David Warren Brubeck (born December 6, 1920 in Concord, California - Decemb… Read Full Bio ↴David Warren Brubeck (born December 6, 1920 in Concord, California - December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist who has written a number of jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke". He was probably best known for "Take Five", written by saxophone player Paul Desmond, who was the saxophonist in The Dave Brubeck Quartet. Due to the immense popularity of his work, Brubeck had won multiple awards such as a lifetime achievement award from the Grammys in 1996, a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship in 1999, and a Kennedy Center Honor in 2009.

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.

Tonight
Dave Brubeck Lyrics

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Some day, when I'm awfully low,
When the world is cold,
I will feel a glow just thinking of you
And the way you look tonight.

Yes you're lovely, with your smile so warm
And your cheeks so soft,
There is nothing for me but to love you,

And the way you look tonight.

With each word your tenderness grows,
Tearing my fear apart
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,
It touches my foolish heart.

Lovely, never, ever change.
Keep that breathless charm.
Won't you please arrange it?
Cause I love you
Just the way you look tonight.

Mm, mm, mm, mm,
Just the way you look tonight

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Dave Brubeck's song, The Way You Look Tonight, is a love ballad that is about finding comfort and happiness in the beauty of a loved one. The song starts by saying "Some day, when I'm awfully low, When the world is cold, I will feel a glow just thinking of you and the way you look tonight." This line reveals that when the singer is feeling down or hopeless, they find warmth and peace in the thought and memory of their loved one. The rest of the song continues to describe the beauty of the loved one and how their mere presence can lift the singer's spirits.

The second stanza of the song goes on to describe the physical beauty of the loved one, "Yes you're lovely, with your smile so warm And your cheeks so soft, There is nothing for me but to love you, And the way you look tonight." The singer is saying that they are completely smitten by their partner's physical beauty and this is enough to make him adore her. The song then goes on to describe how her personality is just as stunning as her looks. The lines "With each word your tenderness grows, Tearing my fear apart, And that laugh that wrinkles your nose, It touches my foolish heart" reveals that the singer has an incredible emotional connection with their loved one, and her presence helps alleviate any fear or anxiety the singer may have.

In the last stanza, the singer requests their loved one to maintain their charming persona forever "Lovely, never, ever change. Keep that breathless charm. Won't you please arrange it? Cause I love you just the way you look tonight." This request is a testament to how pure and unconditional the love between the two is. The song ends by repeating "Just the way you look tonight," as a way of emphasizing how perfect and complete the singer finds his partner.

Line by Line Meaning

Some day, when I'm awfully low,
There are some days when I feel down and out.

When the world is cold,
On days when everything seems bleak and hopeless.

I will feel a glow just thinking of you
I will feel a sense of warmth and happiness just thinking about you.

And the way you look tonight.
And the way you look at this moment.

Yes you're lovely, with your smile so warm
You are beautiful and charming, with a warm and inviting smile.

And your cheeks so soft,
And your cheeks are soft to the touch.

There is nothing for me but to love you,
I can't help but love you.

And the way you look tonight.
And the way you look right now, in this moment.

With each word your tenderness grows,
Each word you speak makes me feel more loved and cared for.

Tearing my fear apart
It helps me forget the things that scare me.

And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,
Your laugh that makes your nose wrinkle is endearing and sweet.

It touches my foolish heart.
It makes my heart feel foolishly happy and full of love.

Lovely, never, ever change.
You are perfect just as you are, never change.

Keep that breathless charm.
Keep that irresistible charm that takes my breath away.

Won't you please arrange it?
Could you do me a favor by keeping that charm?

Cause I love you
Because I love you.

Just the way you look tonight.
Just the way you are in this moment.

Lyrics © Kanjian Music, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Dorothy Fields, Jerome Kern

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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