He was an accomplished instrumentalist and composer, who played keyboards, guitars, drums, bass and cellos, as well as singing vocals. His talents also extended to producer. He toured with Eddie Money before winning the Yamaha songwriting competition with his progressive rock group Giraffe. Producer Patrick Leonard was impressed with Gilbert's performance at the competition and invited him to join him in forming a new band which became Toy Matinee. During this time, Gilbert worked on the projects of several established pop musicians, including Madonna, Michael Jackson and produced Keith Emerson's album Changing States.
The lone Toy Matinee album was released in 1990 but effectively shelved by the record company, so Gilbert assembled a new backing band to promote the album, eventually getting two successful singles released: "The Ballad of Jenny Ledge" and "Last Plane Out".
Later, Gilbert was part of a songwriting collective (called "The Tuesday Music Club") that met at producer Bill Bottrell's studio in Pasadena, California. After he began bringing his then girlfriend Sheryl Crow to the sessions, the result was Crow's debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club. Gilbert co-wrote many of the songs on that album, including 1995 Grammy Record of the Year "All I Wanna Do." Crow later acrimoniously split with most of the musicians in the collective and only Bottrell was involved in her follow-up album. Meanwhile the remainder of the collective worked with singer-songwriters Susanna Hoffs and Linda Perry on two more albums.
Gilbert continued to work in television and movie soundtrack work as well as studio work and producing and eventually released his first solo album Thud(1995) as well as partially reforming Giraffe to perform the Genesis masterpiece "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" at Progfest 94. Gilbert's manager sent a copy of the recording to Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford who were searching for a new Genesis front man to replace Phil Collins. His manager was coming to Gilbert's home to tell him that he had managed to get him an audition when he discovered him dead.
Gilbert's second solo album, The Shaming of the True was released posthumously. The album was largely incomplete, but Gilbert's estate asked Spock's Beard drummer Nick D'Virgilio to complete it based on the extant tapes and Gilbert's notes. A live album (composed mostly of songs from Thud), and a compilation of Giraffe material that Gilbert had been working on and an "industrial" album with Gilbert's latest group, Kaviar have also been released in the years since his death. His estate has promised two more posthumous studio albums and a live performance from Gilbert's promotional group for Toy Matinee.
Discography:
N.R.G. - No Reasons Given (1984)
Giraffe - The Power Of Suggestion (1987)
Giraffe - The View From Here (1989)
Toy Matinee - Toy Matinee (1990; remastered & rereleased 2001)
Sheryl Crow - Tuesday Night Music Club (1993)
Kevin Gilbert - Thud (1995)
Giraffe - Giraffe (1999)
Kevin Gilbert & Thud - Live at the Troubadour (1999)
Kevin Gilbert - The Shaming of the True (2000)
Kaviar - The Kaviar Sessions (2002)
Kevin Gilbert - Nuts (2009)
Kevin Gilbert - Bolts (2009)
Kevin Gilbert - Performs Toy Matinee Live (2010)
Kevin Gilbert - Toy Matinee Acoustic Rehearsal (2014)
Tea For One
Kevin Gilbert Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never the one to take a stand
Convinced to the bone
That he's happier alone
And to justify the part
Keeps a closely guarded heart
Standing amidst the subway
He spies the lady of his dreams
Long enough to make him care
"Oh my Lord, if Beauty has a name
Then hers must be the same..."
Lights upon empty rooms
Home too soon
Somewhere inside he burns
It looks like tea for one again
He sees her every day now
And each day he walks her to her door
But ever polite
He still sleeps alone at night
He keeps desire at bay
Afraid to change his way
Lights upon empty rooms
Home too soon
Somewhere inside he burns
It looks like tea for one again
Grey Monday evening finds him
Making their usual stops alone
Where can she be?
He just had to go and see
And there's roses in his hand
For his new romantic plans
Caught in the pouring rain
He crouches beneath her awning
And there through the screen
Spies his lady of esteem
Not alone
And there's rapture on her face
Within a man's embrace.
Lights upon empty rooms
Home too soon
Somewhere inside he burns
It looks like tea for one again
In Kevin Gilbert's song "Tea For One," the singer Duncan is portrayed as someone who is cautious and reluctant to take risks. He is convinced that he is happier being alone and keeps his heart guarded to justify this belief. However, when he spots a woman that he is attracted to in a subway, he starts to care for her. Despite his fear of changing his way, he starts to walk her to her door every day but remains polite and still sleeps alone at night. Duncan is afraid of desire and has trouble expressing it, which leads to him being alone again with tea for one.
The lyrics of "Tea For One" beautifully capture the fear of vulnerability and the struggle to connect with others. The portrayal of Duncan is a relatable and powerful representation of the loneliness that many people experience. Duncan's journey from being cautious and guarded to showing romantic gestures is empowering as it suggests that even the most hesitant individuals can overcome their fears and take a chance at love.
Line by Line Meaning
Duncan was always cautious
Duncan was known for being careful in making decisions and rarely took risks
Never the one to take a stand
He was never the one to voice his opinion or take a firm position on any issue
Convinced to the bone
He believed strongly in being alone and preferred it over being in a relationship
That he's happier alone
He believed that he is much happier living alone than being with someone
And to justify the part
To support his stance, he keeps himself guarded and unwilling to open up to anyone
Keeps a closely guarded heart
He is reserved and keeps his emotions hidden
Standing amidst the subway
Duncan finds himself in the midst of a subway station
He spies the lady of his dreams
He sees a woman who he believes is perfect for him
And catches her stare
The woman unexpectedly looks at him and he returns her gaze
Long enough to make him care
Duncan becomes interested in this woman on a romantic level
"Oh my Lord, if Beauty has a name
Then hers must be the same..."
He admires her physical beauty to the point of seeing her as gorgeous beyond compare
Lights upon empty rooms
He is all alone and feeling lonely
Home too soon
He arrives at his dwelling earlier than he'd prefer
Somewhere inside he burns
He feels restless and frustrated inside
It looks like tea for one again
He's going to indulge in tea alone once more
He sees her every day now
Duncan comes across the woman he admires on a regular basis
And each day he walks her to her door
He makes it a habit to accompany her to her residence
But ever polite
He's always polite in his interaction with her
He still sleeps alone at night
Despite walking her home, he doesn't have a closer relationship with the woman and thus remains single
He keeps desire at bay
He's suppressing his feelings of desire for her
Afraid to change his way
He's hesitant to deviate from his current lifestyle, including his preference for living alone
Grey Monday evening finds him
He is out and about on a dull, gray Monday evening
Making their usual stops alone
He is stopping at their usual places, but is by himself
Where can she be?
He is trying to locate the woman he admires
He just had to go and see
He's so curious that he has to attempt to find her
And there's roses in his hand
He has a bouquet of roses with him
For his new romantic plans
He has a plan to pursue a romantic relationship with the woman he admires
Caught in the pouring rain
He's caught in heavy rainfall
He crouches beneath her awning
He finds shelter below the awning at the entrance of the woman's residence
And there through the screen
He manages to look at the woman through a screen or window
Spies his lady of esteem
He sees the woman he admires and respects
Not alone
The woman is with a man at her home
And there's rapture on her face
She has a facial expression of intense pleasure or joy with the man she is with
Within a man's embrace.
She is being embraced warmly by the man she is with
Contributed by John N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.