Born on the 19th March 1960 in São Paulo, Brazil, Elias started learning to play the piano at the age of seven, and was transcribing solo portions of her parents’ jazz records by the age of twelve.
After studying for six years (and teaching by the age of fifteen) at Brazil’s prestigious Free Centre of Music Apprenticeship, she continued her classical education with Amilton Godoy and Amaral Vieria. She was also the protégé of Vinicius de Moraes, lyricist and songwriting partner of Antonio Carlos Jobim, a huge influence on Elias' work, and master of the Brazilian bossa nova movement. By the time she was seventeen years old she was touring with the best bossa nova composers and interpreters, composing her own pieces and performing at jazz clubs regularly.
Elias then moved to New York and studied privately with Olegna Fuschi at the Julliard School of Music, eventually joining jazz supergroup Steps Ahead (whose members included Eddie Gomez, Michael Brecker, Peter Erskine, and Mike Mainieri).
Her first live instrumental recording, Eliane Elias Plays Live, was recorded in Amsterdam on the 31st May 2002, and digitally released in the USA in 2010.
Elias lives in New York City with her husband, bassist Marc Johnson.
* Official site
The classical tradition meets the spontaneity of jazz through the virtuosic playing of Brazil-born and New York-based pianist Eliane Elias. A former member of jazz ensemble Steps Ahead, Elias has continued to explore two distinct musical streams through her solo recordings and her performances since the mid-'80s. In 1993, she became one of the few artists to release jazz and classical albums simultaneously. In a review of a concert in her homeland, Brazil magazine praised Elias for "her dazzling right-hand runs, executed often at frightening speeds. Her command of the keyboard was total. Her harmonic sensibility caused a sense of wonderment."
Elias may have inherited at least some of her musical talents from her mother, Lucy, a classical pianist who often played jazz records in the family home. After studying for six years at the Free Center of Music Apprenticeship in São Paulo, she continued to study classical technique with Amilton Godoy and Amaral Vieira. By her teens, Elias was composing her own pieces and performing in jazz clubs. While touring in Europe in 1981, she met jazz bassist Eddie Gomez and was encouraged to travel to New York. Arriving in the Big Apple the following year, she studied privately with Olegna Fuschi at the Juilliard School of Music. Elias' professional career received a boost when she was invited to join Steps Ahead, a jazz "supergroup" featuring Michael Brecker, Peter Erskine, Mike Manieri, and Eddie Gomez. She recorded one album with the group -- Steps Ahead -- in 1983. Shortly after leaving Steps Ahead, Elias began collaborating with trumpet player Randy Brecker, whom she subsequently married but later divorced. Their sole duo album, released in 1985, was named after their daughter Amanda. The following year, Elias launched her career as a bandleader. Since then, she's alternated tours with two different trios, one featuring drummer Jack DeJohnette and bassist Gomez and the other featuring drummer Erskine and her current husband, bassist Marc Johnson. Elias has also performed with a third trio, featuring Johnson on bass and Satoshi Takeishi on drums.
She signed with Blue Note in 1989, and released her debut for the label, So Far So Close, the same year with a slew of guests. While most of her recordings have been instrumental, Elias introduced her soft but coarse vocals on her 1990 album Eliane Elias Plays Jobim, and has employed vocals on occasion ever since. Her 1995 album Solos and Duets featured a brilliantly executed duet with Herbie Hancock. In addition to working periodically with Toots Thielemans' Brasil Project, Elias has served as musical director for Gilberto Gil's group. While she continued to record for the rest of the '90s, it was 2000's Impulsive! that proved one of the largest surprises in her career as she collaborated with conductor and arranger Bob Brookmeyer leading the Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra. In 2002 she left Blue Note for RCA's Bluebird label, where she debuted with Kissed by Nature, a primarily vocal album, and followed it up with the lovely Dreamer in 2004. Elias released Around the City in 2006, a collection of primarily vocal tracks that moved ever further into pop territory, covering music by Santana, Bob Marley, and even Beck. It was her final album for Bluebird.
She returned to Blue Note for 2007's Something for You: Elaine Elias Sings & Plays Bill Evans, fronting a trio with Johnson (who played with Evans) and drummer Joey Baron. In 2009, she issued what many have argued is her finest recording, Bossa Nova Stories, fully engaging her Brazilian heritage in bossa and samba and illustrating her singular jazz instincts as a pianist. In 2010, Savoy Records issued Timeless Eliane Elias, a compilation of tracks culled from her mid-'80s recordings Illusions and Cross Currents. In late 2010, Elias signed with Concord; in the late spring of 2011 she released Light My Fire, her debut set on the label. A year later, Elias paired with bassist Marc Johnson for the instrumental ECM date, Swept Away. In 2013, Elias paid homage to trumpeter/vocalist Chet Baker with I Thought About You: A Tribute to Chet Baker. ~ Craig Harris & Thom Jurek, Rovi
Save Your Love For Me
Eliane Elias Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why I'm so in love with you
No one else in this world will do
Darling please save your love for me
Run away
If I were wise I'd run away
But like a fool I stay
And pray you'll save your love for me
Even when you're not here
Can't conceal it
I really love you my dear
And though I know no good
Can come from loving you
I can't do a thing I'm so in love with you
So darling
Help me please
Have mercy on a fool like me
I'm so unwise but still I plead
Darling please save you love for me
I can feel it
Even when you're not here
Can't conceal it
I really love you my dear
And though I know no good
Can come from loving you
I can't do a thing I'm so in love with you
So darling help me please
Have mercy on a fool like me
I know I'm lost but stll I plead
Darling please save your love for me
You can have fun with the crowd
But for crying out loud
Darling please save your love for me
"Save Your Love For Me" is a poignant love song sung by Eliane Elias which tells the story of someone helplessly in love with another person who does not reciprocate the same emotion. The lyrics express the helplessness and vulnerability of the singer who feels that their love is unrequited. The opening lines reflect the singer's dilemma as they cannot seem to explain why they are in love with the other person, but they know that no one else in the world could replace them. The following lines talk about the singer being aware of the consequences of being in love with the other person but cannot help the way they feel. Despite realizing that nothing good can come out of this love, the singer cannot help but cling to their emotions for the other person.
The lyrics also capture the pain of waiting and hoping for the other person's love to change, as the singer pleads with them to save their love for them. The final lines of the song suggest that the loved one may have a reputation for flirting with others, but the singer hopes that they would save their love specifically for them.
The song's melancholic tune and heartfelt lyrics make it a moving and relatable love song for anyone who has loved someone unattainable.
Line by Line Meaning
Wish I knew
I often wonder why my love for you runs so deeply
Why I'm so in love with you
I ponder the reason why I have fallen so deeply in love with you
No one else in this world will do
You are the only one for me, no one else can fill that role
Darling please save your love for me
Please keep your love for me, do not give it to anyone else
Run away
It would be wise for me to leave and forget about our love
If I were wise I'd run away
I know that it's best to end our relationship, but it's hard for me to do so
But like a fool I stay
Despite knowing the consequences of my actions, I still choose to stay
And pray you'll save your love for me
I hope that you remain committed to me and do not love anyone else
I can feel it
Even when you're not physically present with me, I can feel my love for you
Can't conceal it
I cannot keep my love for you hidden, it is too strong and pure
I really love you my dear
My feelings of love towards you are genuine and strong
And though I know no good
Even though my love for you may bring about negative consequences
Can come from loving you
I still cannot help but love you
I'm so in love with you
My love for you is strong and unwavering
So darling Help me please
I am lost and need your assistance to navigate our relationship
Have mercy on a fool like me
I am foolish for loving you, and I hope you have mercy on me despite my mistakes
I know I'm lost but still I plead
I am aware that I am making mistakes but I beg you to stay with me
You can have fun with the crowd
You can enjoy your time with other people
But for crying out loud
Please, just for once, do not forget about me
Darling please save your love for me
Please do not give your love to anyone else, please commit to me
Writer(s): BUDDY JOHNSON
Contributed by Lillian M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.