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.
Dancing In The Dark
Artie Shaw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Till the tune end
We're dancing in the dark,
And it soon ends.
We're waltzing in the wonder
Of why we're here;
Time hurries by,
We're here and gone.
Of a new love
To brighten up the night.
I have you to love,
And we can face the music together;
Dancing in the dark.
What though love is old?
What though song is old?
Through them we can be young.
Hear this heart of mine
Make yours part of mine.
Dear one, tell me that we're one!
Dancing in the dark!
The lyrics of Artie Shaw’s “Dancing in the Dark” express a mixed range of feelings as the singers try to make the most of the fleeting moment they have while dancing in the dark until the tune ends. They dance in wonder about why they are here and the transience of life. They long for a new love to brighten up the night but at the same time feel grateful for having each other to face the music together. The lines “What, though love is old? What, though song is old? Through them, we can be young”, are particularly heartening as they suggest that age is just a number and true love and music can make one young at heart.
The metaphor of “dancing in the dark” can be interpreted in different ways, but it primarily represents the uncertainty and unpredictability of life. Although the song sounds like a love song on the surface, it has a deeper philosophical undercurrent that reflects on the human condition. The lines “Time hurries by, we’re here and gone”, highlight how life is transitory and how one must seize the moment and live life to the fullest.
Line by Line Meaning
Dancing in the dark,
We are dancing without seeing each other clearly, in a situation where our future is uncertain.
Till the tune end
We'll continue this dance until the song is over, no matter how long it lasts.
We're dancing in the dark,
We are moving blindly, without knowing what's coming next, but still holding on.
And it soon ends.
Our time together is limited, and our dance will eventually come to a stop.
We're waltzing in the wonder
We are marveling at the mysteries of life while we twirl around together.
Of why we're here;
We are contemplating the purpose of our existence, perhaps as a way to distract ourselves from our fleeting time together.
Time hurries by,
Our time together is passing quickly, and we are afraid to let go.
We're here and gone.
Just as quickly as we arrived, our time together will be over.
Looking for the light
We are searching for a new love to bring us out of this dark, fleeting moment.
Of a new love
We hope to find a fresh start, a new relationship to make our lives meaningful.
To brighten up the night.
To relieve us from the darkness and uncertainty of our current situation.
I have you to love,
Despite our circumstances, we have each other to cherish and care for.
And we can face the music together;
We can confront the challenges of life together, just as we are facing this dance together.
Dancing in the dark.
We are committed to having each other, no matter how uncertain or difficult our circumstances may be, and will continue to dance together through the darkness.
What though love is old?
Even if love is nothing new, it is still powerful and can make us feel alive and youthful.
What though song is old?
Even if the music is familiar, it can still move us and bring us joy.
Through them we can be young.
Love and music have the power to make us feel young and full of life, despite our age or circumstances.
Hear this heart of mine
My heart is filled with love and devotion for you.
Make yours part of mine.
I want you to be a part of my heart, and for us to belong together.
Dear one, tell me that we're one!
I want you to assure me that we are united in our love, and that we will always be together.
Dancing in the dark!
Despite everything, we will continue to dance and love each other, even in the darkest times.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bruce Springsteen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jimhart2519
Super version. I was once a radio DJ in the 1955-57 years, and used this as my theme song for a nighttime record show called "Requestfully Yours"! It was on station WTYS in Marianna, Florida.
@vladimirdorta6692
I remember the show, I was a student pilot at Graham Air Base at the time!
@alexandermoreno7912
Wow! That's a long ways back. Being young as I am, I can only imagine how life was then; probably far less intense and fast paced compared to today.
@davegaba9091
Magnificent song, I can just picture the people dancing in the ballroom. What a time it must have been...
@Trombonology
Artie, who along with James and Whiteman, had the best orchestra featuring strings, produced the finest ever version of this romantic and dramatic Schwartz-Dietz classic, for my money. The arrangement is stunning and Shaw's solo work flawless!
@mcareyop
Yes. Yes! This version only lacks the very good lyrics and interpretation that are found in the Jo Stafford version of some dozen or so years later.
@Trombonology
@@mcareyop Yes! I almost mentioned Jo's wonderful treatment, but decided I'd stick to the Swing Era.
@joseluisvidal8913
Excelente 10✓ thanks very much wonderful the Great artie Shaw and his orchestra "Dancing in the dark" thanks 🎺🎷🎙️😀.
@rickw1954
Rich, smooth and dreamy.
@jaybeelle
One of my absolute favourites