She now resides in Monaco and has recently sold her London apartment. Many of its furnishings were auctioned for charity. Two very popular 'Audiences With Shirley Bassey' have aired on British TV, the most recent being in March 2006.
In 2006, UK retailer Marks and Spencer hired Bassey for their Christmas advertising campaign, with Dame Shirley singing a cover of P!nk's 'Get the Party Started'.
In late 2009 Bassey released 'The Performance' her first studio album for two decades, which was released in a maelstrom of anticipation. Still popular well into one of the longest and most illustrious musical careers in British and indeed international history, Bassey is considered by Brits to be a national treasure.
Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
Shirley Bassey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every time we say goodbye, I wonder why a little
Why the gods above me, who must be in the know
think so little of me that they allow you go
When your near there's such an air of Spring about it
I can hear a lark somewhere begin to sing about it
There's no love song finer but how strange
Every time we say goodbye
The lyrics to Shirley Bassey's song Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye explore the bittersweet emotions experienced when being separated from a loved one. The repetition of the phrase "Every time we say goodbye" emphasizes the feelings of sadness and loss that the singer experiences, and the lines "I die a little" and "I wonder why a little" convey the intensity of these emotions. The singer feels as though the gods themselves are conspiring against them by allowing the separation to occur, which adds to the sense of despair.
However, the song also expresses the joy and beauty of being in love. The singer describes the feeling of being near their loved one as being like "an air of Spring," and the sound of a singing lark in the background further emphasizes the sense of hope and renewal. The love between the singer and their partner is described as being the finest of all love songs, but the shift from major to minor chords in the music when they say goodbye highlights the sadness that accompanies their separation.
Overall, the lyrics to Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye are a poignant expression of the conflicting emotions that come with being in love and having to say goodbye. The song captures the complexity of these emotions and speaks to the universal experience of having to part ways with someone you care about deeply.
Line by Line Meaning
Every time we say goodbye, I die a little
Each farewell between us causes a small part of me to wither away
Every time we say goodbye, I wonder why a little
Whenever we part, I am left with a twinge of perplexity
Why the gods above me, who must be in the know
I question the divine beings above, who possess all-knowing powers
think so little of me that they allow you go
They allow you to exit my life, indicating their disregard for my worth
When your near there's such an air of Spring about it
When you are present, the atmosphere becomes rejuvenating like the season of Spring
I can hear a lark somewhere begin to sing about it
The lightness in my being is so profound that I visualize a lark singing joyfully somewhere close by
There's no love song finer but how strange
Nothing surpasses the beauty of this romantic tune, yet it is strange
The change from major to minor
The subtle shift from a happy to a sorrowful tune
Every time we say goodbye
Each time we part ways
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mark Blackburn
Favorite “goodbye” song (and best rendition?)
I love Shirley Bassey – one of England's greatest gifts to popular music. A moment ago Siriusly Sinatra satellite radio played an early (1961) recording of my “new” favorite version of maybe the most poignant song Cole Porter ever wrote – EV'RY TIME WE SAY GOODBYE. Her most beautiful and reverent rendition is reminiscent (to my ears) of Dame Vera Lynn. Come to think of it, I believe it's “Dame Shirley.” And, to coin a phrase, there ain't nothin' like a dame.
Most recent note below the video from a kindred soul:
Milton Moore (1 year ago)
Dame Shirley Bassey did a magnificent job on this Cole Porter standard.
The arrangement and orchestration are non pariel.
Those violins were piped down straight from HEAVEN!
Thanks, Phillip Primrose for sharing -- with gorgeous slide show! Celebrated this day at Sinatra Family -- Forum -- WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE STANDARD? https://sinatrafamily.com/forum/showthread.php/50418-What-is-your-favorite-standard?p=1277975#post1277975
VenusCapricorn
What a voice
Milton Moore
Dame Shirley Bassey did a magnificent job
on this Cole
Porter standard.
The arrangement
and orchestration
are non pariel.
Those violins were
piped down straight from HEAVEN!
Jo Bucknall
My favourite female voice of all time
Francisco Ferrer Galiana
MARAVILLOSA
bellini verdi
VOZ MAGNIFICA......................
Flick Dasher
this is the period of bassey that those who think of her as only a belter know nothing of. bassey was a very fine standards singer in her early days. this is a favourite of mine by ella and the young shirley does it very, very nearly as well as ella. as ella is- when she's singing straight and not scatting- probably the finest female singer of standards, for shirley at the beginning of her career to get so close to her is a fantastic achievement. young shirley does the same thing with stormy weather too.
JadeZee
please DO NOT put bassey in the same class...as ELLA...for heavens sake!
Flick Dasher
@JadeZee i'd say ella is the best female singer of standards (the songbooks) but, i'd also say that bassey is by far the most versatile of all the female singers. could ella sing both goldfinger and life goes on with equal ease? hmmm. it's all subjective.
Jo Bucknall
No don't put Shirley in a class with anyone, don't compare her to anyone, because everyone else falls short. Ella Fitzgerald is just a still reasonably known singer from the past but doesn't do anything for me too boring. Shirley Bassey is a live performer and the greatest one in history, even though she has sold 100 million more albums than Ella ,unless you have seen Shirley live in concert you haven't got a clue what her strengths are or what she does to an audience, she is so seductive to men they think she is singing just for them and women think she is expressing their own emotions, you really don't know what's hit you, she could turn around any indifferent audience, she has so much Charisma it is beyond belief. For instance look what happened at the Oscars they don't even know her so well in the USA compared to the rest of the world, Adele was there and Barbara Streisand and they may as well have not been there, Shirley sang Goldfinger and they had to cut to the adds because the standing ovation didn't stop, she is so phenomenal. Also she can project her voice like an Opera singer further than any other popular singer she would drown Ella or any other popular music singer out on stage, she is the only popular music singer that could have been an Opera singer. She is a more diverse singer than Ella as well and has sang lots of different genres and inhabits a song better than anyone else ever. I don't particularly like this song doesn't do her voice justice prefer some of her other early songs like If you love me and Who should I turn to, What now my love but my favourites are If you go away and I who have nothing she inhabits those song so much. She is the only singer who can send me though every emotion and she is one of the few singers whose voice got richer with time but I love her voice through every decade, Dame Shirley Bassey is a living legend and will be remembered long after other singers have been forgotten. Her Bond themes will always be a catalyst for future generations to discover this wonderful, warm,humble, funny lady with a massive personality and phenomenal talent.
Mark Blackburn
Favorite “goodbye” song (and best rendition?)
I love Shirley Bassey – one of England's greatest gifts to popular music. A moment ago Siriusly Sinatra satellite radio played an early (1961) recording of my “new” favorite version of maybe the most poignant song Cole Porter ever wrote – EV'RY TIME WE SAY GOODBYE. Her most beautiful and reverent rendition is reminiscent (to my ears) of Dame Vera Lynn. Come to think of it, I believe it's “Dame Shirley.” And, to coin a phrase, there ain't nothin' like a dame.
Most recent note below the video from a kindred soul:
Milton Moore (1 year ago)
Dame Shirley Bassey did a magnificent job on this Cole Porter standard.
The arrangement and orchestration are non pariel.
Those violins were piped down straight from HEAVEN!
Thanks, Phillip Primrose for sharing -- with gorgeous slide show! Celebrated this day at Sinatra Family -- Forum -- WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE STANDARD? https://sinatrafamily.com/forum/showthread.php/50418-What-is-your-favorite-standard?p=1277975#post1277975