After growing up in New Haven, CT, and playing clarinet and alto locally, Shaw spent part of 1925 with Johnny Cavallaro's dance band and then played off and on with Austin Wylie's band in Cleveland from 1927-1929 before joining Irving Aaronson's Commanders. After moving to New York, Shaw became a close associate of Willie "The Lion" Smith at jam sessions, and by 1931 was a busy studio musician. He retired from music for the first time in 1934 in hopes of writing a book, but when his money started running out, Shaw returned to New York. A major turning point occurred when he performed at an all-star big band concert at the Imperial Theatre in May 1936, surprising the audience by performing with a string quartet and a rhythm section. He used a similar concept in putting together his first orchestra, adding a Dixieland-type front line and a vocalist while retaining the strings. Despite some fine recordings, that particular band disbanded in early 1937 and then Shaw put together a more conventional big band.
The surprise success of his 1938 recording of "Begin the Beguine" made the clarinetist into a superstar and his orchestra (who featured the tenor of Georgie Auld, vocals by Helen Forrest and Tony Pastor, and, by 1939, Buddy Rich's drumming) into one of the most popular in the world. Billie Holiday was with the band for a few months, although only one recording ("Any Old Time") resulted. Shaw found the pressure of the band business difficult to deal with and in November 1939 suddenly left the bandstand and moved to Mexico for two months. When Shaw returned, his first session, utilizing a large string section, resulted in another major hit, "Frenesi"; it seemed that he could not escape success. Shaw's third regular orchestra, who had a string section and such star soloists as trumpeter Billy Butterfield and pianist Johnny Guarnieri, was one of his finest, waxing perhaps the greatest version of "Stardust" along with the memorable "Concerto for Clarinet." The Gramercy Five, a small group formed out of the band (using Guarnieri on harpsichord), also scored with the million-selling "Summit Ridge Drive."
Despite all this, Shaw broke up the orchestra in 1941, only to re-form an even larger one later in the year. The latter group featured Hot Lips Page along with Auld and Guarnieri. After Pearl Harbor, Shaw enlisted and led a Navy band (unfortunately unrecorded) before getting a medical discharge in February 1944. Later in the year, his new orchestra featured Roy Eldridge, Dodo Marmarosa, and Barney Kessel, and found Shaw's own style becoming quite modern, almost boppish. But, with the end of the swing era, Shaw again broke up his band in early 1946 and was semi-retired for several years, playing classical music as much as jazz.
His last attempt at a big band was a short-lived one, a boppish unit who lasted for a few months in 1949 and included Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, and Don Fagerquist; their modern music was a commercial flop. After a few years of limited musical activity, Shaw returned one last time, recording extensively with a version of the Gramercy Five that featured Tal Farlow or Joe Puma on guitar along with Hank Jones. Then, in 1955, Artie Shaw permanently gave up the clarinet to pursue his dreams of being a writer. Although he served as the frontman (with Dick Johnson playing the clarinet solos) for a reorganized Artie Shaw Orchestra in 1983, Shaw never played again. He received plenty of publicity for his eight marriages (including to actresses Lana Turner, Ava Gardner, and Evelyn Keyes) and for his odd autobiography, The Trouble With Cinderella (which barely touches on the music business or his wives), but the outspoken Artie Shaw deserves to be best remembered as one of the truly great clarinetists. His RCA recordings, which were reissued in complete fashion in a perfectly done Bluebird LP series, have only been made available in piecemeal fashion on CD.
Yesterdays
Artie Shaw & His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'd listened to the radio
Waitin' for my favorite songs
Waiting they played I'd sing along
Those were such happy times
And not so long ago
How I wondered where they'd gone
But they're back again
Just like a long lost friend
All the songs I loved so well
(*) every sha-la-la-la
Every wo-wo-wo
Still shines
Every shing-a-ling-a-ling
That they're starting to sing's
So fine
When they get to the part
Where he's breakin' her heart
It can really make me cry
Just like before
It's yesterday once more
Lookin' back on how it was
In years gone by
And the good times that I had
Makes today seem rather sad
So much has changed
It was songs of love that
I would sing to then
And I'd memorize each word
Those old melodies
Still sound so good to me
As they melt the years away
Repeat (*)
All my best memories
Come back clearly to me
Some can even make me cry
Just like before
It's yesterday once more
The lyrics of Artie Shaw and His Orchestra's song Yesterdays describes a nostalgic reminiscence of youth and the happy times spent listening to the radio and waiting for one's favorite songs to play. The singer reflects on the past and how quickly time has passed, leaving behind memories that make today seem rather sad. As the songs come back to play, the singer cannot help but feel emotional and memories flood back as every sha-la-la-la and wo-wo-wo remind them of the happy times gone by. The memories of the old songs and love melodies that were sung to back then still sound so good, as they melt the years away.
The lyrics of the song evoke the sentimentality and nostalgia of an era gone by, and the powerful memories that are brought back by songs and melodies. The singer is taken back to a simpler time where they felt joy in listening to the radio and singing along to their favorite tunes. However, the memories now make them emotional and even bring tears to their eyes. The song is a reminder that music has the power to evoke strong emotions and memories, and that even though time passes, the feelings that certain songs and memories can evoke last a lifetime.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was young
At a time when I was a child
I'd listened to the radio
I used to tune in to the radio
Waitin' for my favorite songs
Anticipating the arrival of my choice tracks
Waiting they played I'd sing along
As I waited, I hummed along to the songs played
It made me smile
It brought a smile to my face
Those were such happy times
Those were the times of joy
And not so long ago
Though it wasn't far back in time
How I wondered where they'd gone
I often pondered where they vanished
But they're back again
But they've returned
Just like a long lost friend
Exactly like a dear old friend who was once out of reach
All the songs I loved so well
All of my favorite tunes
(*) every sha-la-la-la
Every repeated chorus of sha-la-la-la
Every wo-wo-wo
Each instance of the phrase wo-wo-wo
Still shines
Retains their shine
Every shing-a-ling-a-ling
Each use of the phrase 'shing-a-ling-a-ling'
That they're starting to sing's
That's what they're beginning to sing
So fine
So beautiful
When they get to the part
At the point they get to
Where he's breakin' her heart
When he breaks her heart
It can really make me cry
It's capable of making me weep genuinely
Just like before
Just like in the past
It's yesterday once more
It's a return to yesterday
Lookin' back on how it was
Revisiting the good old days
In years gone by
In the past years when they've passed by
And the good times that I had
And the good memories accompanying those days
Makes today seem rather sad
Tinges today's moments with sadness
So much has changed
So many things have turned around
It was songs of love that
It was love songs that
I would sing to then
I would hum then
And I'd memorize each word
And I learned every lyric
Those old melodies
Those ancient rhythms
Still sound so good to me
They still appeal to my ears
As they melt the years away
As they stop me from ageing mentally
Repeat (*)
Reiterate starting from the line with (*)
All my best memories
All my favorite recollections
Come back clearly to me
Are as apparent as though they occurred yesterday
Some can even make me cry
Some of them are strong enough to bring about tears
It's yesterday once more
It's yesterday revisited
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JIM MUNDY, PEGGY WHITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@luismantaras6460
My favorite ballad! So rich in harmonies that could be treated in fast tempo and renewed harmonies as John Coltrane did twenty years after this recording. Shaw was a master in soft, melodic, romantic but rhythmic swing jazz, both soloing and arranging! I had it in this H.M.V. edition. Artie stressed his instrument with passion. Thanks Andy for bringing this classic up to live!
@james-flynn1938
Absolutely excellent andy artie will always have a special place in my musical tastes
@haddaelbaroudi6307
Incroyable sa mère
@Trombonology
Artie's band always played more Class A material than any of the others except Ellington's, which, of course, drew heavily upon the leader's own creations. I love the trombones on this side -- beautiful figures!
@luismantaras6460
I liked those trombones too!
@mcareyop
Terrific. And even at this slower tempo, it demands a slow Lindy rather than a Foxtrot for dancing. So much did Artie swing! No need to mention what a great song it is!
@csigabiga1975
Beautiful :O