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.
Honeysuckle Rose
Dinah Washington Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When they see you out with me
Goodness knows
You're my honeysuckle rose
When you're passin' by flowers droop and sigh
And I know the reason why
Goodness knows
Don't buy sugar
You just have to touch my cup
You're my sugar
It's sweeter when you stir it up
When I'm taking sips from your tasty lips
Seems the honey fairly drips
Goodness knows
You're my honeysuckle rose
Goodness knows
You're my honeysuckle rose
Don't buy sugar
You just have to touch my cup
You're my sugar
It's sweeter when you stir it up
When I'm taking sips from your tasty lips
Seems the honey fairly drips
Goodness knows
You're my honeysuckle rose
The lyrics to Dinah Washington's song Honeysuckle Rose are a declaration of love by the singer for her lover. The first stanza describes how the singer's partner attracts the attention of other people, including honey bees who envy her when she is out with him. The second stanza talks about how flowers droop and sigh as her partner passes by, with the reason being that he is her honeysuckle rose. The chorus repeats this phrase with a sense of pride in the relationship.
The next stanza refers to the sweetness of their relationship, with the singer telling her partner that he is her sugar and that everything is sweeter when he is around. She talks about the taste of his lips being like honey and how her partner is her honeysuckle rose.
The repetition of the chorus at the end emphasizes the singer's feelings towards her partner, with the phrase "goodness knows" conveying a sense of certainty and conviction. The song is a tribute to the joy and sweetness of love that the singer has found in her relationship with her partner.
Line by Line Meaning
Every honey bee fills with jealousy
With your beauty and charm, not just human beings, even honey bees are jealous as they see you with me
When they see you out with me
Honey bees can't help but feel envious when they see me by your side
Goodness knows
Indeed, it is known to all
You're my honeysuckle rose
You're not just any ordinary flower, you're my honeysuckle rose – special and sweet
When you're passin' by flowers droop and sigh
Even the other flowers bow down in front of you and pine for your attention when you pass by
And I know the reason why
I know, without any doubt, the reason why the flowers droop and sigh when you pass by
Don't buy sugar
I don't need any sugar, not even for my tea or coffee
You just have to touch my cup
All I need is for you to touch my cup and infuse it with your sweet and lovely aura
You're my sugar
As such, you are my sugar – my ultimate source of sweetness and joy
It's sweeter when you stir it up
My cup becomes even sweeter and more delightful when you mix and stir it up with your own magic
When I'm taking sips from your tasty lips
When I taste the sweetness of your lips with my own, it feels like the purest nectar of honey
Seems the honey fairly drips
The richness and sweetness of our love and affection is so potent that it seems like honey is dripping from our very being
Goodness knows
Once again, it is known to all
You're my honeysuckle rose
You remain my honeysuckle rose – always special and always sweet
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG Rights Management
Written by: Andy Razaf, Thomas Waller
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind