In 1983, she travelled to Toronto to seek a musical career. In 1986, she founded a trio with bassist David Piltch and pianist Aaron Davis. Offered a record deal in 1989, the Holly Cole Trio released an EP, Christmas Blues, that year, which featured a version of The Pretenders' "2,000 Miles". This was followed by their first full album, Girl Talk, in 1990.
A succession of releases followed through the early 1990s. For example, 1991's Blame It On My Youth, covered songs by Tom Waits ("Purple Avenue", aka "Empty Pockets"), Lyle Lovett ("God Will"), includes show tunes such as "If I Were a Bell" (from Guys and Dolls) and "On the Street Where You Live" (from My Fair Lady), and even remakes "Trust In Me", from Disney's The Jungle Book, into a strikingly sultry and sinister song of seduction and death. Also recorded in this period was "Alison", a reinterpretation of Elvis Costello's original.
Following 1993's Don't Smoke in Bed, the trio released a CD entirely of songs by Tom Waits, called Temptation. With this 1995 release, the "Trio" was dropped from the group's name.
Cole next went into a two-album flirtation with pop music, perhaps keeping with the "diva" fad of the late 90s. These albums, Dark Dear Heart (1997) and Romantically Helpless (2000) veered further from jazz by introducing pop elements to Cole's sound.
In 2001, she returned to the Christmas jazz roots of her first CD with Baby It's Cold Outside, which included such should-be classics as "Christmas Time is Here" (from A Charlie Brown Christmas), "Santa Baby", and the title track. Swapping cold for hot, she moved to a Summer theme in 2003's Shade, this time reinterpreting Cole Porter ("Too Darn Hot"), Irving Berlin ("Heatwave"), and The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson ("God Only Knows").
Cole's latest album, Holly Cole (originally entitled This House Is Haunted) was released in Canada in March 2007. It was released in the US in January 2008 and was followed by a US tour.
Cole tours frequently, particularly around the holiday season, in Canada. She was also a part of the 1999 Lilith Fair tour.
The Tennessee Waltz
Holly Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the Tennessee Waltz
When an old friend I happened to meet
I introduced her to my sweetheart
While they were dancing
My friend stole my sweetheart from me
And the Tennessee Waltz
Only you know how much I have lost
I have lost my only sweetheart
The night they were playing
The beautiful Tennessee Waltz
Well, I remember that night
And the Tennessee Waltz
Now I know just how much I have lost
I have lost my only sweetheart
The night they were playing
The beautiful Tennessee Waltz
That beautiful Tennessee Waltz
The Holly Cole's song The Tennessee Waltz is a beautifully tragic love ballad that speaks of heartbreak and betrayal. The song's lyrics describe a sweet moment of dancing with a lover before an old friend enters the picture and steals that lover away. The singer of the song recounts the night with a hint of nostalgia and sadness, reminiscing on the fateful night when the Tennessee Waltz was playing and realizing just how much they have lost.
The melody of the song is a nod to the popular waltz dance style of the time, which makes the betrayal all the more tragic. The mood of the song is melancholic and reflective, with the singer looking back on the night with a deep sense of loss. The lyrics only add to the emotion of the song, painting a picture of two lovers who were stolen away in a moment of pure happiness, never to be reunited again.
Line by Line Meaning
I was waltzing with my darling
I was dancing with my beloved.
To the Tennessee Waltz
We were dancing to the tune of the Tennessee Waltz, a popular song and dance in Tennessee.
When an old friend I happened to meet
When I coincidentally ran into an old friend.
I introduced her to my sweetheart
I introduced my friend to my beloved as we were dancing.
While they were dancing
When my friend and my beloved were dancing together.
My friend stole my sweetheart from me
My friend took my beloved away from me.
Well, I remember the night
I have a clear memory of that particular night.
And the Tennessee Waltz
We were dancing to the tune of the Tennessee Waltz, a song that reminds me of that night.
Only you know how much I have lost
I have lost something invaluable and you are the only one who truly knows my loss.
I have lost my only sweetheart
I have lost the only person I loved.
The night they were playing
The night we were all dancing and the music was playing.
The beautiful Tennessee Waltz
The lovely melody of the Tennessee Waltz.
Now I know just how much I have lost
I have realized the true extent of my loss.
That beautiful Tennessee Waltz
The song that is a bittersweet reminder of the night I lost my beloved.
Contributed by Benjamin I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.