Koz often draws comparisons to another well-known saxophonist, David Sanborn. Because the two sound almost alike, Koz is sometimes billed as the second coming of Sanborn.
Koz graduated from UCLA with a degree in mass communications in 1986 and started into his musical career almost immediately afterwards playing for crooner Bobby Caldwell. For the rest of the 1980s, Koz served as a session musician in several bands, toured with artists such as Richard Marx, and played in the house band on Arsenio Hall's late-night talk show.
In 1990, Koz decided to pursue a solo career. The move proved to be successful, and his self-titled album earned high praise from critics and fans alike. His later albums include Lucky Man, The Dance, and Saxophonic. Saxophonic was nominated for both a Grammy and an NAACP Image Award.
In 1994, Koz began hosting a syndicated radio program, "The Dave Koz Radio Show" (formerly "Personal Notes"), featuring the latest music and interviews with who's who in the genre. He is currently co-host of the morning show on 94.7 The Wave, a smooth jazz station in Los Angeles.
In 2002, Koz started a record label, Rendezvous Entertainment, with Frank Cody and Hyman Katz. One of the first albums from that label was Golden Slumbers: A Father's Lullaby, which came at the time his brother Jeff became a father for the first time.
Koz also performed "Faces of the Heart", which served as the theme song on the ABC hit soap General Hospital from 1993 to 2004.
Koz came out publicly as a gay man in an April 2004 interview with The Advocate magazine. Later the same year, he was named by People magazine as one of their "50 Hottest Bachelors" in their June issue.
In 2006, Koz was selected to host a syndicated afternoon show for Broadcast Architecture's new Smooth Jazz Network. The show, based in Los Angeles, will be broadcast on other Smooth Jazz stations across the country. Koz and Ramsey Lewis will become the only two Smooth Jazz personalities to host two different syndicated shows during the week.
Golden Slumbers
Dave Koz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To get back homeward.
Once there was a way
To get back home.
Sleep, pretty darling,
Dot not cry
Golden slumbers,
Fill your eyes
Smiles await you when you rise
Sleep pretty darling
Do not cry
And I will sing a lullaby.
Once there was a way
To get back homeward
Once there was a way
To get back home
Sleep, pretty darling
Do not cry
And I will sing a lullaby.
The lyrics of Golden Slumbers by Dave Koz are a bit cryptic yet suggestive. It seems like it is a song that refers to something that used to be good but is now an unreachable and idyllic memory. The first stanza of the lyrics sets the tone for such an interpretation. The lines "Once there was a way, to get back homeward," could mean that there used to be a way to return to a place of comfort or happiness (home), but now it's an unattainable memory.
The next stanza reiterates the first, perhaps emphasizing how important the idea of returning home is. The following lines "Sleep, pretty darling, do not cry, and I will sing a lullaby," could be interpreted as a call to rest and forsake the troubles of the world. The imagery of golden slumbers filling the eyes of the listener adds to the desired peacefulness of the song. The final stanza of the song is simply a repackaging of the first two, perhaps to bring a sense of closure and completeness to the song.
Overall, Golden Slumbers is a song about longing for the past and the sense of peace it brings, a desire for a return to a perceived better time. The song seems to capture the essence of nostalgia in a way that can resonate with many people.
Line by Line Meaning
Once there was a way,
In the past, there was a method or path to find one's way back home.
To get back homeward.
To return home to one's family and loved ones.
Once there was a way
In the past, there was a route or means to reach home.
To get back home.
To go back to the familiar place where you belong.
Sleep, pretty darling,
Close your eyes and rest, my beautiful child.
Do not cry
There is no need to shed tears, everything will be okay.
And I will sing a lullaby.
I will softly sing you a soothing song to help you sleep.
Golden slumbers,
A peaceful state of slumber that evokes a sense of warmth and comfort.
Fill your eyes
Be enveloped by the bliss of sleep and let it take over.
Smiles await you when you rise
When you wake up, joy and happiness will be there to greet you.
Sleep pretty darling
Close your eyes and fall gently into a peaceful sleep, my beloved child.
Do not cry
There is no need to weep, let the calmness bring peace to your thoughts.
And I will sing a lullaby.
My singing will be a reassuring melody and guide you into a tranquil state of slumber.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Paul McCartney, John Lennon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind