Her father, a native English speaker originally from Toronto, was a jazz fan who enjoyed Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Nat King Cole. The youngest of five children, she had brothers who were into Jimi Hendrix and Frank Zappa as well as sisters who were into the Beatles and Edith Piaf. In addition to these influences, Montcalm had favorites of her own, above all Eurythmics lead singer Annie Lennox.
Exhibiting an extraordinarily strong voice from an early age, she attended music school as a teenager and ultimately made her full-length recording debut in 1994 with the album Risque on BMG. Sung primarily in French and comprised of original material as well as covers of Charles Aznavour, Tom Waits, and others, Risque was well received from a critical standpoint, and in the wake of its release, Montcalm was awarded a Prix Rapsat-Lelièvre in 1995.
She released her follow-up album, Parle Pas Si Fort, on Universal in 1997 and subsequently retreated from the marketplace for a while, not releasing her third album, Térez Montcalm, until five years later in 2002. Montcalm changed direction on her fourth album, Voodoo, which arrived in 2006. Comprised almost entirely of cover songs, many of them well known (e.g., Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams"), and sung primarily in English rather than French, Voodoo was produced by former Uzeb jazz-rock guitarist Michel Cusson and released on the Universal subsidiary label GSI Musique.
A year after its release, Voodoo broke into the French albums chart and remained there for a total of 30 weeks, going all the way to number 43.
~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
Sweet Dreams
Térez Montcalm Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
who am I to disagree?
Travel the world and the seven seas
everybody
is looking for something
The lyrics of Térez Montcalm's Sweet Dreams offer a unique perspective on one's search for contentment and purpose in life. The song's opening line, "Sweet Dreams are made of this," seems to suggest that our desires and aspirations are the very fabric of our dreams. Montcalm then asks, "who am I to disagree?" implying that we all share this common search for fulfillment.
The next line, "Travel the world and the seven seas," speaks to our collective wanderlust and desire for adventure. We all yearn to explore new places and experiences, hoping to find what we're truly looking for. However, the final line of the chorus, "everybody is looking for something," reminds us that our search is ongoing, and that true contentment may remain elusive.
Overall, Térez Montcalm's Sweet Dreams offers an insightful reflection on our shared human experience of searching for purpose and meaning, and the never-ending pursuit of happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
Sweet Dreams are made of this
The ideal fantasies and aspirations are what people strive for in life
who am I to disagree?
I am in no position to object to people's dreams
Travel the world and the seven seas
Exploration and adventure are universal desires among mankind
everybody's looking for something
All individuals are searching for that one thing that will bring them ultimate satisfaction and happiness
Contributed by Anthony Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.