André Kostelanetz (December 22, 1901, St. Petersburg, Russia - January 13, … Read Full Bio ↴André Kostelanetz (December 22, 1901, St. Petersburg, Russia - January 13, 1980) was a popular orchestral music conductor and arranger, one of the pioneers of easy listening music.

Kostelanetz was known for arranging and recording light classical music pieces for mass audiences, as well as orchestral versions of songs and Broadway show tunes. He made numerous recordings over the course of his career, which had sales of over 50 million and became staples of Beautiful Music radio stations.[citation needed] For many years, Kostelanetz also conducted the New York Philharmonic in pops concerts and recordings, in which they were billed as "Andre Kostelanetz and His Orchestra".

Kostelanetz is best known to modern audiences for a series of easy listening instrumental albums on Columbia Records from the 1940s until 1980. Kostelanetz actually started making this music before there was a genre called "easy listening", and he continued until after some of his contemporaries, including Mantovani, had stopped recording.

Toward the end of his recording career, his name was more of a brand than a true representation of who actually made the music, because nearly all of his output in the 1970s was arranged by others.[citation needed] Some of the arrangers credited on 1970s Kostelanetz albums include Teo Macero, Torrie Zito, Hank Levy, Luther Henderson, Jack Cortner, Eddie Sauter, Claus Ogerman, Jack Pleis, Tommy Newsom, Harold Wheeler, Bobby Scott, Homer Dennison, James Tyler, Jr., Byron Olson, Dale Oehler, Ben Lanzarone, LaMont Johnson, Wade Marcus, Patrick Williams, Sammy Nestico, Warren Vincent, Dick Hyman, Jorge Calandrelli, James J. Wisner, Al Capps and Don Sebesky.

Kostelanetz's last concert was "A Night in Old Vienna" concert with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in the War Memorial Opera House on December 31, 1979.

Shadow of Your Smile
Andre Kostelanetz Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The shadow of your smile
When you have gone
Will color all my dreams
And light the dawn

Look into my eyes my love and see
All the lovely things you are to me

Our wistful little star
It was far, too high
A teardrop kissed your lips
And so did I

Now when I remember spring
All the joys that love can bring

I will be remembering
The shadow of your smile

Overall Meaning

The Shadow of Your Smile is a melancholic yet beautiful ballad that deals with the loss of a loved one. The first two lines set the mood of the song, with the lyrics "The shadow of your smile/When you have gone" implying that the person the singer is referring to has left or passed away. The next line "Will color all my dreams" suggests that the memories of that person will continue to be a part of the singer's life and will have a profound impact on their future.

The chorus, "Look into my eyes my love and see/All the lovely things you are to me" is the singer's way of expressing their love and admiration for the person they have lost. As the song continues, the lyrics become more nostalgic, with the line "Our wistful little star/It was far, too high" painting a picture of a love that was too good to last.

The final verse brings the song full circle, with the lyrics "Now when I remember spring/All the joys that love can bring/I will be remembering/The shadow of your smile" emphasizing the idea that love and loss are linked, and that memories of the ones we love are what keep us going.

Line by Line Meaning

The shadow of your smile
The bittersweet remembrance of your smile

When you have gone
After you have left me

Will color all my dreams
Your memory will permeate all my thoughts

And light the dawn
And give me hope for a new day

Look into my eyes my love and see
See the way I adore you

All the lovely things you are to me
All the beautiful qualities that make you unique

Our wistful little star
Our small but sentimental symbol of love

It was far, too high
It seemed almost out of reach

A teardrop kissed your lips
A tear fell onto your lips

And so did I
And I kissed you with the same sadness and affection

Now when I remember spring
When I recall happy times in my life