He was born in New York City (but grew up in New Haven, Connecticut) and began learning the saxophone when he was 15 and by age 16, had begun to tour with a band. He reached Hollywood the first time, as a sideman with Irving Aaronson's band in 1931, performing at the famous Orange Blossom Room (site of the first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929). Returning to New York City in1932, he became a highly in-demand session musician, working for example as one of just a handful of accompanists to Bing Crosby's first signature radio show for William S. Paley's already powerful and influential CBS radio network. Ultimately, Artie (who was known strictly as "Art" Shaw until his fortuitous Summer, 1938 contract with RCA Victor records' Bluebird label commenced) organized and led five, full-time touring orchestras that were all extremely popular -save the last, from 1949, with its be-bop oriented book. Ironically, that final Shaw-led big band (populated with players like Al Cohn), is considered by most jazz critics to have been Artie's best. With time out to lead a Navy service band (in the Pacific combat theater) during WWII, Shaw's actual big band- leading career lasted less than a decade overall -yet, it was a remarkably productive one, populated with some fourteen "Gold" records. These included such mega-hits as "Begin the Beguine", "Stardust", "Frenesi", "Moonglow", "Temptation", "Dancing In The Dark" and "Summit Ridge Drive" -the latter by his famous quintet billed as the Gramercy 5.
Shaw was known for being an innovator in the big band idiom, pioneering strings with jazz and using unusual instrumentations. His Summer, 1935 piece "Interlude in B-flat" was one of the earliest examples of what would be later dubbed "third stream". In 1938 he convinced Billie Holiday to be his band's vocalist, becoming the first white bandleader to hire a full-time black female singer. This 1938-1939 orchestra became phenomenonally successful and appeared in the movie "Dancing Co-ed" which also featured one of his future wives, Lana Turner, in the cast. Artie's clarinet playing, had by now reached a level that was arguably the greatest in jazz, easily rivaling that of Benny Goodman. Longtime Duke Ellington clarinetist Barney Bigard, himself a highly talented musician -cited Shaw (in 1940) as his "favorite" clarinet player. Literally abandoning his famous 1938-1939 band at the absolute peak of its' fame and earning power (Artie, just himself alone pulling down more than $10K per week) in late November, 1939, Shaw "abdicated" to Acapulco, Mexico. Returning to the U.S. he organized an entirely new orchestra, with full string section in the Summer of 1940. A truly stellar aggregation, it lasted until mid-1941, featuring stars Billy Butterfield, Johnny Guarneiri, Nick Fatool and Ray Conniff as principal arranger. This outfit can be prominently seen in the RKO film "Second Chorus" starring Fred Astaire and Paulette Goddard. The final pre-war Shaw band, started in late, 1941, had Davey Tough and Hot Lips Page and big hits on St. James Infirmary Blues and Blues In The NIght. Artie broke this outstanding unit up shortly after Pearl Harbor so he could "enlist" in the Navy -refusing an offered commission. Back from the Navy, Shaw put together a new band that featured Roy Eldridge and an ambitious library stocked with arrangements by Eddie Sauter, Buster Harding, Ray Conniff and others. Hit records for this band included "Little Jazz" and "S'Wonderful" and by now Artie was married to Ava Gardner. His final public performances (as a clarinetist) took place in 1954, including with a sublime quartet in an extended Las Vegas booking. Apparently, he last picked up and played his fabled clarinet in about 1960 at his beach house in Spain (as recounted in final wife actress Evelyn Keyes' autobiography) and resisted all lucrative offers to return to the stage until finally fielding a "ghost" band under the highly capable aegis of outstanding clarinetist Dick Johnson in 1985. For about the first year, Artie often appeared on stage with this very fine orchestra at certain, prestigious bookings, but soon tired of the "grind" -and not to Dick Johnson's dismay. This now true "ghost" band is still appearing during Summer seasons (with much of the original Shaw "books"), principally in the New England area (Johnson lives in Boston) and is well worth seeing. Although he had more wives (8) than bands, Artie fell one wife short of Charlie Barnet's record (for a famous bandleadrer) of nine.
Afraid to Dream
Artie Shaw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Here we are, bidding the stardust adieu
Soon you'll be lost in the glory of dreams
Yet, my lovely one, strange as it seems
I'm afraid to dream
Afraid that you may not be there
Afraid to dream without you it would seem so bare
Just as I reach for you why do you disappear?
Afraid to dream
I'll see you there with someone new
Afraid to find another one caressing you
Although you promised me that this could never be
It's the thought of losing you that makes me so
Afraid to dream
I'm afraid to dream
Afraid that you may not be there
Afraid to dream without you it would seem so bare
With open arms I call to you, I want you, dear
Just as I reach for you why do you disappear?
Afraid to dream
I'll see you there with someone new
Afraid to find another one caressing you
Although you promised me that this could never be
It's the thought of losing you that makes me so
Afraid to Dream is a poignant and emotional song sung by Artie Shaw that talks about the fear of losing someone whom you love. The song describes two lovers, who are together in the moment, but soon, one of them will be sleeping, lost in their dreams. The singer expresses his fear that if he dreams of a life without his beloved, it will be unbearable because he will not be able to see her with someone else. He is so afraid of this thought that he cannot even bring himself to dream.
The lyrics of the song are carefully crafted to show the depth of the singer's fear. He is afraid that if he lets go of his fear and actually dreams, he will see his beloved with someone else. He wants to hold on to her forever and is afraid of losing her to someone else. He repeatedly calls out to her, expressing his desire to hold her close, yet, she keeps disappearing from his grasp.
The melody of the song is reflective and melancholic, and it perfectly captures the tone of the lyrics. The song is a classic example of a love ballad that tugs at the heartstrings of the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
Here we are, two silhouettes in the blue
Two of us standing together against the blue sky, with our outline the only discernible feature
Here we are, bidding the stardust adieu
We are saying goodbye to the magic and beauty of the night sky
Soon you'll be lost in the glory of dreams
You will soon be enveloped in the wonder and magic of your dreams
Yet, my lovely one, strange as it seems
It may seem strange but...
I'm afraid to dream
I am scared to let myself fall asleep and dream
Afraid that you may not be there
Because I am afraid that you won't be there with me in my dream
Afraid to dream without you it would seem so bare
If I dream without you, my dream will feel empty and meaningless
With open arms I call to you, I want you, dear
I yearn for you and call out to you with all my heart, wanting you to be with me
Just as I reach for you why do you disappear?
But every time I try to hold you, you slip away from me
Afraid to dream
Once again, I am scared to fall asleep and dream
I'll see you there with someone new
This time, I am afraid that I will see you with someone else in my dream
Afraid to find another one caressing you
I don't want to see someone else touching you in my dream
Although you promised me that this could never be
Even though you have promised me that this would never happen in real life
It's the thought of losing you that makes me so
It is the fear of losing you that makes me so
Afraid to dream
Once again, I am scared to fall asleep and dream
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jeffrey Craven
One of my all time listening pleasures.
phredl
Not a big fan of Artie, but I really like this.
Robert Rivera
Love that song. Heard it in a 1937 movie with Don Ameche & Alice Faye. Movie was "you can't have everything". I wish I could get the sheet music for it but I just can't find it.
Walter Brady
It's on ebay right now. I have a copy and was looking it up
James McNeany
A huge fan of Artie Shaw but I prefer Benny Goodman's version
Kirk Barkley
Could live without Betty Van's weak vocal, though
Paolo Piccardo
Peg La Centra was not bad, but after all i still prefer Betty Van in this number