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
Violets For Your Furs
Stacey Kent Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Falling snow flakes filled the air
The streets were covered with a film of ice
But a little, simple magic that I heard about somewhere
Changed the weather all around
Just within a thrice
You brought me violets for my furs
You brought me violets for my furs
And there was April in that December
The snow drifted down on the flowers
And melted where where it lay
The snow looked like dew on the blossoms
As on a summer day
You brought me violets for my furs
And there was blue in the wintery sky
You pinned the violets to my furs
And gave a lift to the clouds passing by
You smiled at me so sweetly
Since then, one thought occurred
That we fell in love completely
The day that you brought me violets for my furs
The opening lines of Stacey Kent’s song “Violets For Your Furs” set the scene: “It was winter in Manhattan / Falling snow flakes filled the air / The streets were covered with a film of ice”. In some ways, it’s a familiar picture – we’ve seen it in countless movies and heard it described in countless songs. But in the next few lines, the song takes a surprising turn. The singer of the song tells us about “a little, simple magic that I heard about somewhere / Changed the weather all around / Just within a thrice”. The magic here is love – specifically, the kind of love that can make a freezing-cold winter day feel like a warm spring morning.
The magic is embodied in the gift that the singer’s lover gives her: violets for her furs. The chorus goes: “You brought me violets for my furs / And it was spring for a while, remember?” By pinning the violets to her furs, the lover has given the singer a real sense of joy and renewal. The snow that is still falling and the ice that still covers the streets is no longer oppressive – it is transformed into something beautiful, something that complements the blooms of the violets. As the song moves towards its conclusion, the singer tells us that she has never forgotten the moment when she received these flowers: “Since then, one thought occurred / That we fell in love completely / The day that you brought me violets for my furs”.
Line by Line Meaning
It was winter in Manhattan
The story is set in Manhattan during winter with all its chilly, cold weather.
Falling snow flakes filled the air
The freezing air had snowflakes all around which added to the intense cold.
The streets were covered with a film of ice
There was a thin layer of ice all over the streets due to the cold weather.
But a little, simple magic that I heard about somewhere
There's a mysterious story going around the artist about some magic which can change the weather.
Changed the weather all around
The magic worked and suddenly, the weather started to change all around.
Just within a thrice
The change in weather happened very quickly and surprisingly.
You brought me violets for my furs
As a lover or a friend, the person brought the poet violets and she got delighted.
And it was spring for a while, remember?
The sight of the violets made it seem like it was spring season for a short while, which was lovely.
And there was April in that December
The arrival of violets made the harsh winter seem like a pleasant April month.
The snow drifted down on the flowers
Even the snowflakes gracefully fell on the flowers to create a beautiful imagery.
And melted where where it lay
Due to the warmth of the violets, the snowflakes on the flowers melted away.
The snow looked like dew on the blossoms
The snowflakes on the flowers now look like dew on the newly bloomed blossoms.
As on a summer day
The bright summer's day-like imagery formed by the violets made the cold winter seem like a warm and soft summer day.
And there was blue in the wintery sky
After receiving the violets, even the sky looked blue, which normally looks grey and dim during winter.
You pinned the violets to my furs
The lover or friend pinned the violets on the poet's furs, enhancing her beauty even more.
And gave a lift to the clouds passing by
The violets were fascinating enough to catch the attention of even the clouds that passed by, making the whole environment more lively and animated.
You smiled at me so sweetly
The act of pinning violets and seeing the poet amazed, made the lover or friend smile sweetly.
Since then, one thought occurred
After that event, the poet has been consistently thinking about something special.
That we fell in love completely
It is possible that the event of the violets enhanced the bond between the poet and the lover or friend, and brought them closer to each other.
The day that you brought me violets for my furs
The incident of receiving violets for her furs resonates with the poet even today, as if it had it happened only yesterday.
Contributed by Alexander O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.