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.

Once in a While
Madeleine Peyroux Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

From bad luck
I'm walking away
I'm not getting stuck
I'm not gonna stay
To good things
I'm moving ahead
I'm tired of dying
I'm living instead

Once in a while I'll wake up
Wondering why we gave up
But once in a while
Comes and it fades away

The sun's up and lighting the sky
I never could see it
It just passed me by
Good things keep moving along
I'm not looking backward
For something that's gone

Once in a while I'll wake up
Wondering why we gave up
But once and a while
Comes and fades away

I don't know what love is
I'm selfish and lazy
And when I get scared
I can act like I'm crazy

When I think of your kisses
I'm still gonna smile
I'm still gonna miss you
Once in a while
Once in a while

Once in a while I'll wake up
Wondering why we gave up
But once in a while
Comes and it fades away

Good things keep moving ahead

I'm tired of dying
I'm living instead

Overall Meaning

This song, which was released in 2004, speaks of moving on from a bad relationship and choosing to focus on the good things in life instead. The first verse describes the singer's decision to walk away from bad luck and not get stuck in difficult situations. She is moving forward towards good things as she is tired of suffering and is now choosing to live instead. The second verse talks about the beauty of the morning sky that the singer never paid attention to before but can see now that she has moved on from the past. She is determined to not look back, instead, she is focusing on things that are ahead of her.

The chorus talks about the singer's occasional moments of weakness where she wakes up and thinks about her past relationship and wonders why they gave up. However, she is quick to realize that these thoughts are fleeting and easily fade away. The bridge reveals the singer's flaws as she admits to being selfish, lazy, and sometimes crazy when she is scared. However, she still misses her past love and thinks of their kisses with a smile, albeit occasionally.

Overall, "Once In A While" is a song about realizing the toxicity of a past relationship and choosing to move on to better things while acknowledging that the occasional memories of their past love still linger.

Line by Line Meaning

From bad luck
Starting from a rough patch in life

I'm walking away
Leaving behind the problems

I'm not getting stuck
Not letting the past hold me back

I'm not gonna stay
Refusing to dwell on the negative

To good things
Looking forward to better opportunities

I'm moving ahead
Making progress towards new goals

I'm tired of dying
No longer willing to let life bring me down

I'm living instead
Choosing to enjoy life and be happy

Once in a while I'll wake up
Occasionally reflecting on the past

Wondering why we gave up
Questioning why a relationship ended

But once in a while
Those thoughts are fleeting