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.

No more
Madeleine Peyroux Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You ain't gonna bother me
No more
Nohow
Love just goes so far
No more
Woke up this morning and found
I didn't care for you
No more

Not now

Never felt so good before
You're down to my size
It's over and done
So honey, step down from your throne
That look in your eyes
Don't bother me none
Can take you or leave you alone

From my window
Skys ain't grey
No more
Not now
Here's the day
That I've been waiting for
Got only one heart
One heart with no spares
Must save it for loving
Somebody who cares
So you ain't gonna bother me
No more, no more

Got only one heart
One heart with no spares
Must save it for loving
Somebody who cares

So you ain't gonna bother me
No more, no more

Overall Meaning

The song "No More" by Madeleine Peyroux captures a moment of liberation after a failed relationship. The lyrics express the singer's newfound indifference towards her former lover. She declares that he won't bother her anymore, and that her love for him has run its course. The confident tone in her voice suggests that she has moved on from heartbreak and has found inner strength. She describes seeing the world in a different light, and that the skies are no longer grey. She sings about having only one heart, and that she will save it for someone who truly cares for her.

The song's message resonates with many who have suffered from broken relationships. It serves as a reminder that there is life after heartbreak and that one can find hope for the future. Madeleine Peyroux's soothing voice and the melody's slow tempo create a serene atmosphere that captures the singer's peace of mind. The use of repetition of the phrase "No more" emphasizes that the singer has reached a point of finality and closure, and that her former lover holds no power over her anymore. The song ends with the assertion that the singer has only one heart and will save it for someone who truly cares.

Line by Line Meaning

You ain't gonna bother me
You will no longer be able to disturb me

No more
I am done with you forever

Nohow
Absolutely not

Love just goes so far
Love is limited and cannot always fix everything

No more
I am finished with you

Woke up this morning and found
Realized with clarity

I didn't care for you
I no longer have feelings for you

No more
It's over, I'm done

Not now
Not at this time, and never again

Never felt so good before
I have never felt better

You're down to my size
You are no longer superior to me