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.
We Three Kings
Pink Martini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder Star
Born a king on Bethlehem's plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again
King forever, ceasing never
O, star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy perfect light
Frankincense to offer have I
Incense owns a Deity nigh
Prayer and praising, all men raising
Worship Him, God most high
Glorious now behold Him arise
King and God and sacrifice
"Hallelujah!, Hallelujah!"
Earth to Heaven replies
O, star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy perfect light
Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy perfect light
The song "We Three Kings" is a Christmas carol that was written in 1857 by John Henry Hopkins Jr. The lyrics are about the story of the Magi, who were the three wise men who followed a star to Bethlehem in search of the baby Jesus. In the first stanza, the three kings introduce themselves and tell of their journey across field, fountain, moor, and mountain to follow the star. The second stanza talks about the gifts they brought to honor the baby king – gold to crown Him, and frankincense to offer as a symbol of prayer and praise.
In the third stanza, the star is described as a "star of wonder" and a "star with royal beauty bright." It led the Magi to the baby Jesus and continued to guide them to his presence. The fourth stanza talks again about the gift of frankincense, which is said to be an offering to a deity. The Magi, in offering this gift, are worshipping the baby Jesus as God most high.
The final stanza is a celebration of the birth of Jesus, who is described as the king and God and the ultimate sacrifice. The people on earth join the Magi in proclaiming "Hallelujah!" in response to the arrival of the baby king. The song concludes with a repetition of the refrain, calling the star a "guide to thy perfect light."
Line by Line Meaning
We three kings of Orient are
We, the three wise men from the East, have come to offer gifts to the newborn King.
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
We bring with us valuable gifts as we travel a great distance to pay homage to the newborn King.
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
We cross through fields and mountains, facing various challenges, to follow the Star that guides us to the King.
Following yonder Star
We are following the Star that shines bright above us, leading us to the place where the King was born.
Born a king on Bethlehem's plain
The King was born humbly in a manger in Bethlehem.
Gold I bring to crown Him again
I bring gold to offer to the King, signifying His royalty and status as the King of Kings.
King forever, ceasing never
The King will reign forever and will never cease to be the ruler.
Over us all to reign
He will reign over everyone, regardless of their social, economic, or cultural background.
O, star of wonder, star of night
The Star that shines bright above us symbolizes the marvel and wonder of the King's birth.
Star with royal beauty bright
The Star is majestic and signifies the King's greatness and beauty.
Westward leading, still proceeding
We are still following the Star, traveling towards the west, to reach the King's birthplace.
Guide us to thy perfect light
We ask the Star to guide us to the place of the King's birth, so that we may offer Him our gifts and pay homage to Him.
Frankincense to offer have I
I bring frankincense to offer to the King, signifying His divinity and the fact that He is the Son of God.
Incense owns a Deity nigh
The sweet smell of incense signifies the presence of the Divine and the nearness of God to the King's birthplace.
Prayer and praising, all men raising
We offer prayers and praise to the King, and invite everyone, regardless of their belief or background, to do the same.
Worship Him, God most high
We worship the King, recognizing Him as the Son of God and the most high ruler and savior of all.
Glorious now behold Him arise
The King arises in glory and splendor, as we witness His greatness and majesty.
King and God and sacrifice
The King is both a ruler and a divine being, and His sacrifice will lead to the salvation of humanity.
"Hallelujah!, Hallelujah!"
We shout with joy and excitement, praising the King, and asking others to join in our celebration.
Earth to Heaven replies
Our praise and excitement reaches the heavens and is echoed back to us, as the earth and heavens unite in the glory of the King's birth.
Star of wonder, star of night
The Star still shines bright, and we continue to marvel at the wonder of the King's birth and the role the Star played in guiding us to Him.
Westward leading, still proceeding
We are still following the Star, continuing our journey with faith and determination, to pay homage to the King.
Guide us to thy perfect light
We ask the Star to continue guiding us, until we reach the King, and experience the fullness of His perfect light and glory.
Contributed by Addison L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.