Her albums, recorded with musicians including her brother, bassist David Seidel, have been nominated for prizes such as the ARIA Music Awards. Her album Moon of Manakoora won the Bell Award for Best Australian Jazz Vocal Album in 2006.
Seidel was described as a "virtual institution" in her country. She was a music teacher at Sydney Girls High School.
She died on 8 August 2017 after a battle against cancer.
Discography
1994 Little Jazz Bird
1994 Winter Moon
1995 Doodlin
1997 The Art of Lounge
1998 The Way You Wear Your Hat
1999 The Art of Lounge Volume 2
2000 Love Letters
2001 Doris & Me
2002 Dont Smoke in Bed
2003 Comme Ci, Comme Ça
2003 The Art of Lounge Volume 3
2004 Dear Blossom
2004 Hooray for Christmas
2005 Moon of Manakoora
2005 Delovely
2007 We Get Requests
2007 Charade – Henry Mancini Song Book
2011 Janet Seidel – Live in Taipai (DVD)
Windmills of Your Mind
Janet Seidel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel
Like a snowball down a mountain, or a carnival balloon
Like a carousel that's turning running rings around the moon
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes of its face
And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind!
Down a hollow to a cavern where the sun has never shone
Like a door that keeps revolving in a half forgotten dream
Or the ripples from a pebble someone tosses in a stream
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes of its face
And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind!
Keys that jingle in your pocket, words that jangle in your head
Why did summer go so quickly, was it something that you said?
Lovers walking along a shore and leave their footprints in the sand
Is the sound of distant drumming just the fingers of your hand?
Pictures hanging in a hallway and the fragment of a song
Half remembered names and faces, but to whom do they belong?
When you knew that it was over you were suddenly aware
That the autumn leaves were turning to the color of her hair!
Like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel
As the images unwind, like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind!
The lyrics of Janet Seidel's Windmills of Your Mind is a poetic exploration of the concept of cyclical nature of life. The song uses a series of metaphorical images to illustrate the idea of life's circular motion and how it can sometimes feel like an endless cycle of repetition. The opening lines, "Round like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel," sets the tone for the song's exploration of circularity. The song goes on to describe various images that evoke the idea of circular motion and repetition. Examples include "never ending or beginning on an ever-spinning reel" and "like a snowball down a mountain."
The song's central metaphor is the "windmills of your mind," which refers to the circular and repetitive thought patterns that one can experience. The lyrics suggest that these patterns can be both comforting and confounding, as they can lead to a sense of familiarity and stability, but can also feel like a trap. The final verse makes reference to the idea that these circular patterns can also be triggered by external events, such as the changing of the seasons, the passing of time, and the memories of past loves.
Line by Line Meaning
Round like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel
The complexities of life and our thoughts are interconnected and constantly repeating.
Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel
Life is a continuous cycle of ups and downs, with no real beginning or end.
Like a snowball down a mountain, or a carnival balloon
Life's journey can be unpredictable and swift, like a rolling snowball or an untethered balloon.
Like a carousel that's turning running rings around the moon
Life can resemble a carousel, forever spinning and going nowhere, like rings around the moon.
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes of its face
Time passes by quickly, like the steady sweep of a clock's hands.
And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space
The world is constantly in motion, yet it remains silent and enigmatic like the serenely orbiting apple.
Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind!
Our thoughts take us down winding paths that loop back upon themselves, like the circular motion of windmill blades.
Like a tunnel that you follow to a tunnel of its own
Thoughts can lead to a deeper and more complex layer of thoughts, like a tunnel leading to another tunnel.
Down a hollow to a cavern where the sun has never shone
Our thoughts can reveal dark and uncharted territories, like a cavern devoid of sunlight.
Like a door that keeps revolving in a half forgotten dream
Memories can be fleeting and elusive, like a door that keeps spinning in our minds.
Or the ripples from a pebble someone tosses in a stream
Our actions can have ripple effects that extend beyond what we can see, like the spreading ripples from a tossed pebble.
Keys that jingle in your pocket, words that jangle in your head
Everyday items like keys and words can take on greater significance in our minds.
Why did summer go so quickly, was it something that you said?
Time passes quickly and we often question what we did or did not do to make it go so fast.
Lovers walking along a shore and leave their footprints in the sand
Love leaves a lasting imprint on our lives, like footprints in the sand.
Is the sound of distant drumming just the fingers of your hand?
Sometimes our thoughts can play tricks on us, like hearing distant drumming that is really just the sound of our own fingers.
Pictures hanging in a hallway and the fragment of a song
Memories can be triggered by everyday sights and sounds, like pictures and fragments of songs.
Half remembered names and faces, but to whom do they belong?
Memories can be elusive and we often struggle to make sense of them, like half-remembered names and faces.
When you knew that it was over you were suddenly aware
Realizing that a chapter in our lives has come to an end can be jarring and abrupt.
That the autumn leaves were turning to the color of her hair!
Even everyday occurrences like the changing of the seasons can take on deeper meaning and significance.
As the images unwind, like the circles that you find
Our thoughts and memories unravel in a circular motion, with no definitive beginning or end.
In the windmills of your mind!
Our minds are like the rotating blades of a windmill, constantly spinning and processing our thoughts and memories.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Marilyn Bergman, Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind