Initially known as an interpreter of jazz and pop standards, Herbert's latest record 'All the Ghosts' is populated by a living, breathing cast of beaten-down dreamers, jaded city-dwellers, and women in a quandary, and has the critics scrambling for comparisons with artists as diverse as Lennon and McCartney, Nina Simone, The Kinks and Tom Waits.
Herbert's musical career started while at university in Durham, where she formed a jazz/folk duo with guitarist Will Rutter. The pair played extensively throughout the North-East, and together roamed Edinburgh, Paris and Amsterdam, busking and hustling for gigs. After moving to London they cut an album called 'First Songs' for a label run out of the Pizza Express on London’s Dean Street – a cornerstone venue in Soho’s jazz scene.
On the back of that record's success, Herbert was soon signed up by the Universal conglomerate as a jazz crossover artist, and in September 2004 released her first solo album 'Bittersweet and Blue', featuring a mixture of originals, jazz standards and pop covers.
Throughout the extensive touring period that followed, Herbert began writing songs of her own, forming a writing partnership with pianist Tom Cawley (Curios) and developing her own voice, so much so that she soon found she had outgrown the initial role defined for her by the major label.
Herbert left Universal Classics and Jazz to pursue a less commercial and more personal musical direction. Collaborating with Polar Bear's Seb Rochford in a production role, Herbert's 'Between Me and the Wardrobe' featured exclusively original material, was recorded in three days and never intended for general release. The album was initially put out on Herbert's own Monkeywood label before being picked up by Blue Note Records in 2007, making Herbert their first UK signing in 20 years.
In early 2008, Herbert was commissioned by a collaborative project between Peter Gabriel and Bowers & Wilkins to record an acoustic album at Gabriel's Real World Studios. The result of these sessions — Ten Lives — was released as a digital download in July 2008, available only from the Bowers & Wilkins website as part of their Music Club.
Her latest record, 'All the Ghosts', features some remixed versions of these recordings alongside some new tracks, and was released in June 2009 on the Naim Edge label to much critical acclaim.
The Very Thought Of You
Gwyneth Herbert Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The very ordinary things that everyone ought to do
I'm living in a kind of daydream
I'm happy as a queen
And foolish as it may seem
To me that's everything
The mere idea of you, the longing here for you
I see your face in every flower
And your eyes in stars above
It's just the thought of you
The very thought of you, my love
I see your face in every flower
And your eyes in stars above
It's just the thought of you
The very thought of you, my love
My love
My love
My love
My love
The lyrics of Gwyneth Herbert’s song, “The Very Thought of You”, speak of the overwhelming power of love and how it can consume our thoughts and emotions to the point that we forget about everything else. The opening lines suggest that the mere thought of the beloved can be so consuming that the singer forgets about the basic tasks of life. However, instead of feeling frustrated or outraged at this, the singer revels in the feeling of being deeply in love, happy as a queen. This suggests that for her, this love is worth all the forgetfulness and daydreaming it brings with it.
The chorus echoes the theme of the song, describing the impact that the mere idea of the beloved has on the singer. She admits to the slow passage of time when the beloved is not near, indicating the degree of anticipation or longing that she feels for them. The last two lines are particularly significant, as they reveal that the mere thought of the beloved, without any physical presence or contact, is all-consuming for the singer. This reinforces the idea of love being a powerful and transformative force in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
The very thought of you and I forget to do
When I think of you, I become so lost in my thoughts that I forget about my responsibilities.
The very ordinary things that everyone ought to do
I forget to do simple, everyday tasks because all I can think about is you.
I'm living in a kind of daydream
I am so consumed with thoughts of you that I feel like I am living in a dream state.
I'm happy as a queen
Thinking of you brings me immense joy, making me feel as though I am royalty.
And foolish as it may seem
To others, my obsession with you may seem ridiculous.
To me that's everything
Despite what others may think, thinking of you is everything to me.
The mere idea of you, the longing here for you
Just the thought of you fills me with intense desire and longing.
You'll never know how slow the moments go till I'm near to you
When I am away from you, it feels as though time moves at a snail's pace, and I can only feel normal once I am near you.
I see your face in every flower
Every flower I see reminds me of your face.
And your eyes in stars above
The stars in the sky remind me of your eyes.
It's just the thought of you
The mere thought of you is enough to bring me joy and comfort.
The very thought of you, my love
Thinking of you fills me with love and longing.
My love
I love you deeply.
My love
I love you deeply.
My love
I love you deeply.
My love
I love you deeply.
Writer(s): Ray Noble
Contributed by Lucas Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.