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).
Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
Dee Dee Bridgewater Lyrics
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What have I got to do to make you care
What do I do when lightning strikes me
And I wake up to find that you're not there
What have I got to do make you want me
What have I got to do to be heard
What do I say when it's all over
It's sad, so sad
It's a sad, sad situation
And it's getting more and more absurd
It's sad, so sad
Why can't we talk it over
Oh it seems to me
That sorry seems to be the hardest word
What have I got to do to make you love me
What have I got to do to be heard,
What do I do when lightning strikes me
What have I got to do?
What have I got to do?
When sorry seems to be the hardest word
In Dee Dee Bridgewater’s song, “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word,” the lyrics express the feelings of a person who is struggling to repair a broken relationship. The singer is pleading with their partner to show them love and care, but they feel as though they are only getting shut out. The lyrics convey sadness and frustration at the situation, as the person tries to understand the reasons why their partner is behaving in such a way, and what they could do differently to regain their affection.
The repetition of the questions “What have I got to do to make you love me?” and “What have I got to do to be heard?” indicate that the person feels helpless and unsure of how to fix things. It seems that whatever they try, they cannot get through to their partner or make them see their point of view. The idea of sorry being the hardest word also emphasizes that the person is willing to apologize and make amends for their mistakes, but their partner is unwilling or unable to accept it.
The chorus of the song suggests that the singer sees the situation as becoming increasingly hopeless, and they wish that they could find a way to communicate and resolve their issues. The lyrics paint a picture of a relationship that has hit a wall, and no matter what the singer does or says, they cannot move past it. The song ultimately conveys a sense of deep sadness and regret for the loss of the relationship, and a yearning to find a way to fix things.
Line by Line Meaning
What have I got to do to make you love me
What actions do I need to take to earn your affection?
What have I got to do to make you care
What must I do to show you that I matter to you?
What do I do when lightning strikes me
How do I move forward when something unexpected happens and you're not here to support me?
And I wake up to find that you're not there
I feel the absence of your presence and support when I need it most.
What have I got to do make you want me
What improvements or changes must I make in order to be desirable to you?
What have I got to do to be heard
Why won't you listen to what I have to say and value my input and opinions?
What do I say when it's all over
How do I reconcile the end of our relationship and the feelings of regret and sadness that come with it?
And sorry seems to be the hardest word
Apologizing is difficult for me, but I understand the importance of admitting when I'm wrong and expressing remorse.
It's sad, so sad
The situation we find ourselves in is deeply upsetting and distressing.
It's a sad, sad situation
The fact that we're not together and can't seem to resolve our issues is a source of great unhappiness.
And it's getting more and more absurd
The longer we go without resolving our problems, the more ridiculous and unreasonable the situation becomes.
Why can't we talk it over
Can't we have an honest conversation to try and overcome our issues and find a way forward?
Oh it seems to me
In my experience and perspective,
That sorry seems to be the hardest word
I struggle to express regret, but I recognize that it's an important part of repairing our relationship and moving forward.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Tratore, Songtrust Ave
Written by: John Elton, Taupin Bernie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind