Madeleine Peyroux is a jazz singer who was born in 1974 in Athens, Georgia,… Read Full Bio ↴Madeleine Peyroux is a jazz singer who was born in 1974 in Athens, Georgia, USA, and raised in New York City and Paris, France. She is noted for her vocal style, which is highly reminiscent of Billie Holiday. Madeleine also has qualities similar to Ella Fitzgerald. Though Peyroux may remind some listeners of Holiday, there are differences, and she has her own sense of phrasing and interpretation.

Peyroux started singing at the age of fifteen, when she discovered street musicians in the Latin Quarter in Paris. She joined a group called the Riverboat Shufflers, first passing round the hat, and then singing. At sixteen she joined the The Lost Wandering Blues and Jazz Band, spending two years touring Europe performing songs by the likes of Fats Waller, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and others, which provided the basis for her first album, Dreamland.

Dreamland was released in 1996, and gained widespread attention. Time called it "the most exciting, involving vocal performance by a new singer this year". Dreamland, is a brilliant recording, as Peyroux's distinctive voice is not hindered by overly intricate arrangements. Most of the accompaniment on the record is light and sparse, the way it should be for a singer with such a unique voice. Peyroux soon found herself opening for Sarah McLachlan and Cesária Évora, and made appearances at jazz festivals and on the Lilith Fair tour.

In May 2002 she joined multi-instrumentalist William Galison, and together they appeared at such venues as the Bottom Line, Joe's Pub, and the Tin Angel. In 2003 the duo released a seven-song EP entitled Got You on My Mind, which they sold at shows and online. Got You on My Mind was re-released by William Galison in August 2004; the original EP was expanded by the addition of four tracks by Gallison.

Peyroux released her own sophomore effort, Careless Love, in September 2004. The album received generally positive reviews.

Her new album, Half the Perfect World, was released on September 12, 2006. She collaborated with several artists, including Jesse Harris, Walter Becker, Larry Klein (who also produced the album), and K.d. lang, with whom Peyroux duets on a cover of the Joni Mitchell song, "River".

On July 12, 2007, she was awarded Best International Jazz Artist at the BBC Jazz Awards.

I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Love Song
Madeleine Peyroux Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm gonna sit right down and write myself a letter
And make believe it came from you
I'm gonna write words, oh, so sweet
They're gonna knock me off my feet
Kisses on the bottom
I'll be glad I've got 'em

I'm gonna smile and say "I hope you're feelin' better"

And sign "with love" the way you do
I'm gonna sit right down and write myself a letter
And make believe it came from you

I'm gonna sit right down and write myself a letter
And make believe it came from you
I'm gonna write words oh, so sweet
They're gonna knock me off my feet
Kisses on the bottom
I'll be glad I've got 'em

I'm gonna smile and say "I hope you're feelin' better"
And sign "with love" the way you do
I'm gonna sit right down write myself a letter

And make believe it came from you
And make believe it came from you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "I'm gonna sit right down and write myself a letter" by Madeleine Peyroux depict a person who is missing their loved one and resorts to writing a letter to themselves to fill the void. The person decides to make believe that the letter came from their significant other, using words so sweet that they knock them off their feet. The person signs the letter "with love" in the way their significant other does, and hopes that the letter will make them feel better.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm gonna sit right down and write myself a letter
I am going to take the time to write a personal letter directly to myself.

And make believe it came from you
I am going to pretend as if the letter is from someone else for the sake of enjoying the act of receiving a message.

I'm gonna write words, oh, so sweet
I will choose to put positive energy into my writing, expressing kind and encouraging words to myself.

They're gonna knock me off my feet
The words I write to myself are going to have a powerful and positive impact on me, leaving me feeling overwhelmed with emotion.

Kisses on the bottom
Refers to the signature at the closing of the letter, which may also include an expression of love or affection.

I'll be glad I've got 'em
The author will be pleased that they have taken the time to remind themselves that they are loved and cared for by themselves.

I'm gonna smile and say "I hope you're feelin' better"
Through the act of writing this letter, the author is able to acknowledge their own feelings and provide themselves with a sense of comfort and hope.

And sign "with love" the way you do
The author will use a familiar signature and tone to add to the illusion that the letter has come from somebody else.

And make believe it came from you
Reinforcement of the idea that the letter is being written to add to the illusion that it is from someone else.

Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: FRED AHLERT, JOSEPH YOUNG

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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