Erin Boheme is an American jazz singer.

Boheme was born in Oshkosh, … Read Full Bio ↴Erin Boheme is an American jazz singer.

Boheme was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and attempted to sign a record deal at age 15 which did not pan out. In 2004 she contacted Grammy award nominee Mike Melvoin, who asked her to begin working on his own records.Soon after she signed to Concord Jazz, and released her debut album, What Love Is, in 2006. The album hit #17 on the U.S. Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart.

Boheme is more than simply a brilliant, musically-wise, beyond-her-years interpreter with a deep understanding of jazz and traditional pop vocal traditions, however. Having written her first song at age 15, the passionate and optimistic “Anything” (caressed on the album by lush orchestration), she’s also quickly developed into a remarkably insightful, heartfelt, and witty tunesmith of unlimited potential, a talent embraced by Concord. For What Love Is?a CD full of songs that explore and express the complex nature of love and human relationships?she gracefully balances such Boheme-penned tunes as the title track, a yearning “Someone To Love” (written with composer / producer Mark Portmann), and “Make You Happy” (co-written with Rob Chiarelli), with stirring new arrangements of classics like “Let’s Do It” and “Teach Me Tonight.” There are also fresh twists on modern pop hits like Eric Clapton’s “Change The World” and Tracy Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason.”

“The tune ‘Someone to Love’ was actually the first song I wrote when I moved to Los Angeles,” Boheme explains. “I wrote the chorus and had it in my head for a while, until my former manager hooked me up with Mark Portmann. He sat down, and I sang it to him. All these new ideas poured out and the whole tune was written in half an hour.” She continues, “In the case of ‘Make You Happy,’ Rob [Chiarelli] gave me the basic track and just said, ‘See what you can come up with.’ I toyed with it for a week, singing words along with it before actually writing down the lyrics, then gradually coming up with a melody line. Working with so many great writers has naturally pushed me to become a better songwriter myself.”

In early 2004, the singer was reading her local newspaper for a class assignment when she saw the headline, “Oshkosh Man Nominated For Grammy.” Boheme emailed congratulations to Los Angeles-based veteran pianist Mike Melvoin, who was up for Best Piano Solo for “All Or Nothing At All.” Melvoin—who was Peggy Lee’s musical director for many years—would eventually become a mentor to Boheme. He would critique her songs honestly and invite her to work with him on new material, which one day found its way to the Concord Music Group.

An hour into the label’s meeting with Boheme, the executives around the table told the young singer, just 18-years old at the time, that if she wanted to become part of the family, they were interested. GRAMMY® Award-winning producer and Executive Vice President of A&R John Burk explains, “Erin is one of those rare finds, a brilliant interpreter of song who truly conveys the emotion behind every song she sings. I was struck by the depth and maturity of Erin’s songwriting. From the first time I heard her, I knew she was an incredibly gifted artist.” Burk would go on to produce many of the songs on What Love Is, along with Gregg Field, Brian Bromberg, Mark Portman and Melvoin.

I Missed You Today
Erin Boheme Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Like a summer day
You came and ran away
Much too fast

Tell me when
You'll be back again
How long can this last

I missed you today
I missed what you might do
What you might say
And even though
You had to go away
I wanted you to know
I missed you today

I wake into your face
In that wondrous place
Where my heart still weighs

Do I tell him now
Should I trust somehow
That is up to fate

'Cause I missed you today
I missed what you might do
What you might say
And even though
You had to go away
I wanted you to know
I missed you today

Yes I'm sure that you had your reasons
For why you had to go
But when the time is right you will find me
I know

Like a summer day
That came and ran away
Much to fast

'Cause I missed you today
I missed what you might do
What you might say
And even though
You had to go away

I wanted you to know
I missed you today

Overall Meaning

The song "I Missed You Today" by Erin Boheme is a melancholic reflection on missing someone who has left. The opening lines provide an apt metaphor for the person who has gone away - just like a summer day, they came and ran away too fast. The singer is left yearning for the person's return and wonders how long they will be gone.

The chorus reveals the depth of the singer's feelings - she missed the person's actions and words, and even though they had to go away, she wants them to know that they were missed. The second verse introduces some uncertainty - the singer is waking up to the person's face in a wondrous place where her heart still weighs. She questions whether she should tell them now and whether she can trust fate, leaving the listener to wonder whether the person will ever return.

The final chorus reiterates the singer's longing for the person and acknowledges that they had reasons for leaving. But the singer is hopeful that they will find each other again when the time is right. Overall, the song is a poignant representation of missing someone deeply and hoping for their return.

Line by Line Meaning

Like a summer day
You appeared in my life like a warm, sunny day

You came and ran away
But you left me too soon

Much too fast
Our time together was too short

Tell me when
Can you please give me a timeframe

You'll be back again
When can I expect to see you again

How long can this last
I wonder how much longer I will have to wait for you

I missed you today
I thought about you all day and wished you were here

I missed what you might do
I imagined what we could be doing together if you were here

What you might say
I wondered what kind of conversations we could be having if you were here

And even though
Despite the fact that

You had to go away
You had to leave