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.
It's the Same Old Dream
Artie Shaw Lyrics
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Oh how real it all starts to seem
Just as the choir is singing - my alarm starts ringing
It's the same old dream
And then my thoughts inspire - a scene by a fire
In a cottage close by a stream
I know it all by heart now - we're about to part now
If you but knew
How many times I pretend - that I'm with you
I'm sure your heart would unbend - you'd see me through
Until my dream had a happy ending
And I can picture clearly - the things I love dearly
In the center you reign supreme
We kiss and I discover - I'm a lonesome lover
It's the same old dream
The lyrics of Artie Shaw's song 'It's the Same Old Dream' is a melancholic reminiscence of dreams and fantasies that the singer keeps returning to. The first verse describes a dream where the singer imagines a steeple surrounded by people, and the choir is singing. The dream feels so real that the singer seems to be a part of it. But then, the alarm rings, and he realizes that he was just dreaming. The second verse describes another recurring dream, where the singer is sitting by a fire in a cozy cottage close to a stream. He knows every detail of the dream and is aware that the dream would end with a sense of sadness, and he would have to wake up to reality.
The singer then confesses that he has imagined being with his loved one countless times. If the loved one knew how frequently he had these dreams, and how much he loved her, perhaps she would soften her heart and reciprocate his love. The final verse talks about how the singer can see the things that he loves deeply, and how the loved one reigns supreme in the center of his fantasies. In his dreams, they kiss, but then, he wakes up only to feel the loneliness once again.
The song talks about the universal feelings of longing for something that is not real, and how these dreams become a part of our lives, even though they are ephemeral. It also highlights the loneliness that comes with waking up to reality, but how sometimes, even the illusions of dreams can make one feel alive.
Line by Line Meaning
I can see a steeple - surrounded by people
I am picturing a church steeple in my mind surrounded by a group of people
Oh how real it all starts to seem
This vision in my head feels very real to me
Just as the choir is singing - my alarm starts ringing
Right when the choir in my daydream starts singing, my alarm goes off in reality
It's the same old dream
This type of daydream happens to me often
And then my thoughts inspire - a scene by a fire
My thoughts lead me to imagine a cozy scene by a fireplace
In a cottage close by a stream
This scene is taking place in a small home next to a flowing body of water
I know it all by heart now - we're about to part now
I've had this daydream so many times that I know every detail and I am sad that it has to end
It's the same old dream
I am once again dreaming this common fantasy
If you but knew
If only you were aware
How many times I pretend - that I'm with you
I pretend that we are together many times in my mind
I'm sure your heart would unbend - you'd see me through
I am confident that if you knew, you would understand and be kind
Until my dream had a happy ending
My fantasy will continue until it has a positive conclusion
And I can picture clearly - the things I love dearly
I can easily imagine the people and things that I adore
In the center you reign supreme
The most important person in this daydream is you
We kiss and I discover - I'm a lonesome lover
When we kiss, I realize that I am still alone in reality
It's the same old dream
This same fantasy occurs frequently in my mind
Lyrics © THE MUSIC GOES ROUND, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GEORGE GERSHWIN, IRA GERSHWIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind