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.

Way you look tonight
Madeleine Peyroux Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Some day
When I'm awfully low
When the world is cold
I will feel a glow
Just thinking of you
And the way you look tonight

You're lovely

With your smile so warm
And your cheeks so soft
There is nothing for me but to love you
And the way you look tonight

With each word your tenderness grows
Tearing my fear apart
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose
It touches my foolish heart

You're lovely
Never, ever change
Keep that breathless charm
Won't you please arrange it
'Cause I love you
Just the way you look tonight

With each word your tenderness grows
Tearing my fear apart
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose
It touches my foolish heart

You're lovely
Never, ever change
Keep that breathless charm
Won't you please arrange it
'Cause I love you
Just the way you look tonight

Tonight
Just the way you look tonight

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Madeleine Peyroux and William Galison's "The Way You Look Tonight" speak to the power of love and the ability of a person's presence to lift one's spirits even in darkest times. The singer imagines a moment when they are feeling low and the world is cold, but the memory of their loved one's warmth and comforting presence brings them a sense of hope and joy. The way their loved one looks, with a warm smile and soft cheeks, is enough to make the singer fall deeper in love.

The singer then goes on to describe how their loved one's tenderness and laughter have the power to break down their fears and touch their heart in a profound way. They express a desire for their loved one to never change and to always retain their charming ways, as it is their essence that inspires the singer's deep affection. The song ends with a reiteration of the power of their loved one's appearance, specifically the way they look tonight.

Overall, the lyrics to "The Way You Look Tonight" express a profound love and desire for the constancy of a loved one's presence and essence, especially in times of darkness and fear.

Line by Line Meaning

Some day
One day in the future

When I'm awfully low
When I'm feeling down

When the world is cold
When everyone and everything seems distant

I will feel a glow
I will feel a warm sensation

Just thinking of you
Simply remembering you

And the way you look tonight
And how beautiful you are tonight

You're lovely
You're beautiful

With your smile so warm
Your smile is inviting and comforting

And your cheeks so soft
Your cheeks are gentle and smooth

There is nothing for me but to love you
I can't help but love you

And the way you look tonight
And how beautiful you are tonight

With each word your tenderness grows
With every word you say, your kindness increases

Tearing my fear apart
Erasing my worries

And that laugh that wrinkles your nose
And your laugh, which creates wrinkles on your nose

It touches my foolish heart
It warms my silly heart

Never, ever change
Don't ever change

Keep that breathless charm
Keep that stunning appeal

Won't you please arrange it
Would you please make it happen

'Cause I love you
Because I love you

Tonight
This evening

Just the way you look tonight
Just how stunning you are tonight

Lyrics © O/B/O CAPASSO, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Dorothy Fields, Jerome Kern

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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