Pink Martini has twelve instrumentalists (and sometimes travels with string sections), and performs its multilingual repertoire on concert stages and with symphony orchestras throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Northern Africa, Australia and New Zealand and North America. Pink Martini made its European debut at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997 and its orchestral debut with the Oregon Symphony in 1998 under the direction of Norman Leyden. Since then, the band has gone on to play with over 30 orchestras around the world, including multiple engagements with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, the Boston Pops, the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center and the BBC Concert Orchestra in London. Other appearances include the grand opening of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s new Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall, with return sold-out engagements for New Year’s Eve 2003, 2004 & 2008; two sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall; the opening party of the remodeled Museum of Modern Art in NYC; the Governor’s Ball at the 80th Annual Academy Awards in 2008; and the opening of the 2008 Sydney Festival in Australia.
Lauderdale met China Forbes, Pink Martini’s lead vocalist, at Harvard. He was studying history and literature while she was studying English literature and painting. Late at night, they would break into the lower common room in their college dormitory and sing arias by Puccini and Verdi – and the occasional campy Barbra Streisand cover –thus sealing their creative collaboration. Three years after graduating, Lauderdale called Forbes who was living in New York City, where she’d been writing songs and playing guitar in her own folk-rock project, and asked her to join Pink Martini. They began to write songs together for the band. Their first song “Sympathique”– with the chorus “Je ne veux pas travailler” (”I don’t want to work”) – became an overnight sensation in France, and was even nominated for “Song of the Year” at France’s Victoires de la Musique Awards. Forbes, though fluent only in English, sings in 15 different languages.
Pink Martini’s debut album Sympathique was released independently in 1997 on the band’s own label Heinz Records (named after Lauderdale’s dog), and quickly became an international phenomenon, garnering the group nominations for “Song of the Year” and “Best New Artist” in France’s Victoires de la Musique Awards in 2000.
In October 2004, the group released its second album, Hang on Little Tomato.
In May 2007, it released its third album, Hey Eugene!.
A fourth studio album, Splendor in the Grass, followed on October 27, 2009.
Sympathique, Hang on Little Tomato and Hey Eugene! have all gone gold in France, Canada, Greece and Turkey; collectively, Pink Martini's records have sold more than two million copies worldwide.
On New Year's Eve 2005, Pink Martini performed live at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon. This performance was aired live on National Public Radio's Toast of the Nation, and in partnership with Oregon Public Broadcasting was recorded for a live DVD and later broadcast on US public broadcasting and French television.[citation needed] The DVD has been rereleased to retail as Discover the World: Live in Concert, featuring not only the full concert, but several vignettes and a short documentary of the band's history.
The band has collaborated and performed with Jimmy Scott, Carol Channing, Henri Salvador, Jane Powell, Chavela Vargas, Georges Moustaki, Michael Feinstein, DJ Dimitri from Paris, clarinetist and conductor Norman Leyden, Hiroshi Wada, DJ Johnny Dynell and several drag queens from New York City, among others. On June 1, 2007, the band appeared on the long-running BBC Two Later with Jools Holland TV music program. On June 14, 2007, Pink Martini performed on Late Show with David Letterman, performing "Hey Eugene".
Pink Martini played Walt Disney Concert Hall on New Year's Eve for the first two years it was open (2003/4 and 2004/5). They returned to play NYE there again in 2008/9.
In May 2009, the band recorded three concerts with the Oregon Symphony under the direction of Carlos Kalmar for the band’s fifth album … a symphonic record which is slated for a 2011 release.
Pink Martini songs appear in such films as In the Cut, Nurse Betty, Josie and the Pussycats, Tortilla Soup, Shanghai Kiss, Mary and Max, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith and have been used on television shows such as Dead Like Me, The Sopranos and The West Wing, among others.[citation needed] Their song "Una notte a Napoli" is an integral part of the Italian movie Mine Vaganti (2010), by the Italian-Turkish director Ferzan Özpetek. The song "No Hay Problema" is included as background/setup music for Microsoft's Windows Server 2003 and was also used as the background/setup music for an early build of Windows Longhorn, now known as Windows Vista.[citation needed]
In February 2011, the group's lead singer, China Forbes, recorded a video greeting to the European Space Agency's Italian astronaut, Paolo Nespoli, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Kaleri, on board the International Space Station. The astronauts were preparing to oversee the docking of ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) cargo vessel, Johannes Kepler, which took place at 17:08 CET on 24 February. The greeting was set to the sound track of Dosvedanya Mio Bombino - one of Pink Martini's signature songs - and was mixed with footage of the actual docking.
In November 2011, they played at the Balboa Theater with the Bonita Vista High School band, Club Blue.
City of Night
Pink Martini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With its deep amber light
Embracing the town as we fall into night
To the silvery sound as the birds fly away
Getting ready for love
Getting out of the day
It is the city of night
Leave the worries of day behind
And dream a new dream tonight
All the lands are a glow
All the lids painted red
And you wish you could take
That last thing you said
Well the night is a drum
Singing songs of delight
But when dawn comes along
Love is lost in the light
But in the city of night
Oh, in the city of night
Leave the troubles of day behind
And dream a new dream tonight
The lyrics of Pink Martini's song City of Night paint a picture of a town transitioning from day to night, signaling the start of a new chapter. As the sun goes down, the town is enveloped in a deep amber light, providing a sense of warmth and comfort as the night looms. The sound of birds in the distance signifies the end of the day and the beginning of a new phase, as the people of the city get ready for love and let go of their worries.
It becomes clear that this is the city of night, where people come to forget the troubles of the day and dream a new dream. The whole city is alive and glowing with a sense of energy, marked by brightly lit streetlights and even lids being painted red. However, the night is also a drum, singing songs of delight that are soon lost when dawn comes along and love disappears in the light.
Overall, the lyrics suggest that the city of night offers a chance for people to forget their troubles and start again, but also remind us that time is fleeting and things may not last forever, especially in the light of day.
Line by Line Meaning
Well the sun?s going down
The day is coming to an end
With its deep amber light
The sun is setting and the sky is turning amber color
Embracing the town as we fall into night
The sun seems to hug the city as it sets and darkness is approaching
To the silvery sound as the birds fly away
Birds are flying away and making a silvery sound as they prepare for the night
Getting ready for love
The night is a time for love and romance
Getting out of the day
Leaving behind the events of the day
It is the city of night
The city is transformed into a different world at night
It is the city if night
The city is the place to be at night
Leave the worries of day behind
Forget about all the stress and turmoil of the day
And dream a new dream tonight
Take this opportunity to dream bigger and better dreams
All the lands are a glow
The city is lit up with bright lights
All the lids painted red
The city is filled with excitement and energy
And you wish you could take
You regret something that you said or did during the day
That last thing you said
Something you said that you wish you hadn't
Well the night is a drum
The night is alive with energy and excitement
Singing songs of delight
The night is a joyful and happy time
But when dawn comes along
When the sun rises
Love is lost in the light
The magic of the night fades away
Oh, in the city of night
The city becomes a magical place at night
Leave the troubles of day behind
Forget about all the troubles and problems of the day
And dream a new dream tonight
Allow your mind to dream new dreams and explore new possibilities
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Raouia Refak
City of Night ♪
Well the sun's going down
With its deep umber light
Embracing the town as we fall into night
To the silvery sound as the birds fly away
Getting ready for love
Getting out of the day
It is the city of night
It is the city if night
Leave the worries of day behind
And dream a new dream tonight
All the lands are a glow
All the lips painted red
And you wish you could take
Back the last thing you said
Well the night is a drum
Singing songs of delight
But when dawn comes along
Love is lost in the light
But in the city of night
Oh, in the city of night
Leave the troubles of day behind
And dream a new dream tonight
Oh in the city of night
Oh, in the city of night
You can leave it all far behind
And dream a new dream tonight
Erzebet Tot Bagi
Az éjszakai város ♪
Nos, lemegy a nap
A mély umber fényével
A város ölelése, amikor éjszaka esünk
Az ezüstös hangig, ahogy a madarak elrepülnek
Felkészülés a szerelemre
Kifelé a nap
Ez az éjszakai város
Ez a város, ha éjszaka
Hagyja hátra a nap aggodalmait
És álmodj egy új álomot ma este
Minden föld ragyog
Az összes ajka pirosra festett
És azt szeretné, ha elviszne
Az utolsó dolog, amit mondtál
Nos, az éjszaka egy dob
Éneklő örömteli dalok
De amikor hajnal jön
A szerelem elveszik a fényben
De az éjszakai városban
Ó, az éjszakai városban
Hagyja hátra a napi problémákat
És álmodj egy új álomot ma este
Ó, az éjszakai városban
Ó, az éjszakai városban
Mindent elhagyhatsz
És álmodj egy új álomot ma este
Orsolya Hegedus
I've been to Athens couple of weeks ago, arrived in the evening. As I was walking on the street and looked up at the Acropolis this song came to my mind and started humming it. It was a moment I'll never forget, truly magical.
Lisette Parker
Always love anything by Pink Martini ~ their lush, flamboyant-ish style ~ love it!
MrTiviana
This is a beautiful tribute by Pink Martini to Athens, the City of Night. Very well arranged and performed.
john jay
Beautiful music and singing. PM is rhythmic and lively. I like the group and enjoy their performance.
J B
Their music is just amazing. It takes me to all new worlds. Art isn't dead!
Raouia Refak
City of Night ♪
Well the sun's going down
With its deep umber light
Embracing the town as we fall into night
To the silvery sound as the birds fly away
Getting ready for love
Getting out of the day
It is the city of night
It is the city if night
Leave the worries of day behind
And dream a new dream tonight
All the lands are a glow
All the lips painted red
And you wish you could take
Back the last thing you said
Well the night is a drum
Singing songs of delight
But when dawn comes along
Love is lost in the light
But in the city of night
Oh, in the city of night
Leave the troubles of day behind
And dream a new dream tonight
Oh in the city of night
Oh, in the city of night
You can leave it all far behind
And dream a new dream tonight
Eliana Popova
Thank you for the lyrics!
E. K.
choukran Raouia :)
Rossy Ro.Ro.
Thak you for share with us the lyrics. Wonderful!👍🎵😘
Gentil Gentil
Belíssima.