Washington was born Ruth Jones in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. As she was growing up in Chicago, she played piano and directed her church choir. Later, she studied in Walter Dyett's renowned music program at DuSable High School. For a while, she split her time between performing in clubs as Dinah Washington while singing and playing piano in Salle Martin's gospel choir as Ruth Jones.
Washington began performing in 1942 and soon joined Lionel Hampton's band. In 1943, she began recording for Keynote Records and released "Evil Gal Blues", her first hit. By 1955, she had released numerous hit songs on the R&B charts, including "Baby, Get Lost", "Trouble in Mind", "You Don't Know What Love Is" (arranged by Quincy Jones), and a cover of "Cold, Cold Heart" by Hank Williams. In 1958 she made a well-received appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival.
With "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes" 1959, Washington won a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Performance; the song was her biggest hit, reaching #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. The commercially driven album of the same name, with its heavily reliance on strings and wordless choruses, was slammed by jazz and blues critics as being far too commercial, not keeping with her blues roots. Despite this, the album was a huge success and Washington continued to favor more commercial, pop-oriented songs rather than traditional blues and jazz songs. She also dealt in torch songs; her rendition of The Platters' "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" was well-regarded.
She was married seven times, and divorced six times while having several lovers, including Quincy Jones, her young arranger. She was known to be imperious and demanding in real life, but audiences loved her. In London she once declared, "...there is only one heaven, one earth and one queen...Queen Elizabeth is an impostor", but the crowd loved it.
Dinah Washington died from an accidental overdose of diet pills and alcohol at the age of 39 in 1963.
Harbour Lights
Dinah Washington Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They only told me we were parting
The same old harbor lights that once brought you to me
I watched the harbor lights
How could I help if tears were starting?
Goodbye to tender nights beside the silvery sea
But you were on the ship and I was on the shore
Now I know lonely nights
For all the while my heart is whispering
Some other harbor lights will steal your love from me
I long to hold you near and kiss you just once more
But you were on the ship and I was on the shore
Now I know lonely nights
For all the while my heart is whispering
Some other harbor lights will steal your love from me
The song "Harbor Lights" by Dinah Washington is a sad, melancholic piece about two lovers who are forced to part ways, with no promise of reuniting. The use of vivid imagery in the lines "I saw the harbor lights" and "Goodbye to tender nights beside the silvery sea" creates a poignant picture of separation, whilst the line "How could I help if tears were starting?" hints at the despair and sadness felt by the singer.
As the song continues, the singer expresses their longing for their lover through lines such as "I long to hold you near and kiss you just once more" and "For all the while my heart is whispering". The pain of the separation is compounded by the idea that "some other harbor lights will steal your love from me". This lyric suggests that the singer has accepted that they may never see their lover again, and that they may find somebody else to love.
Overall, "Harbor Lights" is a touching, emotional song that beautifully encapsulates the heartache of separation and the sadness that comes with the end of a relationship. Dinah Washington's soulful and emotive voice only adds to the feeling of wistfulness and regret in this classic piece.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw the harbor lights
I caught sight of the harbor lights
They only told me we were parting
I knew in my heart that seeing the harbor lights meant that we had to say goodbye
The same old harbor lights that once brought you to me
It was the same harbor lights that brought us together that were now leading to our separation
I watched the harbor lights
I gazed upon the harbor lights
How could I help if tears were starting?
I couldn't stop myself from crying at the thought of our impending separation
Goodbye to tender nights beside the silvery sea
I must say farewell to the romantic evenings we spent along the glimmering ocean
I long to hold you near and kiss you just once more
I yearn to embrace you closely and give you one final kiss
But you were on the ship and I was on the shore
Unfortunately, you were on the ship that was setting sail while I remained on the land
Now I know lonely nights
I am aware of the lonely nights that lay ahead
For all the while my heart is whispering
My heart is telling me
Some other harbor lights will steal your love from me
Perhaps another harbor lights will lure your affection away from me
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Hugh Williams, Jimmy Kennedy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jade Quest
May I also say thanks for posting. I have her 1961 version, but I've never heard this earlier version. They are both sublime.
Stuart Perry
At the end- she just takes off like she's busting out of the joint. She soars!
William Webb
Thanks for posting.
HipHop226
Epic