compare the pain of these feelings to the haunting memories that come back around midnight, when the darkness makes the emotions more intense. The singer's emotions are further intensified by the fact that they still long for the person who left them, yet even though midnight "knows" this, their ex is already out of their heart and mind.
The lines "When a quarrel we had needs mending / Does it mean that our love is ending" highlight the tension in the relationship but also reveal that the singer still has hope for reconciliation. When the singer pleads "let our hearts take wings 'round midnight, midnight / Let the angels sing, for your returning", she is expressing her desire to reunite with her partner and for their love to be restored. However, the song ends on an open-ended and melancholic note, with the singer still feeling sad and unable to shake off the memories that come 'round midnight.
Overall, "Round Midnight" is a poignant and evocative song that captures the raw emotions of heartbreak and longing, especially when they come to the surface during the dark hours of the night.
Line by Line Meaning
It begins to tell, 'Round midnight, midnight.
As midnight sets in, the tale of a longing heart begins.
I do pretty well, till after sundown, Suppertime I'm feelin' sad;
The day goes on smoothly until the sun goes down, but come supper time, sadness creeps in.
But it really gets bad, 'Round midnight.
However, the sadness intensifies when midnight strikes.
Memories always start 'round midnight
Midnight is often the trigger for memories, perhaps triggered by the mind's way of processing the day.
Haven't got the heart to stand those memories,
Those memories are hard to bear and the heart aches at the thought of them.
When my heart is still with you, And ol' midnight knows it, too.
The heart's longing for a lost love is strongest at midnight, and even midnight seems to know it.
When a quarrel we had needs mending, Does it mean that our love is ending.
The singer wonders if their love is falling apart every time they have a disagreement.
Darlin' I need you, lately I find You're out of my heart, And I'm out of my mind.
The singer is consumed by the need for their loved one, and the absence of that person from their heart and mind is driving them crazy.
Let our hearts take wings' 'Round midnight, midnight Let the angels sing, For your returning.
The yearning to be reunited with a lover is expressed as a wish for the heart to soar at midnight as heavenly forces sing.
Till our love is safe and sound. And old midnight comes around.
The hope is that their love will be restored and become stable, and that midnight will no longer bring sadness.
Feelin' sad, Really gets bad 'Round, 'round, 'round midnight
The emotional pain reaches its peak at midnight and it feels like there's no escape.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PASCAL DIEZ TENTET, WAYNE SHORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind