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.
Let's Fall In Love
Dinah Washington Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Even educated fleas do it
Let's do it
Let's fall in love
In Spain, the best upper sets do it
Lithuanians and Letts do it
Let's do it
Let's fall in love
The Dutch in old Amsterdam do it
Not to mention the Finns
Folks in Siam do it
Think of Siamese twins
Some Argentines
Without means, do it
People say in Boston
Even beans do it
Let's do it
Let's fall in love
Romantic sponges
They say, do it
Oysters down
In oyster bay do it
Let's do it
Let's fall in love
Cold Cape Cod clams
Against their wish do it
Even lazy jellyfish
Do it
Let's do it
Let's fall in love
Electric eels, I might add do it
Though it shocks them I know
Why ask if shad do it
Waiter bring me
"Shad roe
In shallow shoals, English soles, do it
Goldfish in the privacy of bowls, do it
Let's do it
Let's fall in love
The chimpanzees in the zoos, do it
Some courageous kangaroos, do it
Let's do it
Let's fall in love
I'm sure giraffes on a sly do it
Heavy hippopotamus do it
Ooh, let's do it
Let's fall in love
Old clogs who hang down from twigs, do it
Though the effort is great
Sweet guinea pigs, do it
By a couple and wait, the world admits
Bears in pits, do it
Even Pekingeses in the Ritz, do it
Let's do it
Let's fall in love
That's why birds do it
The dragonflies in the, do it
Sentimental centipedes, do it
Let's do it
Let's fall in love
Mosquitoes Heaven forbid
In shallow shoals, English soles, do it
Goldfish in the privacy of bowls, do it
Let's do it
Let's fall in love
The lyrics of Dinah Washington's song "Let's Fall In Love" exude a whimsical, playful, and flirtatious tone. The song emphasizes that love is all-encompassing and that every living creature does it. The song begins with the chorus stating that birds, bees, and even educated fleas are capable of falling in love. The subsequent verses give the examples of how different cultures and species across the world experience love, from Spain to Finland to Siamese twins.
The lyrics are a celebration of love that highlights the idea that love is not confined to just one race, species or social class, but is present in all forms of life. The lyrics are witty, rhythmic and use a metaphorical language to show that love is an innate desire that every being possesses, and it is not limited to any specific group or characteristic. The song's joyous tone reflects the infectious spirit of love and the power of its unifying force, which brings all living creatures together.
Line by Line Meaning
Birds do it, bees do it
Even educated fleas do it
The act of falling in love is not limited to humans, even animals ranging from birds to fleas experience it
Let's do it
Let's fall in love
Let's also experience the love that other animals carry out to establish a more meaningful relationship
In Spain, the best upper sets do it
Lithuanians and Letts do it
People from various places carry out the act of falling in love, regardless of their background or ethnicity
The Dutch in old Amsterdam do it
Not to mention the Finns
Folks in Siam do it
Think of Siamese twins
Different cultures and groups of people, such as Dutch, Finns and Siam's folks, fall in love with their loved ones
Some Argentines
Without means, do it
People say in Boston
Even beans do it
Falling in love is not just limited to wealthy people from certain countries, as it's common to all humans, even those who are poor and things that do not have life
Romantic sponges
They say, do it
Oysters down
In oyster bay do it
Even non-human things like romantic sponges and oysters can experience love, despite them being inanimate objects
Cold Cape Cod clams
Against their wish do it
Even lazy jellyfish
Do it
The urge to fall in love is so strong that even invertebrates including clams and jellyfish involuntarily experience it
Electric eels, I might add do it
Though it shocks them I know
Why ask if shad do it
Waiter bring me
"Shad roe
Even animals that experience physical pain such as electric eels still fall in love, so there's no question that humans should also find love; the line 'Waiter bring me Shad roe' is a way of saying that the singer is trying to be in the mood for love by requesting for a certain food
In shallow shoals, English soles, do it
Goldfish in the privacy of bowls, do it
Even fishes, including English soles and goldfish, can experience love and fall for their own kind
The chimpanzees in the zoos, do it
Some courageous kangaroos, do it
Even animals in captivity such as chimpanzees in zoos and kangaroos that reside in the wild can fall in love
I'm sure giraffes on a sly do it
Heavy hippopotamus do it
Even animals with distinctive physical features such as giraffes and hippopotamuses experience emotions such as love
Old clogs who hang down from twigs, do it
Though the effort is great
Sweet guinea pigs, do it
Even guinea pigs, who are considered to be shy, show their love to their partners - however, it may require some effort
By a couple and wait, the world admits
Bears in pits, do it
Even Pekingeses in the Ritz, do it
The entire world knows that falling in love is not confined to just humans, but it's present in all living beings and even its absence can make them feel incomplete
The dragonflies in the, do it
Sentimental centipedes, do it
Even animals with less complex nervous systems and shorter life spans such as dragonflies and centipedes can still experience love.
Mosquitoes Heaven forbid
The singer mentions mosquitoes sarcastically, indicating that even though they are considered annoying, it's not a surprise if they also have romantic feelings towards their counterparts
Writer(s): Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler
Contributed by Ava B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Genreliffic
she kicks this jazz standard around the block and some.... :)