Sheila Jeanette Dawson (born November 18, 1928, in Detroit, Michigan) is a … Read Full Bio ↴Sheila Jeanette Dawson (born November 18, 1928, in Detroit, Michigan) is a jazz singer whose career spans six decades. Raised in poverty in Pennsylvania’s coal-mining country, Dawson began singing as a child and, by the time she was in her early teens, was working semi-professionally in Detroit clubs. Her first significant influence was Charlie Parker; indeed, most of her influences have been instrumentalists rather than singers. Working chiefly with black musicians, she met with disapproval from the white community but persisted with her career. She was a member of a vocal trio, Skeeter, Mitch, And Jean (she was Jean), who sang versions of Parker’s solos in a manner akin to that of the later Lambert, Hendricks, And Ross.

After moving to New York in the early 1950s, she married Parker’s pianist, Duke Jordan, and studied with Lennie Tristano, but it was not until the early 1960s that she made her first recordings. One was under her name; the other was “The Outer View” with George Russell, which featured a famous 10-minute version of “You Are My Sunshine.”

In the mid-1960s, her work encompassed jazz liturgies sung in churches and extensive club work, but her appeal was narrow even within the confines of jazz. However, by the late 1970s, jazz audiences had begun to understand her uncompromising style a little more. As a result, her popularity increased - as did her appearances on record, which included albums with pianist Steve Kuhn, whose quartet she joined, and an album, Home, comprising a selection of Robert Creeley’s poems set to music and arranged by Steve Swallow.

A 1983 duo set with bassist Harvie Swartz, “Old Time Feeling” comprises several standards Jordan regularly features in her live repertoire, while the 1990s “Lost And Found” pays tribute to her bebop roots. Both sets display her unique musical trademarks, such as the frequent and unexpected sweeping changes of pitch, which still tend to confound an uninitiated audience. Her preference for the bass and voice set led to another remarkable collaboration with bassist Cameron Brown, who has been performing worldwide for more than ten years and has released the live albums “I’ve Grown Accustomed to the Bass” and “Celebration.” Entirely non-derivative, Jordan is one of only a tiny handful of jazz singers who fully deserve the appellation and for whom no other term will do.

Falling In Love With Love
Sheila Jordan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I weave with brightly colored strings
To keep my mind off other things
So, ladies, let your fingers dance
And keep your hands out of romance

Lovely witches
Let the stitches
Keep your fingers under control

Cut the thread, but leave
The whole heart whole

Merry maids can sew and sleep
Wives can only
sew and weep
Falling in love with love
Is falling for make-believe
Falling in love with love is
Playing the fool

Caring too much is juvenile fancy
Learning to trust is just
For children in school
I fell in love with love one night
When the moon was full
I was unwise with eyes
Unable to see

I fell
In love with love

With love everlasting
But love fell out with me

Overall Meaning

In "Falling In Love With Love", Sheila Jordan discusses the idea of falling in love with the concept of love itself, rather than an actual person. She uses the metaphor of weaving brightly colored strings to distract herself from thoughts of love and urges other women to do the same. Jordan believes that falling in love with love is a dangerous game that can lead to heartbreak, and that caring too much is a sign of immaturity. She speaks from personal experience, explaining that she fell in love with love one night while the moon was full and was left heartbroken when love did not reciprocate.

The lyrics in this song shed light on the dangerous and often romanticized ideas portrayed in traditional love songs. While many songs speak of love as a wonderful and enriching experience, Sheila Jordan argues that falling in love with the idea of love can lead to disappointment and heartbreak. The song suggests that it is more important to trust and build real connections with others rather than simply chasing the idea of love.

Line by Line Meaning

I weave with brightly colored strings
I distract myself with bright and colorful things

To keep my mind off other things
To keep myself from thinking about other things

So, ladies, let your fingers dance
Women, occupy your hands and minds with something fun and light-hearted

And keep your hands out of romance
Stay away from romantic entanglements

Lovely witches
Beautiful, wise women

Let the stitches
Focus on your sewing

Keep your fingers under control
Don't let emotions cloud your judgement

Cut the thread, but leave
End things but preserve what's good

The whole heart whole
Keep your heart intact

Merry maids can sew and sleep
Young women can comfortably pursue their hobbies and rest

Wives can only sew and weep
Married women have more responsibilities and less freedom, which can lead to sadness

Falling in love with love
Falling for the fantasy and illusion of love

Is falling for make-believe
It's deceiving oneself

Falling in love with love is
The idea of falling in love is

Playing the fool
Being foolish or naive

Caring too much is juvenile fancy
Caring excessively is childish and fanciful

Learning to trust is just
Developing trust is simply

For children in school
Something that children learn in school

I fell in love with love one night
I fell for the idea of love one night

When the moon was full
During a time of heightened emotions

I was unwise with eyes
I lacked wisdom and perspective

Unable to see
Blind to reality

I fell
I fell for it

In love with love
The fantasy of love

With love everlasting
With the idea of love that never fades

But love fell out with me
But it didn't end well

Lyrics © Roba Music Verlag GMBH, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, CTM Publishing, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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