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.
Don't Blame Me
Artie Shaw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've hung around you just like a fool
Falling head and heels in love like a kid out of school.
My poor heart is in an awful state now
But it's too late now to call a halt
So if I become a nuisance it's all your fault!
Don't blame me for falling in love with you
I'm under your spell but how can I help it!
Don't' blame me!
Can't you see when you do the things you do!
If I can't conceal the thrill that I'm feeling,
Don't blame; me.
Ican't help it if that doggoned moon above
Makes me need someone like you to love!
Blame your kiss as sweet as a kiss can be
And blame all your charms that melt in my arms
But don't blame me.
I like every single thing about you
Without a doubt you are like a dream
In my mind I find a picture of us as a team
Ever since the hour of our meeting
I've been repeating a silly phrase
Hoping that you'll understand me one of these days.
Don't blame me for falling in love with you
I'm under your spell but how can I help it!
Don't' blame me!
Can't you see when you do the things you do!
If I can't conceal the thrill that I'm feeling,
Don't blame; me.
Ican't help it if that doggoned moon above
Makes me need someone like you to love!
Blame your kiss as sweet as a kiss can be
And blame all your charms that melt in my arms
But don't blame me.
The lyrics to Artie Shaw's song "Don't Blame Me" express the intense feelings of love and infatuation that the singer has for someone they have recently met. The singer describes the overwhelming emotions that they have been experiencing ever since they found this person, falling head over heels for them like a kid out of school. The singer acknowledges that their heart is in an awful state, but it is too late to turn back now. If the singer becomes a nuisance, they believe it is all the fault of the person they are singing to.
The chorus of the song repeats, "Don't blame me for falling in love with you, I'm under your spell, but how can I help it?" The singer can't help but be drawn to this person and feels like they are helpless in the face of their charms. The singer also acknowledges that they can't conceal the thrill that they are feeling, and they can't help the way that the moon's magic affects them. The singer wants to make it clear that their intense feelings are not entirely their fault, and they shouldn't be blamed for falling in love.
The final lines of the song express the singer's admiration for the person they have fallen for. They like every single thing about them and see them as a dream. The singer hopes that one day their feelings will be understood, but for now, they are just happy to be under this person's spell.
Line by Line Meaning
Ever since the lucky night I found you
From the moment I met you, my life changed for the better
I've hung around you just like a fool
I've been by your side all this time, not caring about anything else
Falling head and heels in love like a kid out of school.
I fell in love with you completely, like a young and naive student
My poor heart is in an awful state now
My heart is hurting now
But it's too late now to call a halt
But it's too late now to stop what has already started
So if I become a nuisance it's all your fault!
If I become a bother, it's because of you and your influence on me
Don't blame me for falling in love with you
It's not my fault that I fell in love with you
I'm under your spell but how can I help it!
You have complete power over me and I can't resist it
Don't' blame me!
Don't hold me responsible for what I feel
Can't you see when you do the things you do!
Your actions towards me make it obvious how I feel
If I can't conceal the thrill that I'm feeling,
I can't hide my excitement and joy when I'm with you
Don't blame; me.
Don't point fingers at me for expressing myself
I can't help it if that doggoned moon above
I can't control the way the moon affects my emotions
Makes me need someone like you to love!
The moon makes me yearn for someone to love, and that someone is you
Blame your kiss as sweet as a kiss can be
Your sweet kiss is the reason why I can't resist you
And blame all your charms that melt in my arms
Your charms and all the ways you make me feel are responsible for my love for you
But don't blame me.
But don't hold me accountable for something that is out of my control
Lyrics © DistroKid, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DOROTHY FIELDS, JIMMY MC HUGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
tami stone
this is at my speed for a fox trot, or should i say tempo