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).
Just One Of Those Things
Dee Dee Bridgewater Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just one of those crazy flings
One of those bells that now and then rings
Just one of those things
It was just one of those nights
Just one of those fabulous flights
A trip to the moon on gossamer wings
If we'd thought a bit before the end of it
When we started painting the town
We'd have been aware that our love affair
Was too hot not to cool down
So good-bye, dear, and amen
Here's hoping we meet now and then
It was great fun
But it was just one of those things
The lyrics to Dee Dee Bridgewater's song "Just One of Those Things" speak to the idea of romance as something that is temporary and fleeting. The singer describes a love affair that was exciting and passionate, but ultimately comes to an end. The first verse establishes that this relationship was "just one of those things" - a random encounter that didn't last. The use of the word "crazy" suggests that it was a wild and unpredictable experience, and the image of a bell that "now and then rings" implies that such romances are rare and unexpected.
The second verse further emphasizes the idea of the romance as a temporary escape from reality. The metaphor of "gossamer wings" and a "trip to the moon" suggests that this relationship was a fantasy that the singer was caught up in. However, the lines "If we'd thought a bit before the end of it / When we started painting the town" indicate that the singer is retrospectively acknowledging that the relationship was likely unsustainable. The conclusion of the song, which wishes the departed lover well and acknowledges that the relationship was "just one of those things" serves to reinforce the idea that the romance was ultimately inconsequential.
Line by Line Meaning
It was just one of those things
It was one of those unpredictable events
Just one of those crazy flings
A short-lived passionate romance
One of those bells that now and then rings
A rare occurrence
Just one of those things
An event beyond control
It was just one of those nights
An unforgettable evening
Just one of those fabulous flights
An exhilarating experience
A trip to the moon on gossamer wings
An impossible but enchanting experience
If we'd thought a bit before the end of it
If we had considered the consequences earlier
When we started painting the town
When we went out for the night
We'd have been aware that our love affair
We would have realized that our romance
Was too hot not to cool down
Will eventually end
So good-bye, dear, and amen
Farewell with blessings
Here's hoping we meet now and then
Wishing for occasional reunions in the future
It was great fun
It was enjoyable
But it was just one of those things
A random event beyond expectation
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@starlightsign8666
She is a force of nature! Andre Ceccarelli on drums is one of my favourites, his solo albums from his younger days are amazing! What a gift...
@MrYgor44
Орган потрясающе звучит. Всегда ждал от этого инструмента именно такого звучания.
The organ sounds amazing. I always expected this kind of sound from this instrument.
@michaellindquist31
Anybody know who’s on keyboards? His playing on “Just One of Those Things”, is great! I saw Dee Dee at Yoshi’s in Oakland, CA in Sept of 2001 and she was wonderful.
@Jojo-ru1rz
I saw more in Italy in the 90's. Don't hear nothing about her in the USA