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.
Whispering
Toots Thielemans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gorgeous and dressed in blue
Don't worry I'm not looking at you
Gorgeous and dressed in blue
I know it drives you crazy
When I pretend you don't exist
When I'd like to lean in close
And run my hands against your lips
Still I sense there's a rapport
So whisper me your number
I'll call you up at home
Whisper me your number
I'll call you up at home
Don't worry I'm not looking at you
Don't worry I'm not looking at you
Gorgeous and dressed in blue
Don't worry I'm not looking at you
I know you see me see you
As you see me walk on past
When there's nothing more I'd like to do
Then come in close and hear you laugh
Though we haven't even spoken
Still I sense there's a rapport
So whisper me your number
I'll call you up at home
Yea whisper me your number
I'll call you up at home
Whisper me your number
I'll call you up at home
Hmm whisper me your number
I'll call you up at home
The lyrics of Toots Thielemans's song "Whispering" depict a speaker who is very attracted to someone they have been admiring from afar, despite the fact that they have not even spoken to each other yet. The singer announces that they are not looking at the object of their admiration, although they find them gorgeous and dressed in blue. They explain that they can sense a connection, even without having spoken, and fantasize about getting close to the person and running their hands against their lips. The singer then asks the person to whisper their phone number so that they can call them at home. The song ends with a repetition of the request to whisper the number.
The lyrics of "Whispering" explore themes of attraction and desire, as well as the uncertainty and anticipation that can arise from wanting to pursue a potential romantic interest. The singer's reluctance to make direct eye contact with the person they are interested in suggests a sense of shyness or nervousness. However, their confidence in their ability to read the other person's body language and signals conveys a certain level of intuition and perceptiveness. The emphasis on whispering underscores the idea of intimacy and secrecy, with the phone number serving as a symbolic portal to deeper connection.
Overall, Toots Thielemans's song "Whispering" is a romantic and sensual ode to the thrill of attraction and the excitement of taking a chance on love.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't worry I'm not looking at you
I assure you that I am not directly gazing at you.
Gorgeous and dressed in blue
You are quite beautiful, and your clothing is a striking hue of blue.
I know it drives you crazy
I understand that my actions may agitate you.
When I pretend you don't exist
When I act as though you are not present, and ignore/suppress the urge to engage.
When I'd like to lean in close
I do have a desire to come near to you, even though I am not engaging.
And run my hands against your lips
I have a compelling urge to physically touch your mouth area with my hands.
Though we haven't even spoken
Even though we have yet to communicate directly.
Still I sense there's a rapport
I have a feeling or intuition that we have an unspoken understanding or connection.
So whisper me your number
In this moment, please privately disclose your phone number to me.
I'll call you up at home
I will telephone you in a domestic setting.
I know you see me see you
I am aware that you are conscious of my awareness of you.
As you see me walk on past
As I move forward and beyond your immediate vicinity.
When there's nothing more I'd like to do
I have no higher priority or desire than to be close to you and hear your laughter.
Then come in close and hear you laugh
I want to take physical proximity to you to listen to the sound of your laughter.
Whisper me your number
I request again, please share your phone number with me privately.
I'll call you up at home
I will contact you via telephone in your place of living.
Hmm whisper me your number
Expressing a similar request a third time, please share your phone number with me in a hushed tone.
I'll call you up at home
Concluding with a repetition of the same plan, I will reach out to you via telephone in your place of residence.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Richard Coburn, Vincent Rose, John Schonberger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind