Carroll was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. She began her classical training in piano at age eight, but by high school decided to become a jazz pianist. She attended the New England Conservatory of Music for a year, but left it as it conflicted with working for bands. In 1947 Leonard Feather dubbed her "the first girl ever to play bebop piano." In the following year her trio, which featured Chuck Wayne on guitar and Clyde Lombardi on bass, worked briefly with Benny Goodman. Later Charlie Byrd replaced Wayne and Joe Shulman replaced Lombardi. After Byrd's departure, Carroll decided to have it be a drums, bass, and piano trio.
In the 1950s Carroll and her trio worked on Me and Juliet by Rodgers and Hammerstein. The decade saw her career ebb due to changing musical tastes and personal concerns.
In 1972 she revived her career due to a renewed interest in her work. In 1975 she was asked by Rita Coolidge to work on a session for A&M. In 1978 she toured with Coolidge and Kris Kristofferson. In the following two decades she became known as a cabaret performer.
In the current decade Carroll was awarded a Lifetime Achievement award and the "Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz".
In September 1954 Carroll married Joe Shulman, a member of the trio. The marriage lasted less than three years due to his death from a heart attack in 1957 at age 33. She subsequently married bandleader Bert Block and had a daughter.
She died on February 11, 2017, aged 92.
Dancing On the Ceiling
The Barbara Carroll Trio Lyrics
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Because a miracle
Has brought my lover to me
Though he's some other place, his face I see
At night I creep in bed
And never sleep in bed
But look above in the air
He dances overhead
On the ceiling near my bed
In my sight
Through the night
I try to hide in vain
Underneath my counterpane
But there's my love
Up above
I whisper, "Go away, my lover
It's not fair"
But I'm so grateful to discover
He's still there
I love my ceiling more
Since it is a dancing floor
Just for my love
The lyrics of "Dancing on the Ceiling" by The Barbara Carroll Trio are a whimsical tribute to the power of love and the way that it can transform the world around us. The song begins by asserting that the world is inherently lyrical, and goes on to suggest that this is because of the miraculous presence of the singer's lover in her life. Even though he may be physically distant from her, she still sees his face everywhere she goes, and feels his presence in the air above her bed at night.
The second verse reinforces this theme of the lover's physical absence and metaphysical presence, with the singer describing how she never sleeps in her bed, but instead spends her nights looking up at the ceiling and watching her lover dance there. Despite her attempts to hide from him by burying herself under the covers, he remains a constant presence in her life, and she finds herself whispering for him to go away even as she is grateful for his continued existence.
The final verse of the song brings everything full circle, as the singer declares that she loves her ceiling even more now that it has become a "dancing floor" for her and her lover. The lyrics of "Dancing on the Ceiling" celebrate the romantic ideal of a love that transcends time and space, and which can transform even the most mundane aspects of our lives into something magical and surreal.
Line by Line Meaning
The world is lyrical
The world seems melodic and poetic
Because a miracle
Due to an unexpected event
Has brought my lover to me
Has reunited me with my beloved one
Though he's some other place, his face I see
Although separated, I can visualize his face
At night I creep in bed
During nighttime, I lie down in bed slowly
And never sleep in bed
And never close my eyes to sleep
But look above in the air
Instead, I gaze up in the air
And to my greatest joy, my love is there
And it brings me immense happiness to see my love on the ceiling
He dances overhead
He gracefully moves on the ceiling above
On the ceiling near my bed
He dances on the ceiling right above my bed
In my sight
He's visible to me
Through the night
All through the night
I try to hide in vain
Although I attempt to conceal myself, it's unsuccessful
Underneath my counterpane
Underneath the cover of my bedding
But there's my love
However, my lover is still there
Up above
On the ceiling overhead
I whisper, "Go away, my lover
I whisper and request my lover to go away
It's not fair"
As it's not fair to keep me awake
But I'm so grateful to discover
But I'm thankful to realize
He's still there
That my lover is still present
I love my ceiling more
I adore my ceiling to a greater extent
Since it is a dancing floor
As the ceiling serves as a dance floor
Just for my love
Specifically for my one true love
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LIONEL B. JR. RICHIE, MICHAEL HENRY JR. FRENCHIK, CARLOS MANUEL RIOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind