Lucy was born in London, but was raised in Amsterdam and New York City. She has a very musical background: her British father is a composer and conductor and her New Yorker mother is a musicologist and an opera singer.
Raised on classical and Middle-Eastern music, Lucy studied piano and flute before asking for singing lessons at age 12. She attended a Bronx high school renowned for its music department and made her first recordings singing house music in her friends’ basements. She spent part of each summer in music camp and part in Holland, where she frequently locked herself up in her father’s studio and listened to jazz and old R&B records. At 16 she was accepted into the Manhattan School of Music to study jazz, but after a year decided to learn her songwriting and performing skills on her own. She spent the next few years performing in swing-organ trios, working as a session singer, waiting tables, and singing jazz standards in Greenwich Village restaurants. She started off singing in jazz cafes and singing for tips or dinner. "You sing with a piano player and a tip jar on top of the piano." She said in an interveiw on NZGirl.
In 2003 Lucy signed with Atlantic Records and recorded her debut album While You Can, out of which came the Top 40 hit “Dumb Girls,” produced by Kevin Kadish; other songs on the record were produced by John Shanks at Jim Henson Studios. Although her efforts won her some mainstream notoriety, making slick, radio-ready pop proved artistically unsatisfying for her.
The following year, Lucy was asked by producer friend Jaime Houston to record a version of the big-band tune "It's Oh So Quiet" for the Disney film Ice Princess. The song had originally been recorded by Betty Hutton in 1948 and was subsequently popularized by Björk. Lucy credits it as being a major creative turning point for her, one that inspired much of the writing in her second album.
Lucy began her musical reinvention on her second album, the independently released Lucy Woodward Is... Hot and Bothered (2007), a transitional effort that incorporated R&B grooves and electronic beats, while mining deep-rooted jazz influences. Hot and Bothered was produced by longtime collaborator Itaal Shur and Tim K. . Barnes & Noble named her “Artist of the Month” for August 2008. Released in 2007 on Atlantic, it was initially only available through iTunes, on July 29, 2008 getting a physical release exclusively through Barnes & Noble.
Lucy’s third album, Hooked!, was recorded at Stratosphere Sound in New York and Jim Henson Studios in Hollywood and released on Verve Records in 2010. It was largely produced by Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T-Rex), but included contributions by Justin Stanley (Nikka Costa, Sheryl Crow), Itaal Shur and Tim K. Lucy penned much of the record with songwriters Dan Petty and Michelle Lewis, claiming she had been inspired by the music of Peggy Lee and Django Reinhardt. One song on the album, “Another Woman,” was written for her by longtime inspiration Nellie McKay (also Verve), who is also featured on background vocals.
In 2011, Lucy was asked to tour with Pink Martini after the band’s singer China Forbes had to undergo vocal surgery. Her quick study of Pink Martini’s repertoire of Croatian, Japanese, French, English and Turkish songs did not go unnoticed in the music press. She toured cross-continent with the band for a number of concerts the same year, including performances at the Toronto and Montreal jazz festivals and Ravinia, as well as a three-night stint with the San Francisco Symphony (Donato Cabrera conducting).
http://www.lucywoodward.com
Babies
Lucy Woodward Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was only five but I knew
I'd rock her to sleep, say goodnight to the stars
Someday our dreams will come true
Big old world in front of me that asks me what I want to be
Every time all I would say is
Babies, I want babies
Babies, I want babies
Pudgy and sweet I knew they would complete me somehow
I want babies right now
I'm finally looking seventeen
But something's different about me
With the boys on the couch making out
Everybody's getting high and drank too much of daddy's wine
But all I am thinking about is
Babies, I want babies
To have and to hold and to save me
Babies, I want babies
Cute little feet, I knew they would complete me somehow
I want babies right now
Right now
Someone to spend all my days with
Something to fill all the spaces
I got myself a full time job
Been hardly in and out of love
Still I can't fill the space
Other things can lead to happiness
Lots of money and success
But all I keep thinking about is
Babies
Babies, precious little babies
Babies, screaming drooling babies
Babies, goo goo ga ga babies
Pudgy and sweet I knew they would complete me somehow
I want babies right now
Will someone knock me up now
The song "Babies" by Lucy Woodward is a heartfelt expression of the singer's longing for motherhood. The lyrics tell the story of a young girl who dreams of having babies from a very young age, and this dream seems to consume her even as she grows up. The song begins with the singer as a young girl. She sings about singing lullabies to a doll in her arms and dreaming of having babies someday. As she grows up, however, she becomes increasingly impatient to have children. When she is finally seventeen she finds that she is different from her peers, who are interested in partying and hooking up. Instead, she can only think of having babies.
The chorus of the song is a repeated declaration of her desire for motherhood. She sings, "Babies, I want babies. Pudgy and sweet I knew they would complete me somehow. I want babies right now." The lyrics are touching and poignant, as they capture the intense longing and desire for motherhood. The repetition of the word "babies" echoes the single-minded focus of the singer's dream. She wants nothing more than to have children, to be a mother, and fulfill her lifelong dream.
Line by Line Meaning
Singing lullabies to a doll in my arms
As a young child, I played pretend with a doll and sang it to sleep, foreshadowing my maternal instincts.
I was only five but I knew
Even at a young age, I had a strong desire to have children.
I'd rock her to sleep, say goodnight to the stars
I would nurture the doll as if it were a real baby, showing my natural affection for children.
Someday our dreams will come true
I had the hope and expectation that my dream of having children would eventually be fulfilled.
Big old world in front of me that asks me what I want to be
As a young person, I was asked what my aspirations are.
Every time all I would say is
Despite being asked about my future career, I only had one answer in mind.
Babies, I want babies
My sole desire in life is to have children.
I'd be the luckiest lady
If I were able to have children, I would feel infinitely blessed and happy.
Pudgy and sweet I knew they would complete me somehow
I believe that having children would fill a void in my life and bring me happiness.
I want babies right now
My desire to have children is urgent and immediate.
I'm finally looking seventeen
I am now a teenager, on the brink of adulthood.
But something's different about me
Despite being a teenager, my desire for children has not waned.
With the boys on the couch making out
My peers are engaging in teenage romance and physical intimacy.
Everybody's getting high and drank too much of daddy's wine
My peers are also experimenting with drugs and alcohol.
But all I am thinking about is
Despite the party atmosphere, my thoughts are solely on having children.
To have and to hold and to save me
I believe that having children would bring me comfort, companionship, and a sense of purpose.
Cute little feet, I knew they would complete me somehow
I believe that the joy of raising children would fill a void in my life and bring me a sense of completeness.
Someone to spend all my days with
I desire a constant companion, someone to spend all my time with.
Something to fill all the spaces
I feel that something is missing in my life, and I believe that children will fill that void.
I got myself a full time job
I have secured a steady source of income for myself.
Been hardly in and out of love
I have dated before, but have not found true love.
Still I can't fill the space
Despite my efforts to find fulfillment, I still feel empty without children.
Other things can lead to happiness
While I recognize that other things can bring people joy, my heart is set on having children.
Lots of money and success
Financial prosperity and accomplishments are not as important to me as having a family.
Babies, precious little babies
I find children to be one of the most precious and valuable things in life.
Babies, screaming drooling babies
Even the mess and chaos associated with raising children does not deter me from wanting them.
Babies, goo goo ga ga babies
I am enamored with all aspects of babyhood, from their coos and cries to their chubby cheeks.
Pudgy and sweet I knew they would complete me somehow
I am convinced that having children would fill a void in my life and bring me immeasurable joy.
I want babies right now
My desire to have children is urgent and immediate, and I am willing to do whatever it takes to make it a reality.
Will someone knock me up now
I am so eager to have children that I am even willing to use unconventional means to make it happen.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, SONGS OF MEDIA CREATURE
Written by: Lucy Woodward, Daniel C Petty, Michelle Robin Lewis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind