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.
Nobody Does It Better
Toots Thielemans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nobody does it half as good as you
Baby, you're the best
I wasn't lookin' but somehow you found me
I tried to hide from your love light
But like heaven above me the spy who loved me
Is keepin' all my secrets safe tonight
Nobody does it quite the way you do
Did you have to be so good?
The way that you hold me whenever you hold me
There's some kind of magic inside you
That keeps me from runnin' but just keep it comin'
How'd you learn to do the things you do?
And nobody does it better
Makes me feel sad for the rest
Nobody does it half as good as you
The lyrics of Toots Thielemans’s song “Nobody Does It Better” exude a sense of sadness and longing for a love that cannot be replicated. The line “nobody does it better makes me feel sad for the rest” conveys the idea that the love this person has is so unique and special, that it makes them feel sorrowful for anyone who has not experienced it. The singer is expressing his admiration for his lover and how much they mean to him. He acknowledges that he was not initially seeking love, yet his lover still found him. He compares the love his partner gives him to “some kind of magic inside” her. This encapsulates the mysterious and unexplainable nature of love, as it often cannot be put into words.
The lyrics also touch on the idea of vulnerability and trust. The line “the spy who loved me is keeping all my secrets safe tonight” suggests that the singer holds a sense of trust with his partner. This trust allows him to open up to them and to be vulnerable, knowing that his secrets will be safe. However, the lyrics also carry a sense of doubt and disbelief; the line "Did you have to be so good?" questions whether this love is too good to be true. The singer is in awe of the remarkable way that his lover can hold him, a sign that they have a unique bond.
Line by Line Meaning
Nobody does it better makes me feel sad for the rest
No one can quite compare to the amazing things you do, which makes me feel sorry for anyone who experiences anything less.
Nobody does it half as good as you
You are incredibly talented and no one else can do what you do with the same level of excellence.
Baby, you're the best
You are absolutely amazing and I admire your incredible talents.
I wasn't lookin' but somehow you found me
I didn't know what I was missing until you came into my life and showed me what true talent really looks like.
I tried to hide from your love light
I was afraid to let you in at first, but your undeniable talent and charm made it impossible to resist you.
But like heaven above me the spy who loved me
You have a mysterious quality to you that is incredibly alluring, just like a spy who is full of surprises and secrets.
Is keepin' all my secrets safe tonight
I know that I can trust you completely with my feelings and thoughts because you will always keep them safe from harm.
Nobody does it better sometimes I wish someone could
Although I appreciate your immense talent, sometimes I wish others could come close to matching your level of excellence.
Nobody does it quite the way you do
Your unique style and approach to your art is unmatched by anyone else, making you truly one-of-a-kind.
Did you have to be so good?
Your talent and skill is almost too good to be true, making it hard to believe that someone could be so incredibly talented.
The way that you hold me whenever you hold me
The way you approach and express your art is almost like you are holding me close, enveloping me in your undeniable talent and passion.
There's some kind of magic inside you
There is an unexplainable quality to your work that sets it apart from others, making it truly magical and awe-inspiring.
That keeps me from runnin' but just keep it comin'
Your incredible talent keeps me coming back for more and makes me want to stay and experience more of your amazing work.
How'd you learn to do the things you do?
I am amazed and curious about how you developed your exceptional talents and abilities.
And nobody does it better
You truly are the best at what you do and no one else can come close to matching your level of excellence.
Makes me feel sad for the rest
Your amazing talent and skill sets the bar so high that it makes me feel sorry for others who cannot even come close to matching it.
Nobody does it half as good as you
You truly are in a league of your own and your level of excellence is unmatched by anyone else.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CAROLE SAGER, MARVIN HAMLISCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind