She is the only person to have received Grammy nominations in the jazz, popular and classical music awards.
Laine was born in a London suburb to a Jamaican father and English mother who sent her to singing and dancing lessons at an early age. She did not take up singing seriously until her mid-twenties, however. She auditioned successfully for a band led by musician John Dankworth, with which she performed until 1958, when she and Dankworth married.
She then began her career as a singer and actress. She played the lead in a new play at London's famous Royal Court Theatre, home of the new wave of playwrights of the 1950s: Harold Pinter and the like. This led to other stage performances such as the musical Valmouth in 1959, the play A Time to Laugh (with Robert Morley and Ruth Gordon) in 1962, and eventually to her show stopping Julie in the Wendy Toye production of Showboat at the Adelphi Theatre in London in 1971.
During this period she had two major recording successes. You'll Answer to Me reached the British Top 10 while Laine was 'prima donna' in the 1961 Edinburgh Festival production of Kurt Weill's opera/ballet The Seven Deadly Sins. In 1964 her Shakespeare and All that Jazz album with Dankworth received widespread critical acclaim, and to this day remains an important milestone in her identification with the more unusual aspects of a singer's repertoire.
1972 marked the start of Laine's international activities, with a successful first tour of Australia. Shortly afterwards, her career in the United States was launched with a concert at New York's Lincoln Center, followed in 1973 by the first of many Carnegie Hall appearances. Coast-to-coast tours of the U.S. and Canada soon followed, and with them a succession of record albums and television appearances. This led, after several nominations, to Cleo's first Grammy award, in recognition of the live recording of her 1983 Carnegie concert.
Laine colaborated with many great classical musicians including James Galway, Nigel Kennedy, Julian Lloyd Webber and John Williams.
Other important recordings during that time were duet albums with Ray Charles (Porgy and Bess) and Mel Tormé (see Nothing Without You), as well as Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire which won Laine a classical Grammy nomination.
Laine's relationship with the musical theatre, started in Britain, continued in the United States with starring performances in Sondheim's A Little Night Music and The Merry Widow (Michigan Opera). In 1985 she originated the role of Princess Puffer in the Broadway hit musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood, for which she received a Tony nomination, and in 1989 she received the Los Angeles critics' acclaim for her portrayal of the Witch in Sondheim's Into the Woods.
In the 2006 New Years Honours list, her husband John Dankworth was made a knight bachelor, becoming Sir John Dankworth. As his wife, she is entitled to be known as "Lady Dankworth," however, she uses her own professional name.
April in Paris
Cleo Laine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never met it face to face
I never knew my heart could sing
I never missed a warm embrace
Till April in Paris, chestnuts in blossom
Holiday tables under the trees
April in Paris, this is a feeling
That no one can ever reprise
I never met it face to face
I never new my heart could sing
I never missed a warm embrace
Till April in Paris
Whom can I run to
What have you done to my heart
The lyrics of "April in Paris" by Cleo Laine convey the wondrous experience of the spring season in the city of Paris. The song begins by expressing the singer's unfamiliarity with the beauty of spring, having never had the opportunity to appreciate it before. However, that all changes in Paris during the month of April. The blossoming chestnut trees and the sight of holiday tables beneath them creates an atmosphere of unparalleled wonder and enchantment. This month creates a feeling that can never be replicated or forgotten.
The recurring phrase of "I never knew" emphasizes a sense of realization and gratitude among the singer, as they have finally witnessed and felt the beauty and joy of the world around them. The final lyric of the song, "Whom can I run to / What have you done to my heart," expresses the overwhelming effect that this experience has on the singer, leaving them feeling vulnerable and in need of comfort.
Overall, "April in Paris" captures the transformative power of experiencing something new, and how it can leave a lasting impact on a person's perspective and emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
I never knew the charm of spring
Before visiting Paris in the springtime, I had never fully appreciated the beauty of this season.
I never met it face to face
I had never experienced spring up close and personal until I visited Paris during this time of year.
I never knew my heart could sing
I had never felt so alive and joyful in my heart as I did during my time in Paris in the springtime.
I never missed a warm embrace
I had never longed for human connection and affection until my visit to Paris in the springtime.
Till April in Paris, chestnuts in blossom
However, during my trip to Paris in the spring, I was finally able to appreciate the beauty of blooming chestnut trees and the magical atmosphere they created.
Holiday tables under the trees
As I walked through the streets of Paris during this time, I came across people gathered around tables for holidays and celebrations, adding to the festive atmosphere.
April in Paris, this is a feeling
The experience of being in Paris in the spring is truly an indescribable feeling that cannot be fully conveyed through words.
That no one can ever reprise
This feeling is one that can never be replicated or recreated, as it is unique to the time and place I experienced it in.
Till April in Paris
It was not until my visit to Paris in the springtime that I fully appreciated the magic of this time of year.
Whom can I run to
The beauty and joy I experienced during this trip left me feeling overwhelmed and unsure of who or where to turn to fully express my feelings.
What have you done to my heart
Paris in the springtime has had such a profound effect on me that I am left wondering how it has transformed my heart and my outlook on life.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
Written by: E. Y. HARBURG, VERNON DUKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Jagger
on Sunday
Those lyrics above bear no relation to the song ‘Sunday’ on the album ‘Born on a Friday’
John
on Born on a Friday
No lyrics for the song Born on a Friday? These lyrics are very hard to find. It would be nice to see because of a British expression that's used in the song that I'm not sure what the meaning is.