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.
That Old Feeling
Dinah Washington Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Last night my heart was so gay
Last night I found myself dancing
In my favorite cabaret
You were completely forgotten
Just an affair of the past
Then suddenly something happened to me
And I found my heart beating, oh, so fast
I saw you last night and got that old feeling
When you came in sight I got that old feeling
The moment that you danced by I felt a thrill
And when you caught my eye my heart stood still
Once again I seemed to feel that old yearning
And I knew the spark of love was still burning
There'll be no new romance for me, it's foolish to start
For that old feeling, is still in my heart
I saw you last night and got that old feeling
When you came in sight I got that old feeling
The moment that you danced by I felt a thrill
And when you caught my eye my heart stood still
Once again I seemed to feel that old yearning
And I knew the spark of love was still burning
There'll be no new romance for me, it's foolish to start
For that old feeling, is still in my heart
The song "That Old Feeling" by Dinah Washington is a classic expression of the emotional impact of encountering a former lover. The song recounts the emotional journey of the singer as they recall the happiness of their past experience with a romantic partner, only to find themselves overcome by a nostalgic longing for what was once there.
The song's opening lines reflect a sense of joy and abandon, as the singer revels in the pleasures of dancing in their favorite nightclub. However, this joy is short-lived, as the sight of their former lover elicits a powerful emotional response. The plaintive lyrics of the refrain express a yearning for what once was, tinged with a sense of resignation to what can never be fully regained.
Through the use of simple and direct language, Dinah Washington's lyrics convey the emotional complexity of venerating the past even as one feels the pull of the future. The power of the song derives from its ability to speak to a universal human experience of lost love, while evoking the specific context of a particular era and style of music.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night I started out happy
I began the night on a positive note and in good spirits.
Last night my heart was so gay
My heart felt light and joyful last night.
Last night I found myself dancing in my favorite cabaret
I spent the evening enjoying myself by dancing at my go-to nightclub.
You were completely forgotten, just an affair of the past
I had moved on from thinking about you and considered our relationship a thing of the past.
Then suddenly something happened to me, and I found my heart beating, oh, so fast
Without warning, something stirred inside me and my heart began racing.
I saw you last night and got that old feeling
Upon seeing you again, I was overwhelmed with nostalgia and past emotions.
When you came in sight I got that old feeling
The sight of you triggered past feelings and memories for me.
The moment that you danced by I felt a thrill
As you danced past me, a jolt of excitement ran through me.
And when you caught my eye my heart stood still
When our eyes met, my heart stopped as if time had frozen.
Once again I seemed to feel that old yearning
I experienced old desires and longings resurfacing within me.
And I knew the spark of love was still burning
Despite the passage of time, I could feel a flicker of love for you that had not died out.
There'll be no new romance for me, it's foolish to start
I know it would be ill-advised to pursue a new relationship at this point in time.
For that old feeling, is still in my heart
The old feelings and emotions I have for you continue to reside within me.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PD TRADITIONAL, SANFORD SCHMIDT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind