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.
You
Madeleine Peyroux Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
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
The song "The Way You Look Tonight" by Madeleine Peyroux & William Galison is a beautiful tribute to the one you love. The song speaks about the power of love and how it can lift you up even during your lowest moments. The opening lines of the song suggest that there will be times when you feel down and the world seems cold, but just the mere thought of your lover can bring comfort and warmth.
The song then goes on to describe how the lover looks in the eyes of the singer. The smile and the softness of the lover's cheeks are the highlights of the description. The singer confesses that there is nothing in the world that he/she can do but love the lover, the way they look tonight.
The second verse of the song describes how the lover's tenderness grows with each word spoken, bringing down the singer's fears about love. The laughter from the lover that wrinkles their nose touches the singer's foolish heart. The singer once again urges the lover never to change, to keep the breathless charm, and please arrange to retain the look tonight. The song ends on a hopeful note of loving the lover the way they look tonight.
Overall, the song "The Way You Look Tonight" is an incredibly romantic and heartfelt tribute to the lover. The song speaks about the power of love and how it can make you feel better no matter what. The lyrics of the song are incredibly poetic and powerful, as well as the delivery by the singers.
Line by Line Meaning
Some day
At some point in the future
When I'm awfully low
During times of depression or sadness
When the world is cold
When everything seems harsh and unforgiving
I will feel a glow
I will experience a warm, comforting feeling
Just thinking of you
By simply imagining you in my mind
And the way you look tonight
And the image of your appearance at this very moment
You're lovely
You are beautiful and charming
With your smile so warm
Your smile exudes warmth and kindness
And your cheeks so soft
Your cheeks are gentle and tender to the touch
There is nothing for me but to love you
I have no other option but to love you
And the way you look tonight
And the image of your appearance at this very moment
With each word your tenderness grows
Every time you speak, your caring nature becomes more apparent
Tearing my fear apart
Breaking down my barriers and making me feel comfortable
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose
Your laughing expression, where your nose crinkles, is endearing to me
It touches my foolish heart
It affects me emotionally, in a foolish but undeniable way
Never, ever change
Do not alter any aspect of who you are
Keep that breathless charm
Maintain that enchanting quality that takes my breath away
Won't you please arrange it
Can you please make sure to keep this quality a part of you
'Cause I love you
Because I have strong feelings of affection for you
Tonight
At this very moment
Just the way you look tonight
And the image of your appearance at this very moment
Lyrics © SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: TADD DAMERON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jerry Goldner
I saw Madeleine at The Hot House in Chicago with my love in '05. She was much younger and I knew it would not last. The tears rolled down my face as I looked into her eyes as we listened.
Lyrics by Bob Dylan
I've seen love go by my door
It's never been this close before
Never been so easy or so slow
Been shooting in the dark too long
When something's not right it's wrong
You're gonna make me lonesome when you go
Dragon clouds so high above
I've only known careless love,
It's always hit me from below.
This time around it's more correct
Right on target, so direct,
You're gonna make me lonesome when you go
Purple clover, Queen Anne lace,
Crimson hair across your face,
You could make me cry if you don't know.
Can't remember what I was thinkin' of
You might be spoilin' me too much, love,
You're gonna make me lonesome when you go
Flowers on the hillside, bloomin' crazy,
Crickets talkin' back and forth in rhyme,
Blue river runnin' slow and lazy,
I could stay with you forever
And never realize the time.
Situations have ended sad,
Relationships have all been bad.
Mine've been like Verlaine's and Rimbaud.
But there's no way I can compare
All those scenes to this affair,
You're gonna make me lonesome when you go
You're gonna make me wonder what I'm doing,
Staying far behind without you.
You're gonna make me wonder what I'm saying,
You're gonna make me give myself a good talking to.
I'll look for you in old Honolulu,
San Francisco and Ashtabula,
You're gonna have to leave me now, I know.
But I'll see you in the sky above,
In the tall grass, in the ones I love,
You're gonna make me lonesome when you go.
Karen Varbalow
Dylan has always said that some singers cover his own song better than he can do them justice. I'm not sure if he's ever commented on her cover but I can't imagine that he wouldn't be impressed with it. Great song and fabulous rendition.
Beardy Music Teacher
This is what my wife and I danced to at our wedding last year. A song choice I'd basically made over 15 years ago when I first heard it through the speakers in a book shop on the Charing Cross Road - well before I'd even met my wife. My eternal thanks to Bob Dylan for writing it, and Madelaine Peyroux for this interpretation.
Trantor
I bet it was a wonderful dance mate, great song
Mark Freer
I love this cover of Dylan"s song. Madeleine has such a beautiful voice.
1emmain
Just wonderful. One of the best singers of our period and she is also a lovely person, her voice doesn't quite convey her character, she's more fun in real life than suggested by songs like this one.
Joe Conneely
The first time I heard this wonderful gem, I thought it was a long lost Billie Holiday track - Sublime.
Gaenico
Dylan's song by the way.
dag 65
Indeed, hearing it years a go for the first time, her voice initially reminded me of Billie Holiday.
eposhivanik
От ее голоса у меня прям мурашки бегают по коже :)))) Ох... :)
Willie Dynamite
I could listen to this song all day long.