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.
These Foolish Things
Artie Shaw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh! Will you never set me free?
The ties that bound us
Are still around us
There's no escape that I can see
And still those little things remain
That bring me happiness or pain
An airline ticket to romantic places
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
A tinkling piano in the next apartment
Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant
A fair ground's painted swings
These foolish things remind me of you
You came you saw you conquer'd me
When you did that to me
I knew somehow this had to be
The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
A telephone that rings but who's to answer?
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
First daffodils and long excited cables
And candle lights on little corner tables
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
The park at evening when the bell has sounded
The "Ile de France" with all the gulls around it
The beauty that is Spring's
These foolish things remind me of you
How strange how sweet to find you still
These things are dear to me
They seem to bring you near to me
The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations
Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
Gardenia perfume ling'ring on a pillow
Wild strawb'ries only seven francs a kilo
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses
The waiters whistling as the last bar closes
The song that Crosby sings
These foolish things remind me of you
How strange how sweet to find you still
These things are dear to me
They seem to bring you near to me
The scent of smould'ring leaves, the wail of steamers
Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
These lyrics by Artie Shaw's song These Foolish Things is a melancholic reflection of nostalgia for a past love. The lyrics convey the singer’s subtle plea to the lover to let them go, to release them from the past that continues to hold them captive. The singer longs for freedom, yet they are reminded of their past love at every turn, indicated by "These foolish things remind me of you" that gets repeated throughout the song. The constant reminder of the little things that bring both pain and happiness suggest that it is the nostalgia that the singer cannot relinquish. It's ironic that it is the same little things like “a cigarette that bears lipstick traces” and “candle lights on little corner tables” that are keeping the singer bound.
The lyrics also capture moments of beauty, such as “the sigh of midnight trains in empty stations” and “wild strawberries only seven francs a kilo”. The park at evening when the bell is sounded, the beauty that is Spring’s and the smile of Greta Garbo are all things that remind the singer of his departed love. The song's conclusion appears to indicate some form of acceptance, where the singer has come to terms with the fact that these foolish things will indeed continue to remind him of his love.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh! Will you never let me be?
Will you never give me space?
Oh! Will you never set me free?
Oh! Won't you release me from this bond?
The ties that bound us
The relationship that held us together
Are still around us
The connection still exists
There's no escape that I can see
I am not sure how to break free
And still those little things remain
I keep getting reminded of the past
That bring me happiness or pain
Either good or bad memories come back
A cigarette that bears a lipstick's traces
A cigarette with the scent of a woman's lipstick
An airline ticket to romantic places
Plane tickets to places where hearts meet
And still my heart has wings
I still have feelings for you
These foolish things remind me of you
All these things bring back memories of us
A tinkling piano in the next apartment
I hear the sound of music coming from next door
Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant
I tried to express how I felt but couldn't find the right words
A fair ground's painted swings
I see a painted swingset at a carnival
You came you saw you conquer'd me
You came into my life and captured my heart
When you did that to me
When you won me over
I knew somehow this had to be
I always knew we were meant to be together
The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
The March winds make me feel joyous and light-hearted
A telephone that rings but who's to answer?
The phone rings, but I don't know whether to pick up
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
The memory of you is still very vivid
The park at evening when the bell has sounded
The park at dusk, after the bell rings
The "Ile de France" with all the gulls around it
The ship "Ile de France" with seagulls flying around it
The beauty that is Spring's
The beauty of Spring
How strange how sweet to find you still
It's surprising but great to still have you in my thoughts
These things are dear to me
All these things are precious to me
They seem to bring you near to me
They make me feel closer to you
The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations
The sound of trains in deserted stations at night
Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations
Silk stockings left behind after a dance invitation
Gardenia perfume ling'ring on a pillow
The scent of gardenia remaining on a pillow
Wild strawb'ries only seven francs a kilo
Wild strawberries for an affordable price
The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses
The smile of Garbo and the fragrance of roses
The waiters whistling as the last bar closes
The waiters whistle when the bar is closing
The song that Crosby sings
The melody sung by Crosby
The scent of smould'ring leaves, the wail of steamers
The fragrance of burning leaves, the sound of steamers' horns
Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers
Two lovers strolling like they are in a dream
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Harry Link, Holt Marvell, Jack Strachey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
The Hired Guy
Sir,
You write like no one of this era. I am in awe of, not only the content, but also the style.
The style of my own book(s) is purposefully highly unorthodox, but your prose herein is to be praised.
Sincerely,
Al
Phillipe Cook
Anyone with even an inkling about music can tell this is a Master of his craft and us ordinary mortals are grateful and in awe. However from what I've learned about him, he seems to have been cursed with some kind of " search " for artistic perfection which made him continually restless and unsatisfied with whatever he produced. This may have contributed to hiim choosing to walk away from music making long before his time. He also seems to have been gifted with an ecletic mind.
Melsi1979
I feel so lucky to hear this clarinet! What's better for an artist than giving joy to the next generations!
bob eunice
another good one-can't get enough listening to ArtieShaw's music thank you!
CosmikGiant
He is my biggest inspiration and influence when it comes to my jazz clarinet playing, I always look up to him and love his music and shot man. This really gets me in a good mood and makes me happy. I hope one day to be the best.
Luke Lewis
Inspiring piece of music history.
orlando bon
el gran artie en otra magnifica interpretación
bob eunice
what a wonderful arrangement of our favorite song. Thanks
claudio mazzini
Tempo em que as pessoas se vestiam bem e apreciavam uma boa música !
Roger Sayer
Well, I have only recently become a Artie Shaw fan and this particular track, and the accompanying notes, have been a real 'eye-opener'. As a Jazz purist I am fast becoming to understand the roots from which the Jazz Giants of the 60's and 70's (my preferred era) originated. Thanks a million for sharing this on YouTube!
bob eunice
beautiful! great arrangement thanks a lot