A professional musician since 1983, Moncef quickly asserted himself as one of Switzerland’s leading Jazz artists, thanks in part to the body of work he assembled with his Trio. In the course of his career he has played with the likes of Bob Berg, Alvin Queen, Reggie Johnson, Harold Danko, John Stubblefield, Joe LaBarbera, Michael Brecker, Larry Grenadier, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Bill Stewart, Idris Muhammad, James Cammack, Jack DeJohnette, Tom Warrington, Scott Colley, Sangoma Everett and Billy Brooks, among many others.
Lush Life
Moncef Genoud Lyrics
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Those come what may places
Where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life
To get the feel of life...
From jazz and cocktails.
The boys I knew had sad and sullen gray faces
With distant gay traces
By too many through the day...
Twelve oclock tales.
Then you came along with your siren of song
To tempt me to madness!
I thought for a while that your poignant smile was tinged with the sadness
Of a great love for me.
Ah yes! I was wrong...
Again,
I was wrong.
Life is lonely again,
And only last year everything seemed so sure.
Now life is awful again,
A troughful of hearts could only be a bore.
A week in paris will ease the bite of it,
All I care is to smile in spite of it.
Ill forget you, I will
While yet you are still burning inside my brain.
Romance is mush,
Stifling those who strive.
Ill live a lush life in some small dive...
And there Ill be, while I rot
With the rest of those whose lives are lonely, too..
The lyrics of Moncef Genoud's song "Lush Life" describe a person's experiences within the gay nightlife scene. The opening lines depict the settings and atmosphere as "very gay places" where people relax and experience the essence of life through jazz music and cocktails. The following lines describe the people they had known before venturing into such an environment - people who had sad and sullen gray faces with distant traces of their past. These traces had been washed away by the many things they had been through in life.
However, everything changes when someone else comes along with their "siren of a song" which tempts the singer to madness. They thought that this person's smile was tinged with sadness due to their great love for them. But as it turns out, they were wrong yet again, and life has turned lonely once more for the singer. In spite of that, they opt to forget their past and live a "lush life" in some small dive, in the company of other lonely people.
Overall, "Lush Life" speaks of a person's search for meaning and connection in life through experiences in the gay nightlife scene, but ultimately finding that loneliness and isolation are still prevalent. The song speaks to themes of existentialism, hedonism, and the search for identity in a world where we're constantly searching for acceptance.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to visit all the very gay places
I used to visit lively places filled with joy and happiness
Those come what may places
Those places where one can relax and enjoy life regardless of what may happen
Where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life
A place where people can feel and experience life at its fullest
To get the feel of life...
To experience life in its true essence
From jazz and cocktails.
Through music and drinks such as jazz and cocktails
The boys I knew had sad and sullen gray faces
The people I was familiar with were gloomy and depressed
With distant gay traces
Although they showed signs of being happy, those emotions were very remote
That used to be there you could see where theyd been washed away
Those emotions were present before, but you could see they were gone and forgotten
By too many through the day...
By having too many experiences throughout the day
Twelve oclock tales.
Stories that were told at midnight
Then you came along with your siren of song
Then you arrived with your alluring and irresistible voice
To tempt me to madness!
To indulge me in madness and irrational behavior
I thought for a while that your poignant smile was tinged with the sadness
I believed that your sad smile was bittersweet and full of emotions
Of a great love for me.
A love filled with deep feelings and emotions
Ah yes! I was wrong...
I was mistaken about my interpretation of your feelings
Again,
Another time
I was wrong.
My previous assumption was incorrect
Life is lonely again,
My life is isolated and solitary once more
And only last year everything seemed so sure.
Things were straightforward and clear even just last year
Now life is awful again,
Now my life is bad and almost unbearable once more
A troughful of hearts could only be a bore.
A large quantity of love would be tedious and uninteresting
A week in paris will ease the bite of it,
A week in Paris could alleviate the hardships and difficulties
All I care is to smile in spite of it.
All I want is to smile despite the challenges
Ill forget you, I will
I will forget about you
While yet you are still burning inside my brain.
While I still remember you clearly and vividly
Romance is mush,
Romance is soft and overly emotional
Stifling those who strive.
Preventing people from reaching their full potential
Ill live a lush life in some small dive...
I will live a luxurious life in some modest and low-key location
And there Ill be, while I rot
I will remain there, even as I deteriorate and decay
With the rest of those whose lives are lonely, too..
In the company of others who are also living isolated lives
Lyrics © CONSALAD CO., Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Billy Strayhorn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind