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
Little Girl Blue
Stacey Kent Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As merry as a carousel,
The circus tent was strung with ever star in the sky,
Above the ring I loved so well.
Now the young world has grown old, gone are the silver and gold,
Sit there and count your fingers, what can you do,
Old girl, you're through.
Sit there and count the raindrops falling on you,
It's time you knew,
All you can count on are the raindrops that fall on little girl blue.
No use, old girl, you might as well surrender,
Your hopes are getting slender,
Why won't somebody send a tender blue boy to cheer up little girl blue.
Sit there and count your fingers
What can you do
Old girl you're through
Sit there, count your little fingers
Unhappy little girl blue.
Sit there and count the raindrops
Falling on you
It's time you knew
All you can ever count on
Are the raindrops
That fall on little girl blue
Won't you just sit there
Count the little raindrops
Falling on you
'Cause it's time you knew
All you can ever count on
Are the raindrops
That fall on little girl blue
No use old girl
You might as well surrender
'Cause your hopes are getting slender and slender
Why won't somebody send a tender blue boy
To cheer up little girl blue
The lyrics to Stacey Kent's "Little Girl Blue" are a poignant and melancholic reflection on the passage of time and the loss of youthful innocence. The song opens by describing a time when the world was younger than the addressee, and everything was full of wonder and magic. The circus tent is strung with "every star in the sky," and there is a sense of joy and lightness that pervades everything. However, the song quickly turns to a more bitter and resigned tone, as the singer notes that the young world has grown old, and the silver and gold have faded away. The addressee is now an "old girl" who can only sit and count her fingers, lamenting what could have been.
As the song continues, it becomes clear that the addressee has experienced some form of disappointment or loss. She is unable to find happiness or fulfillment, and all she can do is sit and count the raindrops falling on her. The use of rain as a metaphor for sadness and disappointment is particularly effective here, adding to the overall mood of the song. Despite the gloom that pervades the lyrics, there is a sense of empathy and compassion for the addressee, particularly in the final lines of the song. The singer wonders why nobody has sent a "tender blue boy" to cheer up the "little girl blue," suggesting that even in the darkest of times, there is always hope for something better.
Overall, "Little Girl Blue" is a haunting and beautiful song that captures the complexity of human emotion and experience. It is a powerful reminder that life is not always easy or fair, but we should never lose hope for a better tomorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
When you were very young, the world was younger than you
The world was once as innocent and carefree as the singer when they were young.
As merry as a carousel, The circus tent was strung with every star in the sky, Above the ring I loved so well
The singer remembers a happy time in their youth, full of excitement and wonder.
Now the young world has grown old, gone are the silver and gold
The singer realizes that the world has changed and become less magical since they were young.
Sit there and count your fingers, what can you do, Old girl, you're through
The artist feels stuck and hopeless, with nothing to do or look forward to.
Just sit there and count your little fingers, unlucky little girl blue
The artist is emphasizing how small and insignificant they feel.
Sit there and count the raindrops falling on you, It's time you knew, All you can count on are the raindrops that fall on little girl blue
The singer is expressing how they feel alone and helpless, with nothing else to rely on but their own tears.
No use, old girl, you might as well surrender, Your hopes are getting slender
The singer has lost all hope and feels like giving up because things aren't looking up.
Why won't somebody send a tender blue boy to cheer up little girl blue
The artist is pleading for someone to come and bring them happiness or comfort.
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LORENZ HART, RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind