She was discovered in the summer of 1973 by record producer Tommy Scott, who was on holiday in Rothesay and heard her singing with her father and uncle in a band. Scott contacted impresario Phil Solomon, which led to his partner Dorothy Solomon’s becoming Zavaroni’s manager.
In 1974 Lena appeared on Opportunity Knocks hosted by Hughie Green and won the show for a record-breaking five weeks running.
Live performances quickly followed, including a show-stopping performance in a Hollywood charity show starring Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball as well as guest-starring on the “The Carol Burnett Show” (1967). She was even invited to go to the White House to sing for President Gerald Ford in 1974 and performed in the 1976 ‘Royal Variety Show’.
Notable TV appearances included “The Morecambe & Wise Show” (1968), “Hi! Summer” (1977), “The Val Doonican Show” (1970) and her own TV series called ‘Lena Zavaroni and Music’ (1979) and ‘Lena’ (1980 - 1982).
Lena developed anorexia and spent two years fighting this devastating illness from the age of 13 to 15, this became clinical depression which she had for the rest of her life.
Lena underwent a number of treatments for her depression but none of them seemed to help in the long team and so during September 1999 she underwent a surgical procedure called “Neurosurgery for Mental Disorder (NMD) but shortly after the Neurosurgery Lena contracted pneumonia while still in the hospital and died from it on October 1, 1999. She weighed less than five stone (70 lb, 32 kg).
Discography
Lena's debut album and single: Ma! He's Making Eyes at Me The single went to number 10 in the UK pop charts, and the album went to number 8.
Lena's second album: If My Friends Could See Me Now Pickwick releases a two record set. made up of Lena's first two albums called The Lena Zavaroni Collection
Lena's third album: Presenting Lena Zavaroni
Lena's fourth album: Songs Are Such Good Things
Lena's fifth album: Lena Zavaroni And Her Music
Lena's sixth and final album: Hold Tight, It's Lena
The End Of The World
Lena Zavaroni Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why does the sea rush to shore
Don't they know it's the end of the world
'Cause you don't love me any more
Why do the birds go on singing
Why do the stars glow above
Don't they know it's the end of the world
I wake up in the morning and I wonder
Why everything's the same as it was
I can't understand, no, I can't understand
How life goes on the way it does
Why does my heart go on beating
Why do these eyes of mine cry
Don't they know it's the end of the world
It ended when you said goodbye
Why does my heart go on beating
Why do these eyes of mine cry
Don't they know it's the end of the world
It ended when you said goodbye
The lyrics of Lena Zavaroni's song "The End of the World" reflects the heartbreak and despair of losing someone you love. The singer questions the meaning of life when her love has left her, wondering why everything around her seems to continue as normal. The repetition of the phrase "Why does...?" emphasizes her confusion and disbelief that the world keeps turning even though her world has shattered.
The image of the sun shining and the sea rushing to shore, along with the birds singing and the stars glowing, are all reminders of the beauty and constancy of the world, contrasting with the pain and chaos in the singer's heart. She cannot understand how life goes on, how her heart keeps beating and her eyes keep crying, when everything she knew and loved is gone.
The song is a powerful expression of grief and heartache, but it also suggests a deeper philosophical question about the meaning of life and the place of human love in the natural world. The singer's pain is individual and personal, but it also resonates with a universal human experience of loss and longing.
Line by Line Meaning
Why does the sun go on shining
Despite the heartbreak, the world around me appears the same and the sun continues to shine.
Why does the sea rush to shore
The sea still moves and crashes onto the beach, even though my world feels like it's falling apart.
Don't they know it's the end of the world
It seems strange to me that the world keeps moving on as normal when I am experiencing such intense heartache.
'Cause you don't love me any more
The reason for my misery is because the person I loved no longer returns those feelings.
Why do the birds go on singing
The birds are still singing their beautiful songs despite everything going wrong in my life.
Why do the stars glow above
The stars continue to twinkle and shine in the night sky, even though my heart is broken.
It ended when I lost your love
For me, the end of the world was the moment when the person I loved stopped loving me.
I wake up in the morning and I wonder
Every day, I wake up and question why life is still continuing on when everything feels so hopeless.
Why everything's the same as it was
Despite my world falling apart, everything else around me appears to stay the same.
I can't understand, no, I can't understand
I struggle to make sense of why life is continuing on as if nothing has happened despite my heartache.
Why does my heart go on beating
My heart continues to beat, even though I wish it would stop so I wouldn't have to feel so much pain.
Why do these eyes of mine cry
My eyes keep crying tears of sorrow, even as I try to hold back my emotions.
It ended when you said goodbye
The moment when the person I loved said goodbye was the end of the world for me, and I am left to pick up the pieces of my broken heart.
Don't they know it's the end of the world
The world appears to be continuing on as normal, even though it feels like everything in my life has come to an end.
Contributed by Lily O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@FincayraMerlin
This is perhaps the most expressive thing I've ever heard. It's hard to believe a child can put so much feeling into a song.
@DavidClementHorton
I knew her since she was about 17, and she still enjoyed singing this one. I now can't hear or sing it without thinking of her. She was amazing.
@HelloMrZebra
That was an amazing performance. Compare her here to the girls who've been on recent talent contests who they rave about on here. They don't even hold a candle to her. She had a much better voice and put such true feeling into it, even at such a young age. I think this is the best child performance I've ever seen.
@KeLynn343
OMG, she was really born-to-sing!her voice was just so amazing.
@PerisphereRec
Yeah....live, one take, no lip syncing, no digital auto-tune futzie-wutzie....ah, what a person can do with actual talent!
@sianchild
RIP Lena. I wish you'd had someone to save you from yourself, and to give you a proper childhood
@DavidClementHorton
Lena and I used to perform this one as a duet, with me harmonising. It is only recently that I can listen to it again.
@iveco321
it's easy to forget how talented and gifted the young lady was
@MizBabyGirl
What a talented singer!!
@celticbro1
Thanks for posting this. What an incredible voice. A much missed singer.