Song Meaning
Diane Schuur's rendition of "The Very Thought of You" is a masterclass in distilled infatuation, a sonic portrait of how a lover's mere presence in one's mind can unravel the mundane. The lyrics paint a picture of someone so consumed by affection that basic routines—"those little ordinary things"—fall by the wayside. It's a relatable sentiment: the disruptive power of new love, or perhaps enduring adoration, where the object of affection becomes a lens through which the entire world is perceived. Schuur's interpretation, presumably building on the song's established legacy, doesn't just convey love; it dissects its intoxicating effects. The singer isn't simply stating 'I love you'; she's revealing the psychological impact of that love on her daily existence. The song's meaning lies in this disruption.
"I'm feeling in a sort of daydream / I'm happy as a king," Schuur sings, capturing the almost hallucinatory state of being deeply in love. This isn't a grounded, practical affection; it's a flight of fancy, a temporary escape from the ordinary. The recurring lines like, "The very thought of you I love," act as a mantra, reinforcing the idea that the feeling itself is the core experience, almost divorced from the actual person. It speaks to the power of projection, where the singer's own desires and fantasies are projected onto the beloved. The song suggests that the 'idea' of the loved one is, at times, more potent than their physical presence.
The brilliance of "The Very Thought of You," especially as interpreted by an artist like Diane Schuur, resides in its simplicity. The lyrics don't rely on elaborate metaphors or complex narratives. Instead, they offer a straightforward, honest depiction of how love can warp perception and prioritize emotion over practicality. Seeing "your face in every flower / Your eyes in stars above" isn't just romantic imagery; it's a symptom of a mind saturated with love, finding echoes of the beloved in every corner of the universe. The song's enduring appeal is a testament to its universal theme: the captivating, sometimes overwhelming, power of love's initial spark and its ability to color our entire world.
View Artist