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.
With a Song in My Heart
Dinah Washington Lyrics
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And we couldn't have change since the last time
To my joy and delight
It's a new kind of love at first sight
Though it's you and it's I, all the time
Every meeting's a marvelous pastime
You're increasingly sweet
With a song in my heart
I behold your adorable face
Just a song at the start
But it soon is a hymn to your grace
When the music swells, I'm touching your hand
It tells that you're standing near
And at the sound of your voice
Heaven opens his portals to me
Can I help but rejoice
That a song such as ours came to be?
But I always knew
I would live life through, with a song in my heart for you
Oh, the moon's not a moon for a night
And these stars will not twinkle and fade out
And the words in my ears
Will resound for the rest of my years
In the morning, I find with delight
Not a note of our music is played out
It will be just as sweet
And an air that I'll live to repeat, I greet you
With a song in my heart
I behold your adorable face
Just a song at the start
But it soon is a hymn to your grace
When the music swells, I'm touching your hand
It tells that you're standing near
And at the sound of your voice
Heaven opens his portals to me
Can I help but rejoice
That a song such as ours came to be?
But I always knew
I would live life through, with a song in my heart for you
The lyrics of Dinah Washington's "With a Song in My Heart" showcase the joy and excitement that comes with falling in love. Despite meeting every night and having a consistent routine, the love between the two individuals feels new and fresh with each encounter. The verse "it's a new kind of love at first sight" implies that the couple may have known each other for some time, but they are now seeing each other in a new light. The line "Every meeting's a marvelous pastime" reinforces the idea that spending time with this person is enjoyable and exciting.
The chorus of the song is where the lyrics truly come to life. The singer sings about how seeing the person they love fills them with such overwhelming love and joy that they can't help but express it through song. The music swells, and they touch the hand of the one they love, and it's as if they are transported to heaven. The love between them is so powerful that it's like a song that will be played over and over again throughout their lives.
Overall, "With a Song in My Heart" is a beautiful ode to falling in love and the happiness that comes along with it. The lyrics are simple yet eloquent, conveying the feelings of the singer in a way that is relatable to anyone who has ever been in love.
Line by Line Meaning
Though I know that we meet every night
Despite the fact that we see each other every night
And we couldn't have change since the last time
And nothing has changed from the last time we met
To my joy and delight
I feel very happy
It's a new kind of love at first sight
The love I have for you feels fresh and new, like the first time we met
Though it's you and it's I, all the time
Even though it's just you and me every time we meet
Every meeting's a marvelous pastime
Every time we meet, it's a wonderful experience
You're increasingly sweet
You become more and more charming each time we meet
So whenever we happened to meet, I greet you
So whenever we meet, I say hello to you
With a song in my heart
I am filled with happiness and love
I behold your adorable face
I look at your lovely and charming face
Just a song at the start
At first, my feelings for you were just a simple song
But it soon is a hymn to your grace
But it quickly grows into a beautiful tribute to your elegance and beauty
When the music swells, I'm touching your hand
When the music gets louder, I reach out and touch your hand
It tells that you're standing near
This lets me know that you're close by
And at the sound of your voice
Whenever I hear your voice
Heaven opens his portals to me
It feels like I am experiencing heaven
Can I help but rejoice
How can I not be happy?
That a song such as ours came to be?
That our love is like a beautiful song?
But I always knew
I always had a feeling
I would live life through, with a song in my heart for you
That I would live my life filled with happiness and love for you
Oh, the moon's not a moon for a night
The moon is not something that appears only at night
And these stars will not twinkle and fade out
The stars will not disappear and stop shining
And the words in my ears
And the things you say to me
Will resound for the rest of my years
Will continue to echo in my ears for the rest of my life
In the morning, I find with delight
In the morning, I am happy to discover
Not a note of our music is played out
That our love is still as fresh and alive as ever
It will be just as sweet
Our love will continue to be just as wonderful
And an air that I'll live to repeat, I greet you
And I will continue to cherish and repeat this love every time we meet
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind