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.

This Is Heaven To Me
Madeleine Peyroux Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When I hear them say
There's better living
Let them go their way
To that new living
I won't ever stray
'Cause this is heaven to me

Long as freedom grows

I want to seek it
If it's yes or no
It's me who'll speak it
'Cause the lord, He knows
That this is heaven to me

If you've got your hands
And got your feet
To sing your song
All through the street
You raise your head
When night is done
Shout your thanks up to the sun

So when I hear them say
There's better living
Let them go their way
To that new living
I won't ever stray

'Cause this is heaven to me
'Cause this is heaven to me

Overall Meaning

The song "This Is Heaven To Me" by Madeleine Peyroux speaks of the singer's contentment with her current state of living, despite being told that there may be better options out there. She acknowledges that while others may choose to pursue new and improved circumstances, she will remain steadfast in her current situation because it is "heaven to [her]."

The lyrics also touch on the importance of freedom, both in a literal and metaphorical sense. The singer declares her desire to seek out freedom whenever and wherever possible, and to speak her mind regardless of the outcome. She believes that this pursuit of personal liberty is core to her idea of "heaven."

Furthermore, the lyrics speak of the power of music and expression, and the ability to raise one's head and "shout [their] thanks up to the sun" after singing their song all throughout the street. This is a powerful metaphor for the joy and fulfillment that can come from finding one's own voice and sharing it with others.

Overall, "This Is Heaven To Me" is a song about contentment, personal freedom, and the power of expression. It encourages listeners to find their own versions of "heaven," whatever that may mean to them.

Line by Line Meaning

When I hear them say
When I hear others claim there are better ways of living

There's better living
That there are superior ways of living compared to the one I have now

Let them go their way
Allow them to pursue what they believe to be better

To that new living
To that unknown and potentially better way of living

I won't ever stray
I will not be tempted to follow them

'Cause this is heaven to me
Because my current way of living is already perfect for me

Long as freedom grows
As long as there is freedom in the world

I want to seek it
I will always strive to find and preserve it

If it's yes or no
Whether the answer is affirmative or negative

It's me who'll speak it
I will always have the courage to speak up and assert myself

'Cause the lord, He knows
Because God knows and understands my intentions