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.
I'll Never Be The Same
Artie Shaw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stars have lost their meaning for me
I'll never be the same
Nothing's what it once use to be
And when the songbirds that sing
Tell me it's spring
I can't believe their song
Once love was king but kings can be wrong
There is such an ache in my heart
Never be the same since we're apart
Though there's a lot that a smile may hide
I know down deep inside
I'll never be the same never be the same again
I'll never be the same
Stars have lost their meaning for me
I'll never be the same
Nothing's what it once use to be
And when the songbirds that sing
Tell me it's spring
I can't believe their song
Once love was king but kings can be wrong
I'll never be the same
There is such an ache in my heart
Never be the same since we're apart
Though there's a lot that a smile may hide
I know down deep inside
"I'll Never Be The Same" is a bittersweet ballad about lost love, regret, and the emotional aftermath of a breakup. The first verse sets the tone: "Stars have lost their meaning for me / Nothing's what it once use to be." The singer's world has been turned upside down by the loss of their loved one, and they are struggling to find meaning in the things that once brought them joy. Even the songbirds' cheerful melodies are a painful reminder of what they have lost.
The second verse hints at the cause of the breakup ("Once love was king but kings can be wrong"). The singer's heart is heavy with emotional pain, and they long for their former partner ("There is such an ache in my heart / Never be the same since we're apart"). Despite the outward appearance of a smile, they know that they will never be the same again.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll never be the same
My life has been irrevocably changed by a love lost
Stars have lost their meaning for me
The things that once brought me joy and wonder now seem trivial and insignificant without my love
I'll never be the same
The memories of our time together haunt me and continue to emotionally affect me
Nothing's what it once use to be
The world around me feels foreign and unfamiliar due to my broken heart
And when the songbirds that sing
Even the natural beauty of the world doesn't bring me solace since it reminds me of what I've lost
Tell me it's spring
The changing of seasons serves as a reminder of the passage of time since our breakup
I can't believe their song
I struggle to believe in the hope and renewal that spring promises
Once love was king but kings can be wrong
I was convinced that my love was the strongest thing in my life, but now I see that strong things can be vulnerable too
I'll never be the same
My grief and sadness have become a permanent part of who I am
There is such an ache in my heart
The pain of my lost love is still present, deep and intense
Never be the same since we're apart
I can never go back to the person I was before our breakup because of the emotional damage it caused
Though there's a lot that a smile may hide
I may try to cover up my pain with a smile or mask it from others, but it's always there
I know down deep inside
I'm aware that my heart will never fully heal and that my love will always be a part of me
I'll never be the same never be the same again
My life and my heart are forever changed by the loss of my love, and I'll never be able to return to the way things were before.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Gus Kahn, Matt Malneck, Frank Signorelli
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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