Melody Gardot (b. 1985) is a Grammy-nominated U.S. jazz singer, writer, and… Read Full Bio ↴Melody Gardot (b. 1985) is a Grammy-nominated U.S. jazz singer, writer, and musician.

Born on the 2nd February 1985 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Gardot took up piano and played as a youngster on the nightclub scene of Philadelphia, influenced by jazz, folk, rock, and pop musics. At the age of nineteen she was a fashion student at the Community College of Philadelphia. While cycling in Philadelphia in November 2003 she was hit by a car whose driver had ignored a red traffic light. In the accident she suffered serious head and spinal injuries, and her pelvis was broken in two places. Because of these severe injuries she was confined to her hospital bed for a year. Her musical beginning was prompted by a tending physician who was concerned with her cognitive impairment as a result of head injury sustained in the accident. He believed that music would help her brain injury improve, as it has been known to show remarkable results in improving people's cognitive ability after such trauma.

Following her doctor's suggestion, Gardot made recordings bedside, while still unable to walk, and eventually released the works as an EP: Some Lessons: The Bedroom Sessions (2005). Gardot's desire to be well, combined with a bit of luck, brought her to the attention of a local radio DJ at the AAA station WXPN (known for launching the careers of artists such as Amos Lee and Norah Jones). Her cognitive powers slowly but surely became pronounced, leading to the independent recording and release of her debut CD, Worrisome Heart, which was reissued in 2007 by Verve records.

Gardot is hypersensitive to light and noise, so wears dark glasses; she also uses a cane to walk. Onstage she requires a special seating unit, and wears a Transcutaneous Electro-Nerve Stimulator, a TENS device, to assist in alleviating her neuralgic muscle pain. Though touring is difficult, she has been performing in major cities on the East Coast of the U.S. to support her recordings. In 2009, working with producer Larry Klein and arranger Vince Mendoza - both known for their work with Joni Mitchell - Gardot followed up her Verve debut with My One and Only Thrill.

In 2012, she released the album The Absence.

All That I Need Is Love Album Version
Melody Gardot Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

All that I'm dreaming of
They don't know you know that they don't know
That all that I need is love

So much of these times have been physical
Well all the love now where'd it go?
Could it be my words are all together totally absurd
All of the men I know laugh at me
They don't listen, they can't see I'm falling apart
'cause no one will acknowledge my heart.

No they don't know, no they don't know
All that I'm dreaming of
They don't know, you know that they don't know
That all that I need is love

So I'll take my thoughts and just walk away
Well I've said all that I can say
But I'm still dreaming of
The day that I will find my love

The day that I will find my love
The day I will find my love.

Overall Meaning

Melody Gardot’s song “All That I Need is Love” speaks about a woman’s desire for love. The song starts by addressing boys who think they can have it all without realizing how small they are. The lyrics are symbolic of how boys are often focused on exploiting opportunities in life and obtaining what they want. However, to the singer in the song, boys overlook the importance of love, which is all that she needs.

The song continues to explore the struggles of finding true love. The singer suggests that in modern times, people often prioritize physical and material things over love. Nevertheless, despite the competition from these external factors, the singer holds onto her dreams of finding genuine love. She expresses her pain at how the men around her do not understand her emotions, and they do not listen. Worse still, they laugh at her, all she wants is to find true love.

In the chorus, the singer emphasizes how all she wants is love, and despite everything else in life, it is the most important thing to her. She recognizes that men do not understand her desire and hope for love, and she chooses to walk away from it all and let her thoughts guide her to find her love.

In conclusion, the song portrays how love is an essential need for people, and it should not be overlooked in favor of material or external factors. The emotions and desires of people should be acknowledged, especially by the people they care about the most.

Line by Line Meaning

Boys like to think they can have it all
Boys believe they can have everything they desire

Well they don't know they're still so small
They are unaware of the reality that they are still children

All that they see is live is opportunity
Opportunity is all they can see in life

Guys like to think they'll get any girl
Men feel they can win over any woman

That just one look, one quick twirl
They believe they can win a woman over with a single glance or gesture

That these acts alone will buy him a way into my home
They assume these actions will allow them to enter my home and my heart

All that I'm dreaming of
My hopes and dreams

No well they don't know, no they don't know
But they don't know, they really don't know

They don't know you know that they don't know
They are unaware of what they don't know

That all that I need is love
My ultimate desire is to find love

So much of these times have been physical
Most of my experiences have revolved around physical attraction

Well all the love now where'd it go?
But now, where has all the love gone?

Could it be my words are all together totally absurd
Perhaps my words are completely nonsensical

All of the men I know laugh at me
All the men I have encountered ridicule me

They don't listen, they can't see I'm falling apart
They are not attentive to the fact that I am slowly losing myself

'cause no one will acknowledge my heart.
Because nobody recognizes my true feelings

So I'll take my thoughts and just walk away
So I will gather my thoughts and leave

Well I've said all that I can say
I have expressed everything I could express

But I'm still dreaming of
Nonetheless, I still dream of

The day that I will find my love
The day when I will find my true love

The day I will find my love.
The day when I will finally find the love I desire.

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MELODY GARDOT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Haddy Nough

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Boys like to think they can have it all
Well they don't know they're still so small
All that they see is live is opportunity
Guys like to think they'll get any girl
That just one look, one quick twirl
That these acts alone will buy him a way into my home
No well they don't know, no they don't know
All that I'm dreaming of
They don't know you know that they don't know
That all that I need is love
So much of these times have been physical
Well all the love now where'd it go?
Could it be my words are all together totally absurd
All of the men I know laugh at me
They don't listen, they can't see I'm falling apart
'cause no one will acknowledge my heart.
No they don't know, no they don't know
All that I'm dreaming of
They don't know, you know that they don't know
That all that I need is love
So I'll take my thoughts and just walk away
Well I've said all that I can say
But I'm still dreaming of
The day that I will find my love
The day that I will find my love
The day I will find my love.