A jazz standard by Toots Thielemans is "Bluesette," where he used whistling and guitar in unison. He worked both as a bandleader and as a sideman, including many projects with composer/arranger Quincy Jones. He performed on many film soundtracks, such as Midnight Cowboy, Cinderella Liberty, Jean de Florette, The Sugarland Express, The Yakuza, Turkish Delight, the 1972 version of The Getaway, French Kiss, Dunderklumpen!, and in various television programs, including Sesame Street, whose closing credits (which did not list him accordingly) featured his performance, on harmonica, of the show's theme, the Belgian television series Witse, and in the Netherlands, for the Baantjer series.
Thielemans started his career as a guitar player. In 1949 he joined a jam session in Paris with Sidney Bechet, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Max Roach and others. In 1951 he went on tour with Bobbejaan Schoepen.
He moved to the United States in 1952 where he was a member of Charlie Parker's All-Stars. He played and recorded with names like Ella Fitzgerald, The George Shearing Quintet, Quincy Jones, Bill Evans, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Astrud Gilberto, Elis Regina and others.
A jazz standard by Toots Thielemans is "Bluesette" where he used whistling and guitar in unison. Bluesette became a major 1962 world-wide hit for him and this still much beloved and requested piece has been re-recorded by him and commercially released on records/CDs many times over both in various studio versions and live on-stage performances performed in several different countries. His trademark harmonica playing can also be heard in movie scores such as Breakfast at Tiffany's (where his plaintive "Moon River" solo in the opening scene brilliantly establishes the film's mood of romance noir), Midnight Cowboy, Bagdad Café, French Kiss, and in various TV programs like Sesame Street, the Belgian TV series Witse and the Dutch TV series Baantjer. His professional whistling and harmonica playing can be heard on Old Spice radio and TV commercials that have been made over the years. In 1983 he contributed to Billy Joel's album An Innocent Man, and his trademark harmonica can be heard on "Leave a Tender Moment Alone."
In the 90s Thielemans embarked on theme projects that included world music. In 1998 he released the a French flavoured album titled "Chez Toots" that included the Les Moulins De Mon Coeur (The Windmills of My Heart) featuring guest singer Johnny Mathis. This CD continues to sell well.
Today Jean "Toots" Thielemans remains a strong favorite among jazz aficionados and professional critics alike. His music CDs continue to delight (many of which were recorded in the 2000s) and have introduced him to entire new generations of keen fans.
Apart from his popularity as an accomplished musician, he is well liked for his modesty and kind demeanor. In his native Belgium, he is also popular for describing himself as a Brussels "ket", which means "street kid" in old Brussels slang. He received a joint honorary doctorate from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium) and in 2001 Thielemans was ennobled a baron by King Albert II of Belgium.
In 2005 he was nominated for the title of De Grootste Belg (The Greatest Belgian). In the Flemish version he ended 20th place, in the Walloon version he ended 44th place.
Thielemans may have had a significant impact on The Beatles, (John Lennon in particular), during the group's pre-fame formative years. When performing in a 1959 Hamburg Germany with the pre-fame Beatles, John Lennon (sometimes with fellow Beatle George Harrison in tow) would often go over to the club where Toots was performing (at a noontime venue) as a member of The George Shearing Quintet. Lennon evidently was taken with Toot's harmonica playing and also for the guitar Toots was playing, an electric American made Rickenbacker with a short play neck. Based on the sound Lennon heard, he decided to purchase a natural alder wood "alderglo" colored three pickup Rickenbacker 1958 model 325 Capri guitar with a short scale as former Beatle and friend, George Harrison would recall to various interviewers many years later. (This iconic famous guitar often fondly referred to as the "Holy Grail" of all guitars, which was customized and tinkered with many times over the years by Lennon including being re-painted to jetglo black in September 1962, is the very same guitar that he played on The Beatles first and third appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show during February 1964).
Toots Thielemans died peacefully in his sleep on August 22, 2016 after being hospitalized for a fall a month earlier.
La Vie En Rose
Toots Thielemans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The magic spell you cast
This is La vie en rose
When you kiss me heaven sighs
And tho I close my eyes
I see La vie en rose
I′m in a world apart
A world where roses bloom
And when you speak... angels sing from above
Everyday words seem... to turn into love songs
Give your heart and soul to me
And life will always be
La vie en rose
The lyrics of "La Vie en Rose" by Toots Thielemans speaks of a spellbinding love that transforms the singer's world into one adorned with roses, ever so enchantingly. The song starts with an invitation to hold the singer close and fast, as if they are already under a magical spell of love. The singer experiences La vie en rose or "life in pink," a metaphor for the complete immersion in love that represents a rosy image of the world. They talk about how when they are kissed, the heavens seem to sigh, and when they close their eyes, they are transported into a world of La vie en rose.
The singer goes on to describe how being held in the arms of their lover feels like they are in a paradise where roses bloom. Every word spoken by their lover is so beautiful to hear that it is like the angels are singing from above. The mundane, everyday words are transformed into love songs, making them feel like they are in a magical world. In the final lines, the singer pleads with their lover to give their heart and soul, and promises that if they do, La vie en rose will be the way of life, forever.
Line by Line Meaning
Hold me close and hold me fast
Embrace me tightly and securely
The magic spell you cast
The enchantment you create
This is La vie en rose
This is experiencing life through rose-colored glasses
When you kiss me heaven sighs
Your kiss has a profound impact on me
And tho I close my eyes
Even when I shut my eyes
I see La vie en rose
I still see the beauty of life
When you press me to your heart
When you embrace me tightly
I'm in a world apart
I feel like I'm in a separate world
A world where roses bloom
A world where beauty abounds
And when you speak... angels sing from above
Your voice is heavenly
Everyday words seem... to turn into love songs
Ordinary language becomes poetic expressions of love
Give your heart and soul to me
Offer your complete being to me
And life will always be
Then, life will always seem
La vie en rose
Beautiful, romantic and carefree
Writer(s): Mack David, Edith Piaf (edith Gassion), Louiguy (louis Guglielmi)
Contributed by Vivian L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.