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.
Confessin'
Artie Shaw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell me, do you love me too?
I'm confessin' that I need you,
Honest I do, need you every moment.
In your eyes I read such strange things,
But your lips deny they're true,
Will your answer really change things
Making me blue?
I'm afraid some day you'll leave me,
Saying "can't we still be friends"
If you go, you know you'll grieve me,
All in life on you depends.
Am I guessin' that you love me,
Dreaming dreams of you in vain,
I'm confessin' that I love you, over again.
The lyrics of "I'm Confessin'" by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra express the singer's overwhelming love for someone they want to confess their feelings to. The singer is fearful of the possibility of the other person leaving them, which may cause them grief. The lyrics of the song paint an image of a person deeply in love and struggling to express their emotions.
The first line, "I'm confessin' that I love you," sets the tone for the entire song. The singer freely admits their feelings for the object of their affection. They then ask the question, "Tell me, do you love me too?" This shows the singer's desire for the other person to feel the same way they do. The chorus continues with the lines "I'm confessin' that I need you, Honest I do, need you every moment." This line emphasizes the deep dependency the singer feels for their love.
The second verse continues with the idea that the singer reads something in the other person's eyes, but their lips deny it. This shows that the other person may have mixed feelings, which only adds to the singer's angst. The verse ends with the line, "Making me blue?" which emphasizes the sadness that surrounds the act of confessing one's love. The final verse expresses the singer's fear that their confession may push the other person away. The line "All in life on you depends" shows the other person's importance in the singer's life. The song ends with the confession of love repeated, signifying the singer's persistence in expressing their emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm confessin' that I love you,
I openly admit that I am in love with you
Tell me, do you love me too?
Do you also return my feelings of love?
I'm confessin' that I need you,
I acknowledge that I am dependent on you
Honest I do, need you every moment.
I genuinely require your presence constantly
In your eyes I read such strange things,
Your eyes convey confusing emotions to me
But your lips deny they're true,
You verbally deny any conflicting emotions
Will your answer really change things
Does your response have the power to alter the situation?
Making me blue?
Will your answer cause me to become sad?
I'm afraid some day you'll leave me,
I have a fear that one day you will abandon me
Saying "can't we still be friends"
Asking if we can maintain a friendship despite the end of our romantic relationship
If you go, you know you'll grieve me,
You will cause me great sadness if you depart
All in life on you depends.
My entire existence is contingent on you
Am I guessin' that you love me,
Do my assumptions about your love for me have any basis?
Dreaming dreams of you in vain,
Fantasizing about a future with you that may never come to fruition
I'm confessin' that I love you, over again.
I am reiterating my declaration of love for you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Al J Neiburg, Doc Daugherty, Ellis Reynolds
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind