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.

dreamland
Madeleine Peyroux Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Dreamin'
Makin' my way
Dreamin'
Won't let me stay in your arms
In your warm
In your love

Sleepin'

Away the day
Hopin'
That we two could stay
All alone
On our own revelries

Let's make a pact for our lives
And our homelands
Built on the bricks that we bathed

In my dreamland
Home sweet dreamland
Always a dreamland
For the two of us,
Together,
We'll stay

Let's build a homeland together in the sand
We have forever right here at hand
In dreamland
Home sweet dreamland
Always a dreamland
For the two of us,

Together,
We'll stay

Overall Meaning

The song Dreamland by Madeleine Peyroux is a lovely and romantic ballad that speaks of a peaceful and utopian world where two people can find solace in each other's company. The lyrics describe the feeling of drifting into a world of dreams where the singer can imagine a perfect world with her lover. The song is imbued with a sense of hope and optimism that overcomes the problems and difficulties of the real world, offering a chance to escape into a dreamland where all problems are solved. Throughout the song, the singer is dreaming and hoping for a world where she can live and find peace with her lover.

The song speaks of a pact that the lovers make to build a homeland together, built on the bricks that they bathed in. This refers to the idea of starting anew and building a strong foundation based on their shared experiences and mutual understanding. The lyrics suggest that the world may be difficult and unyielding, but together, they can create a safe haven where they can retreat and be themselves.

Overall, the song Dreamland is a beautiful expression of the human desire to connect with others and build a world where we can feel safe and loved. It is a tribute to the power of love and hope to overcome the challenges of life.

Line by Line Meaning

Dreamin'
I am lost in my thoughts, imagining things

Makin' my way
I am moving forward in my thoughts

Dreamin'
I am lost in my thoughts, imagining things

Won't let me stay in your arms
The reality is not as pleasant as my thoughts, I cannot hold onto the idea of being with you

In your warm
In your embrace and comfort

In your love
In your affection and care

Sleepin'
I am drifting off

Away the day
Avoiding the present day, dismissing reality

Hopin'
I desire and wish for

That we two could stay
That the two of us can be together

All alone
By ourselves