Caterina Valente (born January 14, 1931 in Paris) is an Italian-born singer… Read Full Bio ↴Caterina Valente (born January 14, 1931 in Paris) is an Italian-born singer, dancer, and actress. She comes from an Italian artist family; her father Giuseppe was a well-known accordion player, her mother, Maria Valente, a musical clown. She had three siblings, of whom Silvio Francesco was also active in show business.

In 1952 she married juggler Erik van Aro (Gerd Eric Horst Scholz). He recognized her talent and accompanied her in her initial years of worldwide success, although they later divorced. In 1953, she made her first recordings with Kurt Edelhagen. Soon afterwards she achieved great success with songs like "Malagueña", "The Breeze and I", and "Dreh dich nicht um" with the Werner Müller orchestra. In 1955 she was featured on the "Colgate Comedy Hour" with Gordon MacRae. Between 1966 and 1972 she was a frequent guest on the Dean Martin Show. In 1972, she married the British pianist Roy Budd; they had a son, Alexander, but they divorced in 1979.

In Germany she was a major performer of Schlager music. There she recorded Cole Porter's "I love Paris" i.e. "Ganz Paris träumt von der Liebe", which sold more than 500,000 copies in (1954.) Like in other countries where she was popular, some in Germany mistakenly consider her a German singer.

Over the years, she has recorded or performed with many international stars, including Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, Woody Herman, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Buddy Rich, Sy Oliver, Claus Ogerman, and Chet Baker.

In 2001, she released a new album Girltalk with harpist Catherine Michel. She is also the mother of singer Eric van Aro, Jr.

It Might as Well Be Spring
Caterina Valente Lyrics

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I'm as restless as a willow in a windstorm
I'm as jumpy as a puppet on a string
I'd say that I had spring fever
But I know it isn't spring

I am starry-eyed and vaguely discontented
Like a nightingale without a song to sing
Oh, why should I have Spring fever

When it isn't even spring?

I keep wishing I were somewhere else
Walking down a strange new street
Hearing words that I have never heard
From a girl I've yet to meet

I'm as busy as a spider spinning daydreams
I'm as giddy as a baby on a swing
I haven't seen a crocus or a rosebud or a robin on the wing
But I feel so gay in a melancholy way
That it might as well be spring

It might as well be spring

Overall Meaning

The song "It Might as Well be Spring" by Caterina Valente expresses a feeling of restlessness and longing for something new and exciting. The singer compares herself to a willow in a windstorm, indicating that she feels swept around by life and unable to find her footing. She is also jumpy, like a puppet on a string, suggesting that she is easily swayed by external forces.

Despite these feelings, the singer acknowledges that it isn't actually spring, creating a sense of dissonance between her inner state and the external world. She feels vaguely discontented and starry-eyed, like a nightingale without a song to sing, which implies that she desires to create something beautiful but doesn't know where to start. The singer also wishes she were somewhere else, hearing words she's never heard from a girl she's yet to meet, indicating a yearning for adventure and romance.

Throughout the song, the singer maintains a sense of optimism, despite feeling melancholy. She's as busy as a spider spinning daydreams and as giddy as a baby on a swing, suggesting that she is still able to find joy in her imagination, even if she hasn't seen any crocuses or rosebuds. In the end, she concludes that she might as well be experiencing the joy of spring, even if it's only in her own mind.

Overall, "It Might as Well be Spring" is a powerful expression of restlessness, disillusionment, and a desire for something new. The singer's restless energy is palpable throughout the lyrics, and serves to evoke a sense of wanderlust and a yearning for something more.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm as restless as a willow in a windstorm
I am feeling agitated and cannot calm down, like a willow tree that moves constantly in a storm

I'm as jumpy as a puppet on a string
I am nervous and edgy, like a puppet that moves quickly due to the tension on the strings controlling it

I'd say that I had spring fever But I know it isn't spring
I am experiencing a sensation of excitement and anticipation for a change, which is similar to what people feel in spring, but I know that it is not actually springtime

I am starry-eyed and vaguely discontented Like a nightingale without a song to sing
I have a dreamy and romanticized outlook, yet I feel a bit unhappy and unfulfilled like a nightingale that cannot find a song to sing, despite its beautiful voice.

Oh, why should I have Spring fever When it isn't even spring?
I question why I am feeling the impulses of spring, such as joy and new beginnings, when it is another season entirely.

I keep wishing I were somewhere else Walking down a strange new street Hearing words that I have never heard From a girl I've yet to meet
I am frequently desiring to be somewhere new, engaging in new experiences, listening to unfamiliar words, and encountering new people.

I'm as busy as a spider spinning daydreams I'm as giddy as a baby on a swing
I am preoccupied with weaving fantasies in my head, like a spider works on spinning webs. I am also feeling ecstatic and joyful, much like a baby on a swing, due to my mood.

I haven't seen a crocus or a rosebud or a robin on the wing But I feel so gay in a melancholy way
Even though I have not experienced some typical things commonly found in spring, such as flowers and birds, I am still struck by a unique ambivalence marked with cheerfulness, tinged with sorrow.

That it might as well be spring
I am so swept up by my emotions that my internal feelings are overriding the external reality, and therefore, it feels like it is spring, despite being in a different season.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, IMAGEM MUSIC INC
Written by: MILES DAVIS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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