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).
How Insensitive )
Dee Dee Bridgewater Lyrics
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When she told me that she loved me
How unmoved an' cold, I must have seemed
When she told me so sincerely
Why, she must have asked
Do I just turn an' stare in icy silence?
What was I to say
Now, she's gone away
And I'm alone with a memory of her last look
Vague an' drawn an' sad, I see it still
All her heartbreak in that last look
How, she must have asked
Could I just turn an' stare in icy silence?
What was I to do
What can one do when a love affair is over?
What can you do
When a love affair is over?
It's over
The lyrics of Dee Dee Bridgewater's song, "How Insensitive," reflect the emotions of a person who has just ended a love affair. The first two lines of the song, "How insensitive, I must have seemed / When she told me that she loved me," suggest that the singer is reflecting back on a conversation with his former lover. He feels guilty that he did not respond appropriately to her declaration of love, and he realizes now that his response was unfeeling and impassive.
The singer goes on to describe how his coldness affected their relationship: "How unmoved and cold, I must have seemed / When she told me so sincerely." He regrets not having been more invested in the relationship and recognises the hurt he has caused. The lines "What was I to say / What can you say when a love affair is over?" suggest that he was aware of the situation's feelings but unsure how to respond.
As the song progresses, the singer recalls the image of his partner's face as she left, with "vague and drawn and sad" eyes. The final lines of the song repeat the question, "What can you do when a love affair is over?" The song's melancholy melody and tone convey the singer's profound sense of loss and longing for what might have been.
Line by Line Meaning
How insensitive, I must have seemed
I appeared to be indifferent and unfeeling.
When she told me that she loved me
When she expressed her love for me.
How unmoved an' cold, I must have seemed
I appeared apathetic and detached.
When she told me so sincerely
When she conveyed her sincerity in expressing her feelings.
Why, she must have asked
She probably wondered.
Do I just turn an' stare in icy silence?
Do I just remain silent and indifferent?
What was I to say
What was there to say?
What can you say when a love affair is over?
What is there to say when a relationship has ended?
Now, she's gone away
Now, she has left.
And I'm alone with a memory of her last look
I am by myself with the recollection of her final expression.
Vague an' drawn an' sad, I see it still
Unclear and depleted and sorrowful, I still envision it.
All her heartbreak in that last look
All her distress portrayed in that final glance.
How, she must have asked
She must have questioned.
Could I just turn an' stare in icy silence?
Could I simply avert my gaze and remain impassive?
What was I to do
What was there to do?
What can one do when a love affair is over?
What actions can one take when a romantic relationship has ended?
What can you do
What actions can you take?
When a love affair is over?
When a romantic relationship has come to a close?
It's over
It has ended.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM, VINICIUS DE MORAES, NORMAN GIMBEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind