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.
Feelings
Cleo Laine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Last night my heart was so gay
Last night I found myself dancing
In my favorite cabaret
You were completely forgotten
Just an affair of the past
Then suddenly something happened to me
And I found my heart beating, oh, so fast
I saw you last night and got that old feeling
When you came in sight I got that old feeling
The moment that you danced by I felt a thrill
And when you caught my eye my heart stood still
Once again I seemed to feel that old yearning
And I knew the spark of love was still burning
There'll be no new romance for me, it's foolish to start
For that old feeling, is still in my heart
I saw you last night and got that old feeling
When you came in sight I got that old feeling
The moment that you danced by I felt a thrill
And when you caught my eye my heart stood still
Once again I seemed to feel that old yearning
And I knew the spark of love was still burning
There'll be no new romance for me, it's foolish to start
For that old feeling, is still in my heart
The lyrics of Cleo Laine's "That Old Feeling" poignantly depict the vulnerability that comes with nostalgia and the intense rush of emotion that can arise upon revisiting past memories. The song opens with the singer recalling a night where they felt completely happy and carefree while dancing in their favorite cabaret. During this time, the memory of a past lover is far from their mind. However, when they catch a glimpse of their ex, everything changes. Suddenly, the singer is swept up in a mix of conflicting emotions as they confront the fact that the love they once shared still lingers within them.
The chorus of "That Old Feeling" showcases the song's theme of past love and its lingering power. The singer describes the rush of emotions that hit them when they see their ex. They experience a thrill at the mere sight of them and feel their heart stand still when they catch their eye. These intense feelings make the singer aware that the spark of love between them still exists despite any time that may have passed.
Ultimately, the song ends on a bittersweet note as the singer admits that there will be "no new romance" for them since the love they feel for their ex still holds sway over their heart. The song is a powerful reminder of how memories of past love can continue to affect us even when we believe we have moved on.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night I started out happy
Last night I began the evening feeling content and joyful
Last night my heart was so gay
Last night my heart was filled with happiness and lightness
Last night I found myself dancing
Last night I was so happy that it made me want to dance
In my favorite cabaret
At a place where I enjoy spending time
You were completely forgotten
You were not on my mind at all
Just an affair of the past
Our relationship was over and done with
Then suddenly something happened to me
Unexpectedly, something occurred within me
And I found my heart beating, oh, so fast
My heart began to race with emotion
I saw you last night and got that old feeling
When I saw you, I experienced a familiar sensation
When you came in sight I got that old feeling
As soon as I saw you, I experienced that same sensation once again
The moment that you danced by I felt a thrill
When you danced by me, I felt a rush of excitement and emotion
And when you caught my eye my heart stood still
When our eyes met, my heart skipped a beat
Once again I seemed to feel that old yearning
Once again, I felt the same strong desire as before
And I knew the spark of love was still burning
I realized that the love between us was still alive
There'll be no new romance for me, it's foolish to start
I have no intention of starting a new romantic relationship, as it would be unwise
For that old feeling, is still in my heart
Because I still feel the same way about you
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PD TRADITIONAL, SANFORD SCHMIDT
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.