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.
Whistle While You Work
Artie Shaw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And your temper starts to rile up,
That's the time a fellow needs a song.
Doctor, Banker, Butcher, Baker,
You can be a merry maker,
If you'll keep on singing all day long.
And you want to keep the sense of humor alive.
Just, whistle while you work (whistle)
Put on that grin and start right in,
To whistle loud and long.
Just hum a merry tune (hum)
Just do your best,
Then take a rest and sing yourself a song.
When there's too much to do,
Don't let it bother you,
Forget your trouble, try to be just like a cheerful chick-a-dee,
And whistle while you work (whistle)
Come on get smart
Tune up and start
To whistle while you work.
The lyrics of "Whistle While You Work" by Artie Shaw and his New Music encourage the idea of maintaining a positive attitude at work. The song acknowledges the daily grind and difficulties of work, but suggests that singing or whistling can lift spirits and make the workday more enjoyable. The lyrics speak to workers across different professions, implying that anyone can benefit from incorporating music and a good attitude into their workday.
The verse "When there's too much to do, Don't let it bother you, Forget your trouble, try to be just like a cheerful chick-a-dee, And whistle while you work" emphasizes the importance of not getting bogged down by the work, but instead focusing on the task at hand while maintaining a positive attitude. The imagery of a cheerful chick-a-dee encourages listeners to maintain a light-hearted attitude and approach their work with a sense of playfulness.
Overall, "Whistle While You Work" is a cheerful song that encourages listeners to find joy and positivity in the midst of work. It is a reminder that even in the most difficult of times, there are ways to keep spirits up and remain focused on the task at hand.
Line by Line Meaning
When the work begins to pile up,
As workload starts to accumulate,
And your temper starts to rile up,
And you start getting restless,
That's the time a fellow needs a song.
It's time to sing and lift your mood.
Doctor, Banker, Butcher, Baker,
It doesn't matter what profession you're in,
You can be a merry maker,
You can still be happy,
If you'll keep on singing all day long.
By singing throughout the day.
If you're hanging in suspense from eight till five,
If you're working long hours,
And you want to keep the sense of humor alive.
And you want to maintain a sense of humor,
Just, whistle while you work (whistle)
Simply whistle while you're working.
Put on that grin and start right in,
Put on a smile and start working,
To whistle loud and long.
And whistle continuously and loudly.
Just hum a merry tune (hum)
Just hum a happy song,
Just do your best,
Just give your best effort,
Then take a rest and sing yourself a song.
And then take a break and sing a song to yourself.
When there's too much to do,
When the workload is overwhelming,
Don't let it bother you,
Don't let it stress you,
Forget your trouble, try to be just like a cheerful chick-a-dee,
Forget your worries and try to be happy like a bird,
And whistle while you work (whistle)
And whistle while you're working.
Come on get smart
Be intelligent about it,
Tune up and start
Get ready and start,
To whistle while you work.
To whistle while you're working.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Frank Churchill, Larry Morey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
The StoryTeller
Shaw's swinging 'cover' of this 'think positive' anthem was waxed just nine days after the
world premiere of the film which introduced it,
Disney's first animated feature, Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs.
Dire predictions for 'Walt's folly' were disproved by the popularity of the film, bolstered by the memorable songs provided by lyricist Larry Morey and composer Frank Churchill. Artie Shaw's talent as arranger, player, and band leader earned him the 'New King of Swing' tag in the wake of his hit ren dition of Cole Porter's "Begin The Beguine" in 1938. Ironically, Americans were savoring the optimism of "Whistle While You Work" as the recession of 1937 38 was hurling two million of them back into unemployment. The whistling only became earnest when America turned its energies to defeating the Axis. At a terrible price, World War II ended the Great Depression.