"Pearl's a Singer" is a song written by Americans Jerry Leiber, Mike Stolle… Read Full Bio ↴"Pearl's a Singer" is a song written by Americans Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Ralph Dino, John Sembello. The first recorded version was by American duo Dino & Sembello, the song's co-writers, on their 1974 self-titled album. The song was made famous by the British singer Elkie Brooks on her 1977 album "Two Days Away" (produced by the song's co-writers Leiber and Stoller).

Pearl's A Singer
Elkie Brooks Lyrics

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Pearl's a singer
She stands up when she plays the piano
In a nightclub

Pearl's a singer
She sings songs for the lost and the lonely
Her job is entertaining folks
Singing songs and telling jokes

In a nightclub

Pearl's a singer
And they say that she once was a winner
In a contest

Pearl's a singer
And they say that she once cut a record
They played it for a week or so
On the local radio, it never made it

She wanted to be Betty Grable
But now she sits there at that beer stained table
Dreaming of the things she never got to do
All those dreams that never came true

Pearl's a singer
She stands up when she plays the piano
In a nightclub

Pearl's a singer
She sings songs for the lost and the lonely
Her job is entertaining folks
Singing songs and telling jokes
In a nightclub

Pearl's a singer
She stands up when she plays the piano
In a nightclub

Pearl's a singer
She sings songs for the lost and the lonely
Her job is entertaining folks

Singing songs and telling jokes
In a nightclub

Overall Meaning

The song "Pearl's A Singer" by Elkie Brooks is a poignant description of a woman named Pearl, who is a singer in a nightclub. The lyrics describe her life and career as a performer, but also touch on her sadness and disappointment. Pearl is a talented musician who stands up when she plays the piano, which suggests she puts passion into her performances. She sings songs that bring comfort to the lost and lonely, and her primary job is to entertain the patrons of the nightclub.

The song reveals that Pearl has had some success as a singer, having won a contest and even having cut a record that was played on local radio for a brief time, but she never made it big. She had dreams of being like Betty Grable, an American actress, dancer and singer who became a Hollywood star in the 1940s, but those dreams never came true. Despite this, she perseveres and continues to perform in the nightclub, where she sings, jokes and entertains the audience night after night.

The somber undertone of the song highlights Pearl's sense of regret and missed opportunities. The beer-stained table at which she sits suggests a dingy, unglamorous setting. The poignant lyrics express the sadness of unrealized dreams, highlighting the sacrifices and struggles of those who are talented but never achieve their full potential.

Line by Line Meaning

Pearl's a singer
Pearl is a professional singer

She stands up when she plays the piano
She performs standing while playing the piano

In a nightclub
She performs at a nightclub

She sings songs for the lost and the lonely
She sings to comfort those who are lost and lonely

Her job is entertaining folks
Her profession is to entertain people

Singing songs and telling jokes
She entertains people by singing songs and telling jokes

And they say that she once was a winner
She was previously a winner in a singing contest

And they say that she once cut a record
She once recorded a song

They played it for a week or so
The local radio station played her song for a short time

On the local radio, it never made it
Her song did not become popular beyond local radio

She wanted to be Betty Grable
She had dreams of becoming like Betty Grable

But now she sits there at that beer stained table
She is now older and seated at a table in a nightclub

Dreaming of the things she never got to do
She regrets not being able to achieve her dreams

All those dreams that never came true
All those dreams that remained unfulfilled