Kent attended Newark Academy in Livingston, New Jersey. She graduated with a Degree in Comparative Literature from Sarah Lawrence College in New York, and moved to England after her graduation. While studying at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama, she met tenor saxophonist, Jim Tomlinson, whom she married on 9 Aug 1991.
Discography:
"Close Your Eyes" (1997), "The Tender Trap" (1998), "Let Yourself Go: Celebrating Fred Astaire" (2000),
"Dreamsville" (2001), "Brazilian Sketches" (2001), "In Love Again: The Music of Richard Rodgers" (2002),
"The Boy Next Door" (2003), "Collection" (2001), "Collection II" (2003), "Collection III" (2006),
"Breakfast On The Morning Tram" (2007), "Breakfast on the Morning Tram" (2008, limited edition boxset CD/DVD),
"Raconte-Moi..." (2010) , "Hushabye Mountain" (2011) , "THE CHANGING LIGHTS" (2013)
Kent has also featured in Tomlinson's 2006 album, The Lyric, which won "Album of the Year" at the 2006 BBC Jazz Awards.
Awards: British Jazz Award (2001) and BBC Jazz Award for Best Vocalist (2002).
Kent's album, Breakfast on the Morning Tram, was a nominee for Best Jazz Vocal Album at the 51st Grammy Awards (2009).
Trivia: Novelist Kazuo Ishiguro wrote the liner notes to Kent's 2003 album, The Boy Next Door, and also co-wrote four of the songs on the 2007 album, Breakfast on the Morning Tram.
Sites: Discogs
I Got It Bad
Stacey Kent Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I'm in love and I know what time it is!
The good book says "go seek and ye shall find"
Well, I have sought and my what a climb it is!
My life is just like the weather
It changes with the hours
When he's near I'm fair and warmer
When he's gone I'm cloudy with showers;
When a woman loves a man like I love him.
Never treats me sweet and gentle the way he should;
I got it bad and that ain't good!
My poor heart is sentimental not made of wood
I got it bad and that ain't good!
But when the weekend's over and Monday rolls aroun'
I end up like I start out just cryin' my heart out
He don't love me like I love him, nobody could
I got it bad and that ain't good!
Like a lonely weeping willow lost in the wood
I got it bad and that ain't good!
And the things I tell my pillow no woman should
I got it bad and that ain't good!
Tho folks with good intentions tell me to save my tears
I'm glad I'm mad about him I can't live without him
Lord above me make him love me the way he should
I got it bad and that ain't good!
The opening lines of the song "I Got It Bad" by Stacey Kent lament the idea that love can be blind, but the singer of the song is very much aware of what time it is. She is drawn to this person despite any shortcomings that they may have. The singer concedes that her love interest treats her poorly, yet she is unable to detach herself from him. The first verse draws a comparison between love and weather, stating that the singer's emotions change like the weather with her love interest's presence. She concludes the verse by describing how love can be like the ocean, requiring one to either sink or swim.
The second verse of the song details how her love interest does not treat her how she deserves to be treated; however, the singer cannot stop her deep attachment to him. She suggests that she is a person who is quite sentimental and unable to harden her heart against him. The singer tries to function throughout her everyday life on her own but finds it challenging to shake her love interest. She concludes that she needs him to love her in the way that she loves him, demonstrating her deep desire for mutual affection.
Line by Line Meaning
The poets say that all who love are blind
Many believe that love can blind an individual to certain realities
But I'm in love and I know what time it is!
Despite being in love, I am aware of the situation and the emotions I am feeling
The good book says "go seek and ye shall find"
Religious texts encourage individuals to search for what they desire
Well, I have sought and my what a climb it is!
I have searched for love and it has not been easy
My life is just like the weather
My emotions and feelings are constantly changing
It changes with the hours
My emotions can fluctuate rapidly
When he's near I'm fair and warmer
When I am with him, I feel happy and content
When he's gone I'm cloudy with showers;
When he is not around, I feel sad and upset
In emotion, like the ocean it's either sink or swim
When it comes to emotions, it can either be a success or a failure
When a woman loves a man like I love him.
The way I love him is unique to each individual
Never treats me sweet and gentle the way he should;
He does not treat me as kindly or as sweetly as I desire
I got it bad and that ain't good!
I am in a bad emotional state because of it
My poor heart is sentimental not made of wood
I am a sensitive person with strong emotions
But when the weekend's over and Monday rolls aroun'
When the weekend of freedom and happiness ends and Monday comes
I end up like I start out just cryin' my heart out
I am left to cry endlessly with no solution in sight
He don't love me like I love him, nobody could
No one could love him the same way I do and the lack of reciprocation hurts
Like a lonely weeping willow lost in the wood
I feel lost, lonely and helpless like a weeping willow all alone
And the things I tell my pillow no woman should
I open up to my pillow about things no one else should hear
Tho folks with good intentions tell me to save my tears
People advise me to stop crying and move on
I'm glad I'm mad about him I can't live without him
Despite everything, I am still happy to love him even if it causes me pain
Lord above me make him love me the way he should
I ask for a higher power to make him love me the way I desire
I got it bad and that ain't good!
My love for him is causing me distress and pain
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Duke Ellington, Paul Francis Webster
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind