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 Cover The Waterfront
Artie Shaw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm watching the sea,,
Will the one I love,
Be coming back to me?
I cover the waterfront,
In search of my love,
And I'm covered by,
Here am I,
Patiently waiting,
Hoping and longing,
Oh! How I yearn!
Where are you?
Are you forgetting?
Do you remember?
Will you return?
I cover the waterfront,
I'm watching the sea,
For the one I love,
Must come back to me.
The lyrics of Artie Shaw and His Orchestra’s song, “I Cover the Waterfront,” is a melancholic meditation on love and loss. The singer is anxiously waiting for the return of their loved one who has left without any explanation. The title of the song is a metaphor for the singer's heartache as they are immersing themselves in the vastness of the sea, searching for the one who has gone away.
The lyrics are a reflection of the human experience of longing and heartbreak, and the uncertainty that comes with it. The singer is "covering" the waterfront, which means that they are keeping an eye on every possible angle and every possible way that their lover could come back. But the imagery from the lyrics reveals their desperation and the bleakness of the situation with the “starless sky” standing above them. The lyrics reveal that the singer is patient yet restless and it ends with a plea for their lover to come back.
Line by Line Meaning
I cover the waterfront,
I search and scan the surrounding area of the water's edge.
I'm watching the sea,
I am observing the vast, calm body of water in hopes of finding my love.
Will the one I love,
I am uncertain and doubtful if the person I love will return to me.
Be coming back to me?
Will the individual I am waiting for come back to rejoin and reunite with me?
In search of my love,
I am tirelessly pursuing and seeking my missing love.
And I'm covered by,
I am surrounded by and enveloped in.
A starless sky above.
I am left alone and exposed under a sky devoid of stars, refusing to shine on me.
Here am I,
I am present, available, and willing to wait for my love.
Patiently waiting,
I am eagerly and calmly awaiting the return of my love.
Hoping and longing,
I have a strong desire and expectation for my love to come back to me.
Oh! How I yearn!
I passionately and intensely long for the presence and affection of my love.
Where are you?
I am questioning and pleading for my love to reveal their location and return to me.
Are you forgetting?
I am questioning and wondering if my love has forgotten about me completely.
Do you remember?
I am asking if my love still has memories and feelings for me.
Will you return?
I am anxiously and hopefully waiting for my love to come back to me.
Must come back to me.
It is necessary and crucial for my love to return to me as soon as possible.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Edward Heyman, John W. Green
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Trombonology
One of the finest of the many great treatments of this beauty! Lennie Hayton's arrangement is ravishing. Only Ellington's band equaled Shaw's in terms of quality of song material.
@swingman5635
Artie's favorite of all of his sides."Moonglow",is mine. Recorded at the same session.So smooth,it sends me every time I hear it.
@lizlee6290
@Swingman 56 You'll probably never read this, but...I completely agree about Moonglow! I've played it over and over when I listen to this playlist. This is pretty close though.
@swingman5635
@liz lee Surprise! I've read your comment! It is a gem,isn't it? Happy listening!
@scotnick59
@Swingman 56 my favorite side is definitely MOONGLOW as well: just exquisite!
@walpoleandworcester
Beautiful take on this tune! I liked the more bebop ish take Artie had on this one later on too.
@goldendreams3437
I like this version, but i prefer the Ink Spots cover