Brubeck's style ranged from refined to bombastic, reflecting his mother's attempts at classical training and his improvisational skills. Much of his music employed unusual time signatures, a fact jokingly referred to by his greatest hits album 'Time Signatures: A Career Retrospective'. Upon his death, a number of commentators noted his crossover appeal to mainstream pop audiences, something putting him in the company of other jazz legends such as Louis Armstrong and Herbie Hancock among others.
My Heart Stood Still
Dave Brubeck Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's all I meant to do
And then my heart stood still
My feet could step and walk
My lips could move and talk
And yet my heart stood still
I could tell you knew
That unfelt clasp of hands
Told me so well you knew
I never lived at all
Until the thrill of that moment
When my heart stood still
I took one look at you
That's all I meant to do
And then my heart stopped right there
My feet could step and walk
My lips could move and talk
And yet my heart stood still
Though not a single word was spoken
I could tell you knew
That unfelt claps of hands
Told me so well you knew
I never lived at all
Until the thrill of that moment
When my heart stood still
My Heart Stood Still is a classic love song composed by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Lorenz Hart. The song was first featured in the Broadway musical A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court in 1927. The song was later recorded by numerous artists, including jazz pianist Dave Brubeck in 1954.
The lyrics of the song describe the moment when the singer falls in love at first sight. The singer sees the object of their affection and their heart stops beating, even though they are still able to physically function. The singer realizes that until that moment, they had never truly lived because they had not experienced the thrill of intense love.
The song uses contrast to convey the singer's feelings. While their physical body continues to move and talk, their heart is still and focused on their new love. The lyrics emphasize the powerful impact that love can have on a person's life.
Line by Line Meaning
I took one look at you
When I first saw you, I gave you a quick glance.
That's all I meant to do
I didn't intend to stare or engage in any further interaction.
And then my heart stood still
However, I was so captivated by your presence that my heart skipped a beat and I couldn't move.
My feet could step and walk
Physically, I was still capable of movement.
My lips could move and talk
I could still speak and carry on a conversation.
And yet my heart stood still
Despite my physical abilities, my heart remained frozen and unable to function normally.
Though not a single word was spoken
We didn't even speak to each other, just exchanged glances.
I could tell you knew
You seemed to understand and share my feelings in that moment.
That unfelt clasp of hands
Even though we didn't touch each other, it felt like we were holding hands.
Told me so well you knew
Your body language and facial expressions communicated to me that you understood what I was feeling.
I never lived at all
Before that moment, I never truly experienced the full range of human emotion or felt truly alive.
Until the thrill of that moment
It was that moment that made me feel truly alive for the first time.
When my heart stood still
Ironically, it was when my heart stopped that I truly began to feel alive and experience the world around me.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: LORENZ HART, RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind