Her playing attracted the attention of bass player Ray Brown, who brought her into touch with influential teachers and producers. At the age of seventeen, she won a scholarship from the Vancouver Jazz Festival to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. After three terms she moved to Los Angeles to study with Jimmy Rowles, with whom she also began to sing. In 1990, Krall relocated to New York. She is married to British musician Elvis Costello.
Operator
Diana Krall Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You see the number on the match box is old and faded
He's living in L.A
With my best old ex friend ray
A girl he said he knew well but sometimes hated
Isn't that the way they say it goes
But lets forget all that
So I can call just to tell him I'm fine
And to show, I overcome the blow
I learned to take it well
I only wish my words could just convince myself
That it just wasn't real
But that's not the way it feels
Operator, could you help me place this call
'Cause I can't read the number that you just gave me
There's something in my eyes
You know it happens everytime
I think about the love that I thought would save me
But isn't that the way they say it goes
But lets forget all that
And give me the number if you can find it
So I can call just to tell him I'm fine
And to show, I overcome the blow
I learned to take it well
I only wish my words could just convince myself
That it just wasn't real
But that's not the way it feels, no, no
That's not the way it feels,
Operator, lets forget about this call
There's no one there I really wanted to talk to
Thank you for your time
You've been so much more then kind
You can keep the dime
But isn't that the way they say it goes
But lets forget all that
And give me the number if you can find it
So I can call just to tell him I'm fine
And to show, I overcome the blow
I learned to take it well
I only wish my words could just convince myself
That it just wasn't real
But that's not the way it feels
Oh no no no
That's not the way it feels, no no no
In Diana Krall's song "Operator," the singer is asking for assistance in placing a call to someone she used to know. The number she has is old and faded, and she thinks he's living in L.A. with her former best friend Ray, who was also his ex-girlfriend. The singer is trying to convince herself that what happened between her and this person was not real, but the way she feels suggests otherwise.
The song speaks to the universal experience of heartbreak and the difficulty of moving on even after we have learned to "take it well." It's a powerful reminder that sometimes the things we try to convince ourselves of aren't necessarily true. We can tell ourselves that something wasn't real, but the way it feels says otherwise.
Overall, "Operator" is a poignant reflection on love, loss, and the messy business of human relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Operator, could you help me place this call
The singer is requesting the operator to help connect her to a number she cannot reach alone
You see the number on the match box is old and faded
The singer is conveying that the number she is trying to connect to is too faded for her to decipher on her own
He's living in L.A
The person that the singer is trying to connect to is residing in Los Angeles
With my best old ex friend ray
The person she wants to connect to is her former best friend Ray
A girl he said he knew well but sometimes hated
Ray used to have a quarrelsome relationship with a girl he used to be acquainted with
Isn't that the way they say it goes
The singer is acknowledging the common belief about love and relationships being difficult
But lets forget all that
The singer suggests to the operator that they leave out such unproductive thoughts
And give me the number if you can find it
The singer requests the operator to provide the number she is seeking
So I can call just to tell him I'm fine
The singer wants to reach the person in order to convey that she is doing well
And to show, I overcome the blow
The singer intends to demonstrate that she has moved on from any negative emotions
I learned to take it well
The singer has learned to handle unpleasant experiences with maturity
I only wish my words could just convince myself
The singer expresses a desire to believe in her own words
That it just wasn't real
The singer wishes to believe that her past relationship wasn't really significant
But that's not the way it feels
Despite wishing to believe that her past relationship wasn't serious, the singer still feels the pain of the breakup
There's something in my eyes
The singer is struggling to read the number due to her tears
You know it happens every time
The singer is suggesting that she always becomes emotional when thinking back on a previous love
I think about the love that I thought would save me
The singer is acknowledging that she expected love to help her through tough times
Operator, lets forget about this call
The singer is asking the operator to end the call
There's no one there I really wanted to talk to
The singer admits that she was hoping to reconnect with someone who is no longer important to her
Thank you for your time
The singer is thanking the operator for attempting to help her
You've been so much more than kind
The singer appreciates the extra help that the operator provided
You can keep the dime
The singer is refusing to take back the change from the operated call
Oh no no no
The singer is becoming more and more emphatic
That's not the way it feels, no no no
The singer is reiterating that despite to her conscious mind, her subconscious simply hasn't let go of the pain.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Jim Croce
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tom Mihail
Love this rendition, so soothing and reflective..
SpiralBlue Andromeda
How so heartwarming song!
How so enchanting performance!
Simply magical!
Thank you so very much my dear friend for sharing all this tenderness with us!
lecknertal
+SpiralBlue Andromeda Operator, lets forget about this call
Thank you for your time
You've been so much more then kind
You can keep the dime
Thanks dear Katerina for watching Diana's "Operator".
Enjoy your day, Frank.
Philippe Salmon music
this is great , always nice to discover great artist live on your channel man thank you so much for your inspiration and the very good taste of your music choice:)
lecknertal
+Philippe Salmon music Operator, lets forget about this call
Thank you for your time
You've been so much more then kind
You can keep the dime
Thanks dear Philippe for watching Diana's "Operator" and your kind comment.
Enjoy your day, Frank.
MusicHurtHeart
i saw it again and again is a masterpiece! is same lovely with the first performance from Jim Croce ...where i heard very many years ago!!!
serena0001912
Great song and wonderful singing :)) I like so much dear Frank...a thousand thumbs up for you!
Have a great and Blessed weekend my dear friend :)
lecknertal
+serena0001912 Operator, lets forget about this call
Thank you for your time
You've been so much more then kind
You can keep the dime
Thanks for watching Diana's "Operator".
Enjoy your weekend. Love, Frank.
Isabel Rebelo
Great song! Fantastic Diana Krall! Thumbs up.
lecknertal
+Isabel Rebelo Operator, lets forget about this call
Thank you for your time
You've been so much more then kind
You can keep the dime
Thanks dear Isabel for watching Diana's "Operator".
Enjoy your day, Frank.