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.
The Things I've Seen Today
Madeleine Peyroux Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Some memories
A word cannot explain
They last too long
Or they fade too fast
Beginnings change
And endings wane
They lack effect
And cause
At times they seem so poor
All they give is pause
I'd seen before
Likely in that way
They′ll be back once more
Some sunny days
The scene unfolds a trace
In this game where the player has no face
He plays a hand that lost
Just to understand at any cost
Don't have a name
Some memories a word cannot explain
But when I finally land
Across that line
Please remember me as one who tried her mind
Every time.
Madeleine Peyroux's song The Things I've Seen Today is a reflection on memories and their strange effects on our lives. The lyrics express the idea that memories are elusive, difficult to define, yet powerful enough to shape our lives. The song starts with a quiet, haunting melody, with Peyroux's voice almost whispering the first lines, "Don't have a name, some memories a word cannot explain". The use of polysyndeton, "and" between "they last too long" and "they fade too fast", emphasizes the overwhelming power of memories over the singer's life.
Peyroux highlights the contradictory nature of memories by suggesting that they "lack effect and cause" despite their impact. The line "all they give is pause" is particularly significant as it suggests that memories can sometimes halt our lives, trapping us in nostalgia and regret. The last verse of the song introduces the idea that memories can also be a source of inspiration, a way to understand life better. The singer hopes to be remembered as someone who tried to understand the world through her experiences, even when they were painful.
Overall, The Things I've Seen Today is a thoughtful meditation on the complexity of memory and its role in shaping our lives. Peyroux's gentle voice and the melancholic melody evoke a sense of wistfulness, amplifying the power of the lyrics. The song ends with a long instrumental section, perhaps suggesting that memories continue to exist even when words fail.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't have a name
I can't put a name to these memories
Some memories
These are memories that I hold
A word cannot explain
I can't fully express with words how I feel about them
They last too long
Some memories stick around longer than I want them to
Or they fade too fast
Other memories disappear quicker than I'd like them to
Beginnings change
The way things started isn't always the way they end up
And endings wane
The impact an ending has can lessen over time
They lack effect
Some memories don't really have much effect on me
And cause
Or a reason for happening
At times they seem so poor
Sometimes the memories aren't all that great
All they give is pause
All they do is make me stop and think
I'd seen before
I've experienced things like this before
Likely in that way
It's possible that the memories will come back in a similar way
They'll be back once more
The memories may resurface again
Some sunny days
Occasionally, the weather is nice
The scene unfolds a trace
I'm reminded of a past scene in my mind
In this game where the player has no face
Life can feel like a game where you never really know who's involved
He plays a hand that lost
Sometimes you try something and it doesn't work out
Just to understand at any cost
But you do it anyway in hopes of gaining understanding
But when I finally land
But someday, when my time comes
Across that line
After passing on from this life
Please remember me as one who tried her mind
I hope people remember me as someone who used her mind and tried to make sense of things
Every time
With every memory and experience in life
Writer(s): Scheinman Jenny, Peyroux Madeleine E
Contributed by Noah A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@scottperriemusic
So good! great band and I love your voice. Xo
@jcayer2
Great song !!!
@Alexsandro-yd4jf
Em tempo de pandemia nada melhor do que um bom jazz.
@SuperGene131
I love !
@daiduongdao
she's the closest thing we can get to Billie Holiday
@MariaPV83
lovely
@leftinthefield
she's nothing like Holiday. She's something different. Something New with a specific style. Holiday was what she was. Peyroux is what she is. They're not comparable..
@hamdelsun68
Say what you want, her voice is VERY similar to Billie Holliday's, I thought it was some modern mix of Billiie's work the first time I heard her music. She has that exact same, distinctive warble of Billiie's, don't know how else to describe it. And she is also like Billie in her approach to her music, meaning, she plays just what she wants. I respect that!
It's been 9 years, since your post, so anyway, music is whatever peoples minds attach to it and it's all their's to interpret it as they wish. That's the great thing about art, nobody can tell you, what you, should think about it. At least, I hope not.
Be well.
STAY FREE ❤
@Skipperj
I didn't know that Jon Herington played guitar for Madeleine.He was playing for Steely Dan.I guess they have to go wherever their needed.
@AtaJafari
Wish Marc Ribot was there too..