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).
My Heart Belongs To Daddy
Dee Dee Bridgewater Lyrics
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But now I find I'm more inclined to keep my mind on my duties.
While tearing off a game of golf
I may make a play for the caddy
But when I do, I don't follow through
'cause my heart belongs to Daddy.
To dine on my fine finnan haddie
I just adore his asking for more
But my heart belongs to Daddy
Yes my heart belongs to Daddy
So I simply couldn't be bad
Yes, my heart belongs to Daddy
Da-da-da, da-da-da, da-da-da
So I want to warn you, laddie
Though I know you're perfectly swell
But my heart belongs to Daddy
'Cause my Daddy he treats it so well
There was a dame that a football game
Made long for the strong undergraddie
I never dream of making the team
'Cause my heart belongs to daddy
Yes, my heart belongs to Daddy
So I simply couldn't be bad
Yes, my heart belongs to Daddy
Da-da-da, da-da-da, da-da-da
So I want to warn you, laddie
Though I know you're perfectly swell
That my heart belongs to Daddy
'Cause my Daddy, he treats it so well
Dee Dee Bridgewater's song "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" is a playful song about a woman who declares her love for her father. The song has a lighthearted, bubbly quality to it, which could make it easy to overlook its controversial nature. The lyrics, written by Cole Porter, make reference to the woman's past attraction to younger men, who she describes as "maul[ing] the young cuties." However, she now realizes she is more inclined to keep her mind on her "duties." Despite this revelation, she admits that she is still tempted by other men, particularly a caddy while playing golf, but quickly dismisses any thought of infidelity because her heart belongs to Daddy.
What makes this song controversial is the incestuous undertones of the lyrics. The woman's declaration of love for her father is not just a statement of admiration, but implies a deeper, romantic love. The song was written in the 1930s, a time when Freudian psychology was popular, and the taboo nature of this kind of love made it an intriguing topic for songwriters.
Despite the lyrical controversy, "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" has remained a popular song in the American songbook. The song has been covered by many artists over the years, including Marilyn Monroe and Ella Fitzgerald.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to fall for the boys who preyed on young girls
Now I prioritize my responsibilities
While playing golf, I may flirt with the caddy
But I don't act on it because my heart belongs to my father
If I invite a man to dinner
I love when he asks for more
But my love is for my father
I cannot be tempted because of it
I warn potential suitors
Even though they're great guys
My heart is already taken by my father
Because he takes good care of it
I've seen other women lusting after athletes
But I have no desire to be with anyone other than my father
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Kribs
This is so warm and wonderful. Dee Dee's vocals and the soft but shimmering band just lift me up and cradle me like a newborn baby. Thank you, Dee Dee!