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.
When I Fall in Love
Dinah Washington Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or I'll never fall in love
In a restless world like this is
Love is ended before it's begun
And too many moonlight kisses
Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun
When I give my heart it will be completely
And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too
Is when I fall in love with you.
And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too
Is when I fall in love with you.
Dinah Washington's song When I Fall In Love speaks of the singer's apprehension when it comes to falling in love. She says that when she finally does take the plunge, it will be wholeheartedly, and it will be forever. This suggests that the singer is a cautious and guarded individual when it comes to matters of the heart. In a world that's constantly changing, and with so many failed relationships around her, she is convinced that love can end before it even begins. This is a very poignant expression of the singer's sense of pessimism when it comes to the idea of love. Even though she longs for love, she understands the ways in which it can be elusive and disappointingly fleeting.
The singer goes on to say that when she does give her heart over to someone, she'll do it completely or not at all. This line reinforces her cautious nature, indicating that she only wants to take chances when she feels the situation is right. The final verses speak about the moment when she knows that the person she's fallen in love with feels the same way too. This is the point of no return for the singer, the moment when she has to give in to her emotions.
Overall, the song is a beautifully poetic expression of love and the human need for companionship. It's a song that speaks to the insecurity that many people feel in relationships and the way that a guarded heart can prevent love from blossoming. The song's imagery of moonlight and warmth also underscores the sense of longing that the singer feels for a stable and long-lasting love.
Line by Line Meaning
When I fall in love it will be forever
I am waiting for a love that will never end
Or I'll never fall in love
I won't settle for anything less than true love
In a restless world like this is
It's hard to find lasting love in a world that is constantly changing
Love is ended before it's begun
Too often, love fizzles out before it even has a chance to start
And too many moonlight kisses
Romantic moments can lose their magic in the light of day
Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun
The excitement of love can fade over time
When I give my heart it will be completely
I will give my whole heart or nothing at all
Or I'll never give my heart
I will not open myself up to being hurt unless it's for true love
And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too
I can only fall in love when I know my feelings are reciprocated
Is when I fall in love with you.
That's when I know I have found my forever love.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Edward Heyman, Victor Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind