Michel Legrand (Michel Jean Legrand, Paris, France, 24 February 1932 – 26 J… Read Full Bio ↴Michel Legrand (Michel Jean Legrand, Paris, France, 24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist. A prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many memorable songs, he is best known for his often haunting, jazz-tinged film music. His celebrated scores for the films of French New Wave director Jacques Demy, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) and The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967), earned Legrand his first Academy Award nominations. Legrand won his first Oscar for the song "The Windmills of Your Mind" from The Thomas Crown Affair (1968).

Michel Legrand made his fame and fortune from writing for films, but he has done significant work in jazz on an occasional basis. In 1957, he arranged a set of dixieland and swing standards for a French orchestra (recorded on Philips), in 1958 he used three different all-star groups for the classic Legrand Jazz (with such sidemen as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Phil Woods, Herbie Mann, Bill Evans, Ben Webster, Art Farmer and others), in 1968 he recorded a strictly jazz set with a trio and Legrand has written for albums led by Stan Getz (1971), Sarah Vaughan (1972), and on several occasions, Phil Woods. Several of his songs (such as "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life", "Watch What Happens" and "The Summer Knows") have been recorded many times by jazz musicians.

Night In Tunisia
Michel Legrand Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

In the still of the night
As I gaze out of my window
At the moon in it's flight
My thoughts all stray, stray to you

In the still of the night
While the world lies in slumber
Oh the times without number

When I say to you

Do you love me
Just like I love you
Are you my life to be
That dream come true
Or will this dream of mine
Will it fade way out of sight

Just like that moon growing dim

Way out on the rim of the hill
In the still of the night

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Michel Legrand's song Night in Tunisia evoke feelings of solitude and longing as the singer gazes out of their window, watching the moon in flight. As the world sleeps, their thoughts drift to a person they are deeply in love with. The lyrics illustrate the internal conversation of the singer, who questions if their love is reciprocated and if they will ever fulfill the dream of being with their desired person.

The chorus "Do you love me, just like I love you? Are you my life to be, that dream come true? Or will this dream of mine, will it fade way out of sight?" repeats throughout the song, emphasizing the singer's deep desire for love and questioning if their love will ever be realized. The final line comparing the singer's dream to the moon growing dim on the rim of the hill metaphorically represents the fading hope of their love ever being fulfilled.

Line by Line Meaning

In the still of the night
During the quiet hours of the night

As I gaze out of my window
While looking outside through my window

At the moon in it's flight
Observing the moon's movement in the sky

My thoughts all stray, stray to you
My mind wanders to thoughts of you

While the world lies in slumber
While most of the world is asleep

Oh the times without number
There have been so many times

When I say to you
When I ask you

Do you love me
Do you have affection for me

Just like I love you
As intensely as my feelings for you

Are you my life to be
Is a future with you my destiny

That dream come true
The realization of my greatest aspiration