William Galison is an American jazz musician, most famous as a harmonica pl… Read Full Bio ↴William Galison is an American jazz musician, most famous as a harmonica player but also known as a multi-instrumentalist, singer and composer.

Galison was born and raised in New York City, New York. As a child, he started to study piano, but at the age of eight decided to switch to guitar having been inspired by The Beatles. He developed a love of jazz in high school and subsequently attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He decided to change to the harmonica because "I was one of a million guitarists at Berklee" and it was easy to carry around. He became Berklee's only harmonica player. Among his role models at the time were Toots Thielemans and Stevie Wonder.

After Berklee, he studied further at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, then returned to New York in 1982. He swiftly developed a good reputation as a singer, songwriter and instrumentalist.
He performed at various New York venues including The Village Gate, The Blue Note and the Lone Star Cafe with legendary jazz musicians Jaco Pastorius and Jaki Byard. He also played with his own group at Preacher's Cafe in Greenwich Village.

Galison has worked with a diverse range of artists including Carly Simon, Sting, Barbra Streisand, Peggy Lee, Chaka Khan and Astrud Gilberto. He has performed Gordon Jacob's "Suite for Harmonica and Orchestra" and toured the USA in the Broadway musical, Big River. He has also recorded soundtracks for films, most notably Academy Award nominees The Untouchables and Bagdad Café. His harmonica is also heard on the Sesame Street theme ("a great honor") and countless commercials. Other television work includes Oz and Saturday Night Live
One of his major influences and role models, Toots Thielmans, once described him as "the most original and individual of the new generation of harmonica players".

The Way You Look Tonight
William Galison Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Some day
When I'm awfully low
When the world is cold
I will feel a glow
Just thinking of you
And the way you look tonight

You're lovely

With your smile so warm
And your cheeks so soft
There is nothing for me but to love you
And the way you look tonight

With each word your tenderness grows
Tearing my fear apart
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose
It touches my foolish heart

You're lovely
Never, ever change
Keep that breathless charm
Won't you please arrange it
'Cause I love you
Just the way you look tonight

With each word your tenderness grows
Tearing my fear apart
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose
It touches my foolish heart

You're lovely
Never, ever change
Keep that breathless charm
Won't you please arrange it
'Cause I love you
Just the way you look tonight

Tonight
Just the way you look tonight

Overall Meaning

The song "The Way You Look Tonight" by William Galison and Madeleine Peyroux is a love song that talks about the bond between two people in love. The lyrics imply that the singer is thinking of someone who makes them feel a warm glow, even when they are feeling down. They describe the person they love as being lovely, with a warm smile and soft cheeks. The singer feels a strong connection to this person and can't help but love everything about them.

The lyrics of the song also imply vulnerability, fear, and a deep emotional bond. The lines "With each word your tenderness grows, tearing my fear apart, and that laugh that wrinkles your nose, it touches my foolish heart" suggest that the person being talked about in the song has a way of making the singer feel safe and secure, even in the most vulnerable moments. The song highlights the beauty of being in love, how it makes you feel alive and hopeful, and how the connection between two people can create something beautiful and powerful.

Overall, "The Way You Look Tonight" is a beautiful song that captures the true essence of love, vulnerability, and the need for human connection.

Line by Line Meaning

Some day
At some point in the future

When I'm awfully low
When I'm feeling really down and depressed

When the world is cold
When everything around me feels cold and unwelcoming

I will feel a glow
I will feel a warmth and happiness inside of me

Just thinking of you
When I think about you

And the way you look tonight
Especially the way you look tonight

You're lovely
You are beautiful

With your smile so warm
Your smile is so genuine and welcoming

And your cheeks so soft
Your cheeks are so soft to the touch

There is nothing for me but to love you
I can't help but love you