In 1983, acclaimed American jazz pianist Keith Jarrett asked bassist Gary P… Read Full Bio ↴In 1983, acclaimed American jazz pianist Keith Jarrett asked bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette (the latter his colleague in the Charles Lloyd Quartet of the late 1960s) to record an album of jazz standards that was released simply entitled Standards, Volume 1. The three had previously worked on Peacock's 1977 album Tales of Another.

Standards, Volume 2 and Changes, both recorded at the same session in New York, followed soon after. The success of these albums and the group's ensuing tour, which came as traditional acoustic post-bop was enjoying an upswing in the early 1980s, led to this new "Standards Trio" becoming one of the premier working groups in jazz, and certainly one of the most enduring, continuing to record and perform live over more than twenty years.

The Jarrett/Peacock/DeJohnette trio has also produced recordings that consist largely of challenging original material, most notably 1987's Changeless. (These recordings are noted above.) Several of the standards albums contain an original track or two, some attributed to Jarrett but mostly group improvisations. The live recordings Inside Out and Always Let Me Go (both released in 2001) marked a renewed interest by the trio in wholly improvised free jazz. By this point in their history, the musical communication between these three men had become all but telepathic, and their group improvisations frequently take on a complexity that sounds almost composed. The Standards Trio undertakes frequent world tours of recital halls (the only venues in which Jarrett, a notorious stickler for acoustic sound, will play these days) and is one of the few truly lucrative jazz groups to play both "straight-ahead" (as opposed to smooth) and free jazz.

The Way You Look Tonight
Keith Jarrett Trio Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Some day, when I'm awfully low,
When the world is cold,
I will feel a glow just thinking of you
And the way you look tonight.

Yes you're lovely, with your smile so warm
And your cheeks so soft,
There is nothing for me but to love you,

And the way you look tonight.

With each word your tenderness grows,
Tearing my fear apart
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,
It touches my foolish heart.

Lovely, never, ever change.
Keep that breathless charm.
Won't you please arrange it?
Cause I love you
Just the way you look tonight.

Mm, mm, mm, mm,
Just the way you look tonight

Overall Meaning

The song begins by setting the stage for a moment in the future. It speaks of a day when the singer is feeling low, and the world seems cold. It is in that moment that they will think of the person they are addressing, and recall the way they look tonight. This is a moment of comfort and warmth, as the mere thought of this person produces a glow and brings joy to the singer's heart.

The second stanza is an ode to the beauty of the person the singer is addressing. They are lovely, with a smile so warm and cheeks so soft that the singer cannot help but love them. It is through their tenderness that the singer's fear is torn apart, and even their laugh, which wrinkles their nose, touches the singer's foolish heart. The third stanza speaks of the singer's desire for this person to never change, and to keep their breathless charm. The way they look tonight is perfect, and the singer loves them just the way they are.

Overall, The Way You Look Tonight is a romantic love song that expresses the singer's love for the person they are addressing. It uses vivid imagery and a soft, soothing melody to convey a feeling of warmth and comfort.

Line by Line Meaning

Some day, when I'm awfully low,
On a future day when I’m feeling very sad,

When the world is cold,
When everything seems hopeless and unfriendly,

I will feel a glow just thinking of you
I will find comfort and happiness by thinking about you,

And the way you look tonight.
And the way you look on that special night I’ll never forget.

Yes you're lovely, with your smile so warm
You are truly beautiful, radiating warmth through your smile,

And your cheeks so soft,
With cheeks that are gentle to the touch,

There is nothing for me but to love you,
I have no choice but to love you,

And the way you look tonight.
And the way you looked that evening when we first met.

With each word your tenderness grows,
Your affection and fondness for me increases with each word you speak,

Tearing my fear apart
Making my anxieties and worries fade away,

And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,
And your amused laugh that makes your nose wrinkle,