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.
They Say
Artie Shaw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They say you just believe in hello and goodbye
And they say that the one I admire isn't even remotely concerned
And that I'll go on playing with fire
Until I have learnt, my heart has been burned
They say I shouldn't dream of your face in the gloom
They say that all my dreams will be nightmares too soon
If it makes them feel happy that way
I know I'll always love you, no matter what they say
In Artie Shaw's "They Say," the singer is being criticized for his choice of romantic partner. According to "them," which refers to society or a group of people who are opposed to the relationship, the singer's lover is not interested in him, and he is setting himself up for heartbreak. However, despite these warnings, the singer refuses to believe that his love is misguided, and he remains committed to his partner.
The first verse of the song speaks of the criticism the singer has received from "them" about his choice of partner. They say he is a fool for believing that his lover could reciprocate his feelings since she has shown no indication of it. The second verse delves deeper into the warning that the singer is receiving, as "they" go as far as to imply that he has set himself up for failure, and that he is going to get hurt. The final verse of the song speaks to the singer's defiance of these warnings. He acknowledges that society may judge him and his partner, but he is committed to his love regardless.
Overall, "They Say" is a song about being true to oneself and one's feelings, even in the face of society's disapproval. It is about refusing to give up on love, despite the risks and potential heartbreak that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
They say you have no lips for a fool such as I
They believe that you are too good for me and I don't stand a chance with you.
They say you just believe in hello and goodbye.
They think that you are not interested in a serious relationship and only want superficial connections.
And they say that the one I admire isn't even remotely concerned
They think that the person I like doesn't care about me at all.
And that I'll go on playing with fire
They believe that I am getting myself into a dangerous situation.
Until I learn, my heart has been burned.
They predict that I will get hurt emotionally before I realize the truth about my feelings.
They say I shouldn't dream of your face in the gloom.
They discourage me from having any romantic thoughts about you.
They say that all my dreams will be nightmares too soon.
They warn me that my hopes and dreams will turn into painful disappointment and regret.
Let them talk. Let them say what they want to
I don't care about their opinions and they can say whatever they want.
If it makes them feel happy that way
Their negative thoughts and comments don't affect my love or happiness.
I know I'll always love you, no matter what they say.
My love for you is unconditional, despite what others may think or say.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Edward Heyman, Paul Mann, Stephan Weiss
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@plant3616
Lyrics:
They say
You have no lips for a fool, such as I.
They say
You just believe in hello and goodbye.
And they say that the one I admire
Isn't even remotely concerned,
And that I'll go on playing with fire
Until I have learned
My heart has been burned.
They say
I shouldn't dream of your face in the moon.
They say
All of my dreams will be nightmares, too soon.
Let them talk. Let them say what they want to
If it makes them feel happy that way.
I know I'll always love you
No matter what they say.
@plant3616
Lyrics:
They say
You have no lips for a fool, such as I.
They say
You just believe in hello and goodbye.
And they say that the one I admire
Isn't even remotely concerned,
And that I'll go on playing with fire
Until I have learned
My heart has been burned.
They say
I shouldn't dream of your face in the moon.
They say
All of my dreams will be nightmares, too soon.
Let them talk. Let them say what they want to
If it makes them feel happy that way.
I know I'll always love you
No matter what they say.
@jameywelch5584
Absolutely love this tune and Artie’s clarinet on it. Helen just adds so much to it as well
@scotnick59
Ella Fitzgerald once told Helen that she was her favorite singer; Helen returned the compliment & said "let's keep it a secret between us"
@jeremylefevre2451
Currently my favorite artie shaw and Helen forest song
@scotnick59
It was one of her biggest hits with Artie
@scotnick59
One of the biggest hits Helen had with Artie
@stevejauncey3086
Helen was Vera Lynn's favourite singer.
@scotnick59
Was actually heard in the background of the Bette Davis weepie DARK VICTORY
@eleanormartinez8274
Also in "Daughters Courageous", which was made the same year as "Dark Victory".
@Trombonology
Even on a torch song, Artie was never going to give Helen a break from strict dance tempo -- undeterred, Ms Forrest delivers a reading of great sincerity. A good arrangement, with the beautiful Shaw reeds.