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 Didn´t Know What Time It Was
Artie Shaw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh what a lovely time it was.
How sublime it was too.
I didn't know what day it was, you held my hand.
Warm like the month of May it was and I'd say it was grand.
Grand to be alive to be young to be mad to be yours alone.
Grand to feel your face, feel your touch, hear your voice say "
I'm all your own".
I wanted love and here it was shining out of your eyes.
I'm wise and I know what time it is now.
The lyrics to Artie Shaw's song "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" encapsulate the feeling of a chance encounter with someone that sweeps you off your feet, leaving you disoriented but deliriously happy. The singer of the song is lost, unsure of what time or day it is until they meet the person they are singing about. The chorus is particularly memorable, with the singer expressing how "grand" it is to be alive and in the throes of a whirlwind romance.
The first verse paints a picture of a person stumbling through life without direction until they encounter their love interest. The second verse suggests that the two have spent a magical evening together, holding hands and reveling in the warmth of their affection. The bridge of the song is particularly poignant, with the singer expressing how the love they have found trumps all of life's other prizes. The final verse brings the song full circle, with the singer now feeling wise and certain of the value of the time they are living in.
Overall, "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" is a love song that captures the feeling of being caught up in a moment of intense passion and wonder. Through its lyrics, the song offers a reminder of the transformative power of love and the beauty that can be found in even the most disorienting of experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
I didn't know what time it was, then I met you.
I was lost and uncertain about my life until I found you.
Oh what a lovely time it was.
Being with you was an enchanting and wondrous experience.
How sublime it was too.
My time with you was truly extraordinary and exceptional.
I didn't know what day it was, you held my hand.
You gave me a sense of security and stability that allowed me to forget about the world around us.
Warm like the month of May it was and I'd say it was grand.
Our time together was filled with so much warmth and joy, it was like experiencing the best of springtime.
Grand to be alive to be young to be mad to be yours alone.
It was a great feeling to be alive, young, and completely in love with you.
Grand to feel your face, feel your touch, hear your voice say "I'm all your own".
It was an amazing experience to feel your touch, see your beautiful face, and hear you tell me that I belong to you.
I didn't know what year it was, life was no prize.
Before I met you, my life felt empty and unsatisfying.
I wanted love and here it was shining out of your eyes.
But then I found you, and your love filled me up and made everything worthwhile.
I'm wise and I know what time it is now.
Now that I have you, I am wiser and more aware of the value of love and companionship in my life.
Writer(s): Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
Contributed by Leo C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jimnydan7203
Great Helen
@RoryVanucchi
One of the great lyrics ever
@CharlieHoliday369
The singer does magnificently.
This so often sounds lackluster done slowly.
@omomon
Back beyond
@biketech60
The sound is good considering it's likely from a 78 RPM record .
@ednguyen3822
Maybe I'm biased, but I prefer this faster pace for the song, which is the 1st version I've heard. Most other renditions feel slow to me. :)
@RoryVanucchi
One of the great lyrics. Artie probably wanted dance tempo for the swing era crowd..
@Trombonology
I think Artie had almost a contempt for every singer except Billie Holiday. He considered them only a necessary evil in the job of leading a swing orchestra. Other bandleaders of this late '30's period, notably T. Dorsey, were slowing down the tempo for vocal numbers to provide the best frame for both the singer and the lyrics -- Artie, almost alone, refused. ... So we get my favorite song at a ridiculously brisk pace. Helen does her best, but she sounds rushed, particularly in the bridge. I like the record all right on its own terms, but it bombs as a showcase for Helen and for Lorenz Hart's beautiful lyrics.
@Trombonology
@Henri de Lagardère Yes, Miles was prickly -- I might even leave off the last two letters. Great story about Duke and "I Didn't Know." ... Larry is my favorite lyricist.
@briancooper1022
the 78Prof, thank you for sharing so much. While my beloved mother, Mimi (Hebrew name Miriam) Mestesky- Rosenberg lived on the same block as the late great Ms. Helen Forrest's mother lived in Washington, D.C., for which I believe her last name was Fogel and then Helen changed it to Helen Forrest if memory serves me correctly. When Helen Forrest came to town, all the kids would run over to Mrs. Fogel's home to see Helen Forrest