☝️ Key Points
- The song lyrics describe memories of past times and a disappointed love.
- The singer longs for the lively places where he could feel and enjoy life.
- He realizes that the women he knew have lost their vitality.
- Although life is sometimes disappointing, he decides to keep going and smile.
- The singer plans to spend a week in Paris to escape the pain of loneliness.
Interpretation
In the lyrics of the song 'Lush Life' by
Nat King Cole, it is about memories of past times and a disappointed love. The singer describes how he used to go to lively places where jazz was heard and cocktails were drunk. There, he could feel and enjoy life.
The women he knew had sad faces that were once happy but have faded due to the hardships of life. It seems like they have lost their vitality.
Then came the singer and his song to drive the listener crazy. He thought that the woman's smile in the song had something sad about it and that she could really love him. But he realizes that he was wrong.
Now his life is lonely again and everything that seemed safe last year is now terrible. He feels bored of so many hearts around him. To escape the pain, he plans a week in Paris to alleviate the bite of loneliness.
Although life is sometimes disappointing, he decides to move on and smile. He wants to forget the past, even though the memory still burns in his mind.
The singer realizes that romance can often be disappointing and that instead he will lead a 'lush life' - an extravagant life in a small bar. There he will be, while withering away alongside other lonely people.