Born Denise Eileen Garrett in Memphis, Tennessee, she grew up in Flint, Michigan. Her father, Matthew Garrett, was a jazz trumpeter and teacher at Manassas High School, and through his playing, Denise was exposed to jazz early on. At the age of sixteen, she was a member of a rock and rhythm'n'blues trio, singing in clubs in Michigan. At 18, she studied at Michigan State University before she went to the University of Illinois. With their jazz band, she toured the Soviet Union in 1969. The next year, she met trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater, and after their marriage, they moved to New York City, where Cecil played in Horace Silver's band.
In 1971, Dee Dee Bridgewater joined the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra as the lead vocalist. The next years marked the beginning of her jazz career, and she performed with many of the great jazz musicians of the time, such as Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, Max Roach, and others. In 1974, her first own album, entitled Afro Blue, appeared, and she also performed on Broadway in the musical The Wiz. For her role as Glinda the Good Witch she won a Tony Award in 1975 as "best-featured actress", and the musical also won the 1976 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.
She subsequently appeared in several other stage productions. After touring France in 1984 with the musical Sophisticated Ladies, she moved to Paris in 1986. The same year saw her in Lady Day as Billie Holliday, for which role she was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, she returned from the world of musical to jazz. She performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1990, and four years later, she finally collaborated with Horace Silver, whom she had admired for a long time, and released the album Love and Peace: A Tribute to Horace Silver. Her 1997 tribute album Dear Ella won her the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album, and the 1998 album Live at Yoshi's was also worth a Grammy nomination. She has also explored on This is New the songs of Kurt Weill, and, on her latest album J'ai Deux Amours, the French Classics.
Dee Dee Bridgewater is the first American to be inducted to the Haut Conseil de la Francophonie. She has received the Award of Arts and Letters in France.
Dee Dee Bridgewater is mother to three children, Tulani Bridgewater (from her marriage to Cecil Bridgewater), China Moses (from her marriage to theater, film and television director Gilbert Moses) and Gabriel Durand (from her current marriage to French concert promoter Jean-Marie Durand).
Heartache Caravan
Dee Dee Bridgewater Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dancing by firelight
It's such an eerie sight
Casting a spell on the desert sand
A heartache caravan
A heartache caravan
Gypsy eyes all aglow
They have nowhere to go
Roaming the land of forsaken dreams
No one hears their screams
No one hears their screams
They're victims of lies
(Victim of lies)
Victims of pain
(Victims of pain)
And they are victims of sorrow
Hoo and of shame
Yes they are victims of lies
(Victim of lies)
Victims of pain
(Victims of pain)
And if you're not careful
You're gonna end up the same
…
Travelers lost in time
Life has no sense of rhyme
Heartbreak should be a crime
A cold chill covers the barren land
And heartache caravan
And heartache caravan
Dark shadow disappear
Weary souls trapped in fear
The moonlight sheds a tear
For empty faces, forgotten names
And lonely cries in vain
Lonely cries in vain
Cause they are victims of lies
(Victim of lies)
Victims of pain
(Victims of pain)
They're victims of sorrow
Oh and of shame
Yes they are victims of lies
(Victim of lies)
Victims of pain
(Victims of pain)
And if you're not careful
You'll end up the shame
…
You will be victims of lies
(Victim of lies)
Victims of pain
(Victims of pain)
You'll be victims of sorrow
And of shame
Yes you will be victims of lies
Victims of pain
You will be victims of sorrow
And you will oh and of shame
Victim of lies
And you will be a victim of pain
The sorrow
And if you're not careful
You'll end up the shame
Victims of lies
And You will be victims of sorrow
The lyrics in Dee Dee Bridgewater's song "Heartache Caravan" tell the story of a group of travelers who are lost and wandering in the desert. Through vivid imagery, the lyrics paint the picture of a haunting and eerie sight - silhouettes dancing by firelight, gypsy eyes aglow, and lonely cries heard in the dark. The travelers are all victims of lies, pain, sorrow, and shame, and their heartbreak should be a crime.
The repeated warning that "if you're not careful, you're gonna end up the same" suggests that the singer is warning listeners not to fall into the same trap as the travelers. The travelers are lost, wandering aimlessly without a sense of rhyme or reason, victims of a life that has no purpose. The haunting melody and subdued background music create a somber atmosphere that perfectly matches the lyrics' bleakness.
One interesting fact about the song is that it was written and composed by Dee Dee Bridgewater herself. She is a Grammy-winning jazz musician who has released over 20 albums during her career, including "Heartache Caravan," which was featured on her 1990 album "In Montreux." Another interesting fact is that the song was featured on the soundtrack for the 1994 film "The Crow," which starred Brandon Lee.
Line by Line Meaning
Silhouettes in the night
The shadowy figures are visible against the night sky.
Dancing by firelight
The figures are dancing in the light of a fire.
It's such an eerie sight
The scene is unsettling and creepy.
Casting a spell on the desert sand
The figures seem to be using magic to affect the environment around them.
A heartache caravan
The group of people are traveling with their grief and sadness.
Gypsy eyes all aglow
The travelers have a wild and carefree spirit.
Night breezes whisper low
The wind is carrying a soft and quiet sound.
They have nowhere to go
The travelers are lost and have no clear destination.
Roaming the land of forsaken dreams
The people are wandering through a place where hope has been abandoned.
No one hears their screams
The travelers are suffering in silence and their pain goes unnoticed.
They're victims of lies
The travelers have been deceived and misled.
(Victim of lies)
The emphasis is that they are suffering because of dishonesty.
Victims of pain
The travelers are in physical and emotional suffering.
And they are victims of sorrow
The travelers are weighed down by a deep sadness and grief.
Hoo and of shame
The travelers are also feeling embarrassed or ashamed of their situation.
And if you're not careful
The singer presents a warning to the listener.
You're gonna end up the same
If you're not cautious, you might also become a victim of lies, pain, sorrow, and shame.
Travelers lost in time
The travelers are disconnected from the present and seem to live in the past.
Life has no sense of rhyme
There's no logical order or pattern to the events that happen to the travelers.
Heartbreak should be a crime
The singer is expressing a deep dissatisfaction with the pain and suffering that the travelers are going through.
A cold chill covers the barren land
The atmosphere is bleak, desolate, and unwelcoming.
And heartache caravan
The travelers are taking their pain and heartbreak with them everywhere they go.
Dark shadow disappear
A disturbing presence seems to fade away.
Weary souls trapped in fear
The travelers are tired, drained, and scared of their situation.
The moonlight sheds a tear
The environment itself seems to be affected by the sadness of the travelers.
For empty faces, forgotten names
The source of the sadness is ambiguous and might be connected to loss and abandonment.
And lonely cries in vain
The travelers are calling out for help, but no one is listening or responding.
You will be victims of lies
The singer is now addressing the listener directly.
And you will be a victim of pain
The warning is repeated that the listener might also experience suffering.
And you will be victims of sorrow
The listener might also feel deep sadness and grief.
And you will oh and of shame
The listener might also experience embarrassment or guilt.
Contributed by Mason N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@kaismakhloufi5796
GREAT SOUL POP SONG! ... I Love it always §§§
@gaetanooliveri9947
Semplicemente immensa.
@tarekaboud8030
Silhouettes in the night
Dancing by firelight
It's such an eerie sight
Casting a spell on the desert sand
A heartache caravan
A heartache caravan
Gypsy eyes all aglow
Night breezes whisper low
They have nowhere to go
Roaming the land of forsaken dreams
No one hears their screams
No one hears their screams
They're victims of lies
(Victim of lies)
Victims of pain
And they are victims of sorrow
Hoo and of shame
Yes they are victims of lies
(Victim of lies)
Victims of pain
And if you're not careful
You're gonna end up the same
You will be victims of lies
(Victim of lies)
(Victims of pain)
You'll be victims of sorrow
And of shame
Yes you will be victims of lies
Victims of pain
You will be victims of sorrow
And you will oh and of shame
Victim of lies
And you will be a victim of pain
The sorrow
And if you're not careful
You'll end up the shame
Victims of lies
And You will be victims of sorrow.....
@lililounetteisa2163
💖
@arrkansass
si quelqu'un possede les paroles de la chanson et peut les poster ici ou en message privé je le remercie par avance!
@mustafaozbek6390
Elle a chante cette chanson avec Ray Charles et j'ai le 45 tours mais rien ne apparait nul part
@loiclarboulette5646
c'est "precious thing" qu'elle chantait avec Ray Charles ... cette chanson n'est sortie que sur l'album à l'époque et n'a jamais été reprise en duo Mustafa.