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.
The More I See You
Toots Thielemans Lyrics
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Each time you're near me the thrill is new
And there is nothing that I wouldn't do for
The rare delight of the sight of you for
The more I see you, the more I want you
Somehow this feeling just grows and grows
With every sigh I become more mad about you
Can you imagine how much I love you?
The more I see you as years go by
I know the only one for me can only be you
My arms won't free you, my heart won't try
I know the only one for me can only be you
My arms won't free you, my heart won't try
"The More I See You" is a love song about the intensity of love that seems to grow more and more with each passing day. The lyrics express the excitement and thrill of being near someone who makes you feel like you're experiencing something new every time you see them. The idea is that each time the singer sees their lover, it feels like the first time. They describe the rare delight that comes with seeing their lover and being close to them.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the intensity of these emotions. The more the singer sees their lover, the more they want them. The feeling of being madly in love with someone only seems to grow with each passing moment, especially when the lover is absent. The singer expresses just how much they love their significant other, no matter how much time passes by.
The final lines of the song emphasize the singer's devotion to their lover. They proclaim that the only person for them is their lover and they will never try to let them go. Their heart is so set on this person that even if they tried to free themselves, they simply wouldn't be able to.
Line by Line Meaning
Each time I look at you is like the first time
Every time I gaze upon your presence, it feels as though I am meeting you for the very first time.
Each time you're near me the thrill is new
Whenever you are in my proximity, it brings a new level of excitement to my life, like I have never experienced before.
And there is nothing that I wouldn't do for
Without any hesitation, my love, I would do anything for you to make you feel happy and cherished.
The rare delight of the sight of you for
Just the mere glimpse of your unique beauty and your existence makes me feel ecstatic and grateful.
The more I see you, the more I want you
As time passes, my longing and admiration for you only grows stronger and more intense each day.
Somehow this feeling just grows and grows
I cannot explain or contain the growth of my love for you, it just flourishes with ease and a passion that can't be controlled.
With every sigh I become more mad about you
Even with just the breaths I take, my obsession and infatuation with you intensifies more and more.
More lost without you and so it goes
If we were ever to be separated or parted, I would feel unfulfilled and incomplete, just wandering aimlessly without you.
Can you imagine how much I love you?
Would it even be possible to fathom the depths of my love and adoration for you?
The more I see you as years go by
As we spend more years together, the depth of my love for you only keeps increasing in strength and intensity.
I know the only one for me can only be you
I am certain and confident that you are the only person destined for me, and no one else would ever be able to fill that void.
My arms won't free you, my heart won't try
I promise to hold you close and never let go, and my heart would never even consider the idea of saying goodbye to you.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Mack Gordon, Harry Warren
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind