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.
Last Night When We Were Young with Silje Nergaard
Toots Thielemans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Love was a star, a song unsung
Life was so new, so real so right
Ages ago last night
Today the world is old
You flew away and time grew cold
Where is that star that shone so bright
To think that spring had depended
On merely this: a look, a kiss
To think that something so splendid
Could slip away in one little daybreak
So now, let's reminisce
And recollect the sighs and the kisses
The arms that clung
When we were young last night
The song "Last Night When We Were Young" is a mournful and introspective ballad about the fleeting nature of love, youth, and the passage of time. The lyrics capture a bittersweet nostalgia for a bygone era when the singer felt alive, hopeful, and full of possibility. The opening lines set the scene for a wistful reminiscence of a time when love was a shining star and life was new and full of promise. However, the second verse contrasts this idyllic past with the present reality of a world that has grown old and cold, and where the star has faded into memory.
The bridge of the song reflects on the fragility of love and how something so beautiful and splendid as a kiss or a look can vanish as quickly as a sunrise. The final stanza returns to the present moment and urges the listener to recall the moments of love, passion, and embrace that were shared in the past. Overall, the lyrics of the song evoke a sense of longing for a time that has passed and a desire to hold on to the memories of youth and love that once burned so brightly.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night when we were young
In the past, during one of our youthful moments
Love was a star, a song unsung
The passionate love we had for each other was unique and yet to be reckoned
Life was so new, so real so right
At that time, life seemed perfect and genuine
Ages ago last night
It's been so long since that night happened
Today the world is old
The world has changed, and life as we know it is different.
You flew away and time grew cold
You left, and things were never the same again.
Where is that star that shone so bright
I don't know where our love went south.
Ages ago last night?
It seems like just yesterday when we had what we thought was the perfect relationship.
To think that spring had depended
It is surprising to note that everything depended on just a kiss or a look.
On merely this: a look, a kiss
A single kiss or look could cause such deep emotions
To think that something so splendid
It's hard to imagine that something as amazing as our love could just vanish.
Could slip away in one little daybreak
Our love disappeared as fast as the morning arrived that day.
So now, let's reminisce
How about we remember these lovely moments
And recollect the sighs and the kisses
Let's remember how those heartfelt moments felt.
The arms that clung
Let's think of how we were held in each other's warm embrace.
When we were young last night
During that night when we were young and so in love.
Lyrics © S.A. MUSIC
Written by: E. Y. Harburg, Harold Arlen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind