Ruth Lee Jones (born August 29, 1924 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; died December … Read Full Bio ↴Ruth Lee Jones (born August 29, 1924 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; died December 14, 1963 in Detroit, Michigan), better known by her stage name Dinah Washington and also as the Queen of the Blues, was an American Grammy award winning jazz singer best known for singing classic torch songs and her hit single What a Diff'rence a Day Makes. Her penetrating voice, excellent timing, and crystal-clear enunciation added her own distinctive style to every piece she undertook. While making extraordinary recordings in jazz, blues, rhythm and blues and light pop contexts, Washington refused to record gospel music despite her obvious talent in singing it, as she believed it wrong to mix the secular and spiritual.

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.

Lover Man
Dinah Washington Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I don't know why but I'm feeling so sad
I long to try something I never had
Never had no kissin'
Oh, what I've been missin'
Lover man, oh, where can you be?

The night is cold and I'm so alone
I'd give my soul just to call you my own

Got a moon above me
But no one to love me
Lover man, oh, where can you be?

I've heard it said
That the thrill of romance
Can be like a heavenly dream
I go to bed with a prayer
That you'll make love to me
Strange as it seems

Someday we'll meet
And you'll dry all my tears
Then whisper sweet
Little things in my ear
Hugging and a-kissing

Oh, what I've been missing
Lover man, oh, where can you be?

Overall Meaning

In "Lover Man," Dinah Washington sings about her longing for her lover. She feels sad and wishes to try something she has never had before. She has never experienced any kissing and believes that it is what she has been missing all this time. She sings about her loneliness and how she would give anything to have her lover by her side. Dinah is surrounded by the moon and the stars, but still, she is all alone. She wonders where her lover could be and why he hasn't come to her yet. She has heard that romance can be a heavenly dream, and she prays that her lover will come to her and make love to her. She believes that one day they will meet, and he will wipe away all her tears. He will whisper sweet nothings in her ear, and they will embrace with kisses, and Dinah will finally feel complete.

Dinah's voice conveys a sense of longing and sadness that perfectly captures the lyrics of the song. "Lover Man" is a song about hope, loneliness, and the search for love. Dinah's interpretation of the song is one of the best-loved versions of this classic. The song is a timeless classic that has been covered by many artists over the years.

Line by Line Meaning

I don't know why but I'm feeling so sad
I'm unsure of the reason for my sadness

I long to try something I never had
I desire to experience something new

Never had no kissin'
I have never experienced kissing before

Oh, what I've been missin'
I'm aware of what I've been missing out on

Lover man, oh, where can you be?
I'm searching for my lover

The night is cold and I'm so alone
I'm feeling lonely on this cold night

I'd give my soul just to call you my own
I'm willing to do anything to make you mine

Got a moon above me
The moon is out tonight

But no one to love me
I'm lacking in love

Lover man, oh, where can you be?
I'm still searching for my lover

I've heard it said
I've been told