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.
The Rose
Shirley Bassey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Run away like a child at play
Through a meadow land toward a closing door
A door marked "nevermore" that
Wasn't there before
The lonely night discloses just a
Passing breeze filled with memories
Of the golden smile that introduced me to
(The lonely night discloses) just a
Passing breeze filled with memories
Of the golden smile that introduced me to
The days of wine and roses and you oo oo
In "The Rose," Shirley Bassey sings about the fleeting nature of happiness and how it can quickly slip away. The metaphor she uses to describe this is "the days of wine and roses." The days of wine and roses are like a child running away from us as we try to catch them. They lead us through a meadow towards a closing door marked "nevermore" - a door that symbolizes the end of the good times. The singer wonders if this door was always there and they just didn't notice it until it was too late.
The lonely night only emphasizes the passing of time, and the memories that come with it. The wind blowing through the night brings with it memories of happier times, of the person who introduced the singer to the "days of wine and roses." They remember the "golden smile" that brought them happiness and associate it with those days. As the song fades out, we're left with the sense that those days are gone forever and all that remains are memories.
Overall, "The Rose" is a melancholic song about the transience of happiness and the bittersweet nature of nostalgia.
Line by Line Meaning
The days of wine and roses laugh and
Happy times filled with wine and beauty pass by quickly and playfully
Run away like a child at play
They disappear quickly, like a child playing a game
Through a meadow land toward a closing door
These happy times are like a journey through a beautiful meadow, but they are coming to an end
A door marked "nevermore" that
There is a door blocking the way that will never open again
Wasn't there before
The door is a new obstacle that wasn't there before
The lonely night discloses just a
In a quiet and solitary moment, one realizes that there is
Passing breeze filled with memories
A gentle wind that carries a flood of memories
Of the golden smile that introduced me to
Of the joyful and welcoming smile that first brought me to
The days of wine and roses and you
Those happy times filled with beauty and love, and the person who made them special
(The lonely night discloses) just a
Again, in a moment of loneliness
Passing breeze filled with memories
There is a gentle wind that carries memories
Of the golden smile that introduced me to
Of that joyful and welcoming smile that first brought me to
The days of wine and roses and you oo oo
Those happy times filled with beauty and love, and the person who made them special, once again
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sas9023055
Happy Birthday Dame Shirley! I join all of your world wide fans to wish you a wonderful Birthday, and a most prosperous 2013. Your Diamond Anniversary in Show Business (60) years, is truely an amazing feat for any artist! We all are impatiently awaiting for you to record your next CD....hope hope hope, and maybe you will decide to tour the world to celebrate with all your fans...Regards, Scot
@coolsweetgroovy
Dame Shirley rules
@sas9023055
Thank-you very much 4ever! I just believe that Dame Shirley does get on Youtube from time to time and read comments from her fans, and I just know she truely appreciates the kind words she receives for her work over 60 years in the business, Regards, Scot
@matamemejor
And she puts on a heck of a show too.
@janelliot121
Only dame shirley could song the rose as good as bette midler
@matamemejor
Bette Midler CAN sing. She may not have the range of say Celine or Whitney or Shirley but she sure can hold a note.
@sas9023055
Fans: Dame Shirley Bassey will be appearing at the 2013 Academy Awards Show In Hollywood on February 24th. She will headline the 50th James Bond anniversary celebration! Wonderful News! Bassey is herself celebrating 60 (Diamond) years in Show Business, starting back in 1953.