Most of his recordings focus on popular music in general and orchestral arrangements of well-known romantic songs in particular, such as Yesterday, The Sound of Silence and Memory, rather than on Jazz or Classical Music.
He is known to alter many famous pieces of music such as Für Elise. His music is generally played with an orchestra. This accompaniment is usually with James Last's orchestra.
Biography
Born to a piano teacher,Clayderman started studying to play piano at age six, and he was accepted at Conservatoire de Paris in Paris at age 12. After finishing Conservatory he worked as an accompanist and session musician. His life changed dramatically in 1976, when he recorded a single "Ballade pour Adeline" (Ballade for Adeline), composed by French musical producer Paul de Senneville. The single became an instant success, selling 22 million copies in 38 countries. Since then, he has recorded over 1000 songs and has become one of the most successful instrumental recording artists in the world, with reported record sales in excess of 70 million units worldwide. In the peak of his career he performed 200 concerts in 250 days.
He is often credited with pioneering the piano recordings of famous Hollywood soundtracks and pop music artists, such as ABBA and The Carpenters.
Success
Clayderman has a curious market niche on third world countries, a fact mainly attributed by critics to his commercially-oriented performance of local and very popular music (especially love songs), and inexpensive, well-distributed records. On the other hand, there are people who refer to his work as elevator music, because of extensive playing of his production in neutral spaces as elevators, malls and other public spaces. Richard Clayderman, however, according to the linked interview, does not see this classification as negative as, according to him, he feels pleased to turn people's workplaces and daily lives into more pleasant places through the use of his music.
Clayderman’s music continues to be exceedingly popular in East Asia, in places such as Japan, Taiwan and Mainland China. Some Chinese music teachers attribute the popularity of his music in Mainland China to the increase in the number of piano students since the 1980s, and some even believe in the other way: it was due to the popularity of Clayderman's music that the number of piano students surged. According to the book Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams, published 1990, Clayderman was the most-played artist in China then.[citation needed].
Discography
Numbers
* 25 Years of Golden Hits (2xCD)
* 50 Exitos Romanticos (3xCD)
* 101 Solistes Tziganes (CD)
A
* A Comme Amour (CD)
* A Little Night Music (CD)
* A little Romance (CD)
* All by myself (2 CD SET)
* Always (CD)
* América Latina...mon amour (CD)
* Amour (CD)
* Amour pour amour (CD)
* Anemos (CD
* Anniversary Collection (5 CD SET)
* Antique Pianos (CD)
* A Touch of Latino (CD)
B
* Ballade pour Adeline (LP / 33T) (WW Sales: 30 million)
* Ballade pour Adeline (1985-CD)
* Ballade pour Adeline and other Love Stories (CD)
* Best Friend (CD)
* Best of Classics (2 CD SET)
* Best of Richard Clayderman (CD)
* Brazilian Passion (CD)
* Para Reynosa tamaulipas
C
* Carpenters Collection (CD)
* Chansons d'Amour (2 LP SET)
* Chinese Evergreen (CD)
* Chinese Garden (CD)
* Chinese Garden/Cherished Moments (CD + VCD)
* Christmas (LP / 33T)
* Christmas Album (CD)
* Claire De Lune (3 CD SET)
* Classic Touch (CD)
* Classics (CD)
* Clayderman 2000 (CD)
* Coeur Fragile (CD)
* Collection, The (CD)
* Confluence, The (CD)
* Couleur Tendresses (1982,LP / 33T)
D
* Deluxe (2 CD SET)
* Desperado (CD)
* Deutsche Volkslieder (CD)
* Digital Concerto (CD)
* Dimanche et fêtes (CD Single)
E
* Ecos de sudamérica (CD)
* Ein Träum von Liebe (LP / 33T)
* Eléana (LP / 33T)
* Eléana (CD)
* Encore (CD)
* En Venezuela (CD)
* Essential (3 CD SET)
* Essential Classics (CD)
* Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime (CD)
F
* Fantastic Movie story of Ennio Morricone (CD)
* Fifty for Israel (1998, 2 CD SET)
* Forever My Way (CD, 2006)
* France, mon Amour (CD)
* Friends France - Original (CD + VCD)
* Friends France (CD + VCD)
* From the Heart (LP / 33T)
* From this moment on (2006/CD)
G
* Golden Hearts (CD)
* Golden Moments (CD)
H
* Hollywood and Broadway (LP / 33T)
I
* Il y a toujours de Soleil au dessus des Nuages (CD)
* In amore (CD) (Originally produced (1999) (Polydor Records: 1995-1996)
* In Harmony (CD)
* In the key of love (2 CD SET)
* Introducing Richard Clayderman (CD)
J
* Japon mon Amour (CD)
* Joue-moi tes rêves (CD)
L
* Les Musiques de L'amour (LP / 33T)
* Les Musiques de L'amour (CD Version)
* Les Nouvelles Ballades Romantiques (CD)
* Les Rendez Vous de Hasard (CD)
* Les Sonates (CD)
* Lettre à ma Mère (CD)
* Lettre à ma Mère (LP / 33T)
* Love, American Style (CD)
* Love Collection (CD)
* Love Follow Us (CD)
* Love Follow Us 2 (CD)
* Love, French Style (CD)
* Love, Italian Style (CD)
* Love Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber (CD)
M
* Magic of Brazilian Music (CD)
* Magic of Richard Clayderman (2 x LP)
* Matrimonio D'Amour
* Masters of Melody (3 CD SET)
* Medley Concerto (LP / 33T)
* Meisterstücke (CD)
* Memories (DVD / VHS)
* Millennium Gold (CD)
* Mexico con amor (CD)
* Musical Collection (Double CD)
* Music of Richard Clayderman (LP / 33T)
* My Australian Collection (CD)
* My Bossa Nova Favourites (CD)
* My Classic Collection (CD)
* My favourite Oldies (2 CD SET)
* Mysterious Eternity (CD)
N
* New (2005)
* New era (CD + VCD)
* Number 1 Hits (Double CD)
O
* On TV (CD)
* Omaggio (CD)
P
* Piano et orchestre (CD Version of the Debut Album)
* null Piano moods (Double CD)
* Plays Abba (CD)
* Premiers chagrins d'Elsa, Les (1983, LP/33T)
Q
* Quel gran genio del mio amico... (CD)
R
* Remembering the Movies (CD)
* Rendez-vous (Produced by COBA)
* Rêveries (LP / 33T)
* Rêveries No.2 (CD)
* Richard Clayderman (1977 Debut album) (LP / 33T)
* Richard Clayderman (1982) (LP / 33T)
* Richard Clayderman in Concert - Japan (Video)
* Richard Clayderman in Concert - England (Video)
* Richard Clayderman Plays Abba, The Hits (CD)
* Romance and the piano of Richard Clayderman (CD)
* Romantic (CD)
* Romantic America (Canadian Release) (CD)
* Romantic Dreams (CD)
* Romantic Nights (CD) One of a 10xCD compilation set from St Clair.
* Rondo pour un tout petit enfant (CD)
S
* Scandinavian Collection (CD)
* Serenade de l'etoile (Coup de Coeur) (CD)
* Smiling Joey (CD Single)
* Songs of Love (CD)
* Souvenirs (CD)
* Stage and Screen (CD)
* Sweet Memories (Cassette)
* Sweet Memories (LP / 33T)
T
* Tango (CD)
* Thailand mon Amour (CD)
* The best 100 (CD 2006)
* Together (CD)
* Together at Last (CD)
* Träumereien 3 (CD)
* Träummelodien (CD)
* Treasury of love (CD) One of a 10xCD compilation set from St Clair.
* Turquie mon amour (CD)
* Two Together (CD)
U
* Ultimate Collection (4xCD)
V
* Very best of Richard Clayderman (CD)
* Very best of Richard Clayderman (DISKY) (3 x CD)
W
* What a wonderful World (2 CD SET)
* When a man loves a woman (CD)
* When love songs were love songs (CD)
* With Love (1988) (LP / 33T)
* With Love (1997) (CD)
* With Love (1999) (CD)
* World Tour (CD)
Z
* Zodiacal Symphony (CD)
Clayderman's arrangement of Three Blind Mice has appeared on Bill Bailey's disc The Ultimate Collection... Ever!
I Only Have Eyes For You
Richard Clayderman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't see anyone but you
Sha bop sha bop
Are the stars out tonight
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright
I only have eyes for you dear
But I can't see a thing in the sky
I only have eyes for you
I don't know if we're in a garden
Or on a crowded avenue
You are here and so am I
Maybe millions of people go by
But they all disappear from view
And I only have eyes for you
The lyrics to Richard Rodney Bennett's song My One and Only are a romantic love letter to one's significant other. The singer describes their love as a "kind of blind love" because they cannot see anyone else but their partner. The famous "Sha bop sha bop" interlude serves as a playful and catchy tune that emphasizes the singer's affection. The following lines reinforce this idea by stating that the world around them does not matter, as they only have eyes for their beloved. The stars, the sky, and even the people around them do not catch their attention because their focus is solely on their partner. The lyrics express an intense and all-encompassing love that overrides and overtakes anything else.
What makes this song noteworthy is its timeless and universal appeal, with its simple yet well-crafted lyrics and the classic melody. Its enduring popularity has been attributed to the length of time it has been portrayed in movies and on television as a romantic backdrop, enhancing its appeal as a love song. The song has also been covered and performed by various artists, including Billie Holiday, Judy Garland, and Frank Sinatra. Bennett's version was part of the movie "Gaily, Gaily" released in 1969.
Line by Line Meaning
My love must be a kind of blind love
My love for you is so intense that I cannot see anything beyond you
I can't see anyone but you
My attention only focuses on you and no one else
Sha bop sha bop
A joyful expression of love and affection without needing words
Are the stars out tonight
I am not aware of anything else around me because of my complete devotion to you
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright
The state of the weather or the world is irrelevant to me when I'm with you
I only have eyes for you dear
Nothing else in the world matters to me as much as you
The moon may be high
The celestial bodies are insignificant to me when compared to the grandeur of your love
But I can't see a thing in the sky
The vastness of the cosmos pales in comparison to the depth of my love for you
I only have eyes for you
My heart beats for you and you alone
I don't know if we're in a garden
I do not care where we are or what we're doing as long as I'm with you
Or on a crowded avenue
My adoration for you is not diluted by the noise and commotion of the public
You are here and so am I
As long as we're together, nothing else matters
Maybe millions of people go by
The existence of so many other people does not register with me, for I only see you
But they all disappear from view
You are the only one who holds my attention and affection, rendering everyone else irrelevant
And I only have eyes for you
My love for you is singular, constant, and all-consuming
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Al Dubin, Harry Warren
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind