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).
RAINDROPS KEEP FALLIN' ON MY HEAD
Dee Dee Bridgewater Lyrics
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And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed
Nothing seems to fit
Those raindrops are falling on my head, they keep falling
So I just did me some talking to the sun
And I said I didn't like the way he got things done
Sleeping on the job
But there's one thing I know
The blues they send to meet me won't defeat me
It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me
Raindrops keep falling on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red
Crying's not for me
'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complaining
Because I'm free
Nothing's worrying me
It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me
Raindrops keep falling on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red
Crying's not for me
'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complaining
Because I'm free
Nothing's worrying me
The lyrics of Dee Dee Bridgewater's song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" seem to express the feeling of being overwhelmed with life's challenges. The raindrops symbolize the problems that keep coming and seem to never stop falling. The first stanza describes the feeling of being stuck in a situation where nothing seems to fit, like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed. It can be interpreted as feeling out of place or uncomfortable in one's current circumstances, and the raindrops keep adding to the discomfort.
However, in the second stanza, the singer decides to take action and talk to the sun, believing that it has control over the rain. It can be seen as taking control of one's life and trying to change things instead of just accepting them. The blues that come with the rain and the difficult times won't defeat the singer because she knows that happiness will eventually come. The rain may keep falling, but it won't make her cry or feel defeated. The singer is free from worry because she chooses not to complain but to embrace her freedom and enjoy life despite the challenges.
Overall, the song can be interpreted as a message of resilience and positivity in the face of adversity. The raindrops may keep falling, but if we choose not to let them get us down, happiness will eventually come.
Line by Line Meaning
Raindrops keep falling on my head
It's raining and the singer feels powerless to stop it.
And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed
Some things don't fit or feel comfortable.
Nothing seems to fit
The singer feels out of place and uncomfortable.
Those raindrops are falling on my head, they keep falling
The rain is a persistent force in the artist's life, and there's nothing she can do to stop it.
So I just did me some talking to the sun
The artist tries to have a conversation with a force she perceives as responsible for the rain, attempting to take control of the situation.
And I said I didn't like the way he got things done
The singer expresses disappointment with the way things are going in her life.
Sleeping on the job
The singer is frustrated because she feels like the force responsible for the rain isn't doing its job properly.
Those raindrops are falling on my head, they keep falling
The rain is a persistent force in the artist's life, and there's nothing she can do to stop it.
But there's one thing I know
Despite everything that's happening, the artist has faith that things will get better.
The blues they send to meet me won't defeat me
The artist is confident that negative emotions won't overpower her.
It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me
The singer is optimistic that happier times are ahead.
Raindrops keep falling on my head
It's still raining, but the artist refuses to let it get her down.
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red
The singer won't cry, even if things are difficult.
Crying's not for me
The singer is resilient and won't let the rain or other challenges get the best of her.
'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complaining
The singer realizes that complaining won't bring change, so she's choosing to focus on what she can control.
Because I'm free
The artist is free from worry and stress because she's choosing to let go of what she can't control.
Nothing's worrying me
The artist is confident that she can handle whatever comes her way.
Lyrics © Roba Music Verlag GMBH, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, CTM Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE
Written by: Burt F. Bacharach, Hal David
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind