Barlow's first album, Sings, was released in 1998. She has received seven nominations for Canada's Juno Awards with her album Seule ce soir winning for best Jazz Vocal Recording in 2013 and Clear Day winning the same award in 2016. Seule ce soir also won Album of the Year – Jazz Interpretation at the 2013 ADISQ Awards. Barlow was also nominated for the Jack Richardson Producer of the Year Award at the 2016 Juno Awards.
Barlow was named Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2008 National Jazz Awards. She has named as influences Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, and Stevie Wonder.
Barlow has voiced various characters for animated television series, including Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus in Sailor Moon, Courtney, Laurie and Ellody in the Total Drama series, Chrissy in 6teen, Mrs. Ridgemount in Stoked, Bunny in Almost Naked Animals and Theresa Falcone (MacDougall) in Fugget About It.
Born in Toronto to parents who were professional musicians, Barlow grew up in recording studios and by age seven had begun a career singing television and radio commercials.
She was encouraged by her parents to sing and study several instruments including piano, cello, clarinet, and violin. Barlow studied voice at the Etobicoke School of Arts and music theory and arranging at Humber College.
Barlow's grandfathers were ventriloquist Cy Leonard and actor Bob Homme (who played The Friendly Giant). Her father is award-winning jazz drummer Brian Barlow (aka Brian Leonard). Her mother, Judy Tate, is a composer, arranger and singer. Her uncle was Richard Homme, a Canadian jazz bassist who died 6 May 2011.
Jardin d'hiver
Emilie-Claire Barlow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Des dentelles et des théières
Des photos de bord de mer
Dans mon jardin d′hiver
Je voudrais de la lumière
Comme en Nouvelle Angleterre
Je veux changer d'atmosphère
Ta robe à fleur
Sous la pluie de novembre
Mes mains qui courent
Je n'en peux plus de l'attendre
Les années passent
Qu′il est loin l′âge tendre
Nul ne peut nous entendre
Je voudrais du Fred Astaire
Revoir un Latécoère
Je voudrais toujours te plaire
Dans mon jardin d'hiver
Ta robe à fleur
Sous la pluie de novembre
Mes mains qui courent
Je n′en peux plus de l'attendre
Les années passent
Qu′il est loin l'âge tendre
Nul ne peut nous entendre
Je veux déjeuner par terre
Comme au long des golfes clairs
T′embrasser les yeux ouverts
Dans mon jardin d'hiver
Ooh, Ooh
Oooh
Dans mon jardin d'hiver
Emilie-Claire Barlow's song "Jardin d'Hiver" is a French chanson about a longing for a green sunshine, laces, tea sets, photos of seaside, and a change of atmosphere. The first verse expresses a desire for tranquility and comfort, represented by the idyllic imagery of flowers and tea, and a warm and cozy place where one can find solace during the winter. The chorus also touches upon nostalgia for the past, when the singer was in love, and finds themselves longing to escape the present and return to those happy days.
The second verse then reveals the cause of the singer's melancholy: they are missing the person they love. The sudden appearance of a romantic partner is described through the image of their flower-bedecked dress in the rain. The verse goes on to describe the passage of time and how far removed they are from the "tender age" of their youth. The chorus repeats, with the singer wanting to "always please" their partner.
The second half of the song is more whimsical, with the singer wishing to have a picnic on the ground and share a kiss, like in those famous romantic settings by the clear seashores. The song ends with the singer continuing to express their desire to be with their cherished one in a secret garden throughout the winter.
Overall, "Jardin d'Hiver" is a song of escapism and longing for the past, a romantic journey that ultimately paints the lyrics with vivid colors and textures to conjure wonderful images of a secret winter garden.
Line by Line Meaning
Je voudrais du soleil vert
I want a green sun, something unique and impossible, something that can only exist in my imagination. The perfect blend of light and color.
Des dentelles et des théières
I want the delicate beauty of lace and the cozy warmth of teapots. I want to surround myself with pretty, comforting things.
Des photos de bord de mer
I want pictures of the seaside, to remind me of the freshness and freedom of the ocean. Memories that will sustain me in my winter retreat.
Dans mon jardin d′hiver
I want all these things within the tranquil haven of my winter garden. An oasis of peace and beauty where I can escape from the harshness of reality.
Je voudrais de la lumière
I want light, bright and clear, reminiscent of the cheerful radiance of New England. I want to banish the gloom of winter with this radiance.
Comme en Nouvelle Angleterre
I want the light to be like the kind that shines in New England, a place known for its bright and gleaming landscape.
Je veux changer d'atmosphère
I want to escape the dreary, oppressive atmosphere that settles over me in winter, to breathe in fresh, revitalizing air.
Ta robe à fleur
Your flowered dress, a reminder of the beauty and femininity that I cherish in you, even in the midst of the cold and barren season.
Sous la pluie de novembre
Even in the rain and darkness of November, a time of year that is often dreary and sad, the beauty of the dress still shines through.
Mes mains qui courent
My hands are restless, eager to touch you, to feel your warmth and your presence. Like a child, I reach out to you.
Je n'en peux plus de l'attendre
I am losing patience, the waiting is becoming unbearable. I want you by my side, to share this winter garden with me, to complete the picture.
Les années passent
As time goes by, I realize how fleeting life is, and how important it is to cherish each moment of beauty and happiness that we can find.
Qu' il est loin l'âge tendre
That tender age, that time of life when everything seemed possible, when love was easy, and youth was carefree. It seems so far away and yet so close.
Nul ne peut nous entendre
No one can hear us, no one knows the extent of our dreams and our desires, the longing and the pain that we share in our private moments.
Je voudrais du Fred Astaire
I want the elegance, the charm, the grace of Fred Astaire, the embodiment of a bygone era of romance and style. I want to dance with you, to feel your hand in mine.
Revoir un Latécoère
I want to see a Latécoère plane again, a symbol of adventure and exploration, of freedom and daring. I want to share this vision with you, to remind us that life is still full of possibilities.
Je voudrais toujours te plaire
I want to please you, to make you smile, to see the light in your eyes. I want to be everything to you, to complete you, to make you happy.
Je veux déjeuner par terre
I want to break the rules, to do something unconventional, to surprise you with a spontaneous act of spontaneity. Let's have a picnic on the ground, in the midst of the snow.
Comme au long des golfes clairs
Let's do it like they do on the clear shores of the Mediterranean, where everything is simple and natural, and the sun shines down on us like a blessing.
T'embrasser les yeux ouverts
Let me kiss you with my eyes wide open, so that I can see your face and feel your spirit. Let our love be pure and true, unencumbered by fear or doubt.
Dans mon jardin d'hiver
Let's do all these things in my winter garden, where the world stands still and nothing can touch us. Let's live in the moment and forget the past and the future.
Writer(s): Zeidel Keren Ann, Biolay Benjamin Gerard Fabien
Contributed by Cole G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.