Garrett has performed across the whole world and has also sung opera and pop classics with Bryan Ferry, The Eurythmics and Mick Hucknall to celebrate the arrival of the new century on Millennium Eve, in the grounds at the Royal Observatory and National Maritime Museum.
She played the lead role of Hanna Glawari, in the Welsh National Opera's production of The Merry Widow, which toured the United Kingdom in 2005. As of November 2006, Garrett was performing as Mother Abbess for six months, in Andrew Lloyd Webber's revival of The Sound of Music.
As a recording artist, Garrett has released eleven solo albums. Many of her albums have received gold and silver status. Soprano in Red received the Gramophone Award for "Best-selling Classical Artist of the Year". Garrett was also a featured artist on the platinum selling Perfect Day single released by the BBC in aid of Children in Need.
Garrett is a member of the board of the English National Opera. In 2002, she was awarded the CBE for services to music.
She is also a presenter on the UK commercial radio station "Classic FM".
Somewhere
Lesley Garrett Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
And the raindrops tumble all around
Heaven opens a magic lane
When all the clouds darken up the skyway
There's a rainbow highway to be found
Leading from your windowpane
Just a step beyond the rain
Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
There's a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true
Some day I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemondrops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me
Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?
Some day I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemondrops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me
Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?
The lyrics of Lesley Garrett's song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" paint a picture of hope and optimism in the face of life's challenges. The opening lines describe a world filled with chaos and uncertainty, where raindrops fall all around. In this hopeless jumble, the singer finds solace in the idea that heaven opens a magical lane, offering a glimpse of something brighter beyond the current turmoil.
As the lyrics progress, the imagery shifts to a scene where clouds darken the sky, but a rainbow highway appears, leading from the windowpane to a place behind the sun, just beyond the rain. This symbolizes a journey towards a place of peace and beauty, away from the stormy skies of reality.
The chorus of the song introduces the iconic image of "Somewhere over the rainbow" as a land high up in the sky, a place that the singer has only heard of in lullabies. This mythical land is described as a place where dreams come true, where skies are blue, and where troubles seem to vanish like lemon drops.
The repeated refrain about wishing upon a star and escaping to a place where troubles are left behind evokes a sense of longing and yearning for a better existence. The image of bluebirds flying over the rainbow symbolizes freedom and the possibility of transcending earthly limitations. The final lines of the song ponder why the singer cannot join the birds in flying over the rainbow, hinting at the eternal human quest for happiness and fulfillment beyond the confines of everyday reality.
Lyrics © CONSALAD CO., Ltd., O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: Yip Harburg, Harold Arlen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
G6JPG
Very strange with the dancers! Not bad - just unusual; I wonder whose idea it was.
Alan Rayner
Quality programme the BBC is not capable of bringing to us now it seems.