Shaw first gained critical acclaim with his "Interlude in B-flat" at a swing concert at the Imperial Theater in New York in 1935. During the Swing Era, Shaw's big band was popular with hits like "Begin the Beguine" (1938), "Stardust" (with a legendary trumpet solo by Billy Butterfield), "Back Bay Shuffle", "Moonglow", "Rosalie" and "Frenesi." He was an innovator in the big band idiom, using unusual instrumentation; "Interlude in B-flat", where he was backed with only a rhythm section and a string quartet, was one of the earliest examples of what would be later dubbed third stream.
In addition to hiring Buddy Rich, he signed Billie Holiday as his band's vocalist in 1938, becoming the first white bandleader to hire a full-time black female singer. However, after recording "Any Old Time" she left the band due to hostility from audiences in the South, as well as from music company executives who wanted a more mainstream singer. His band became enormously successful, and his playing was eventually recognized as equal to that of Benny Goodman: Longtime Duke Ellington clarinetist Barney Bigard cited Shaw as his favorite clarinet player. In response to Goodman's nickname, the "King of Swing", Shaw's fans dubbed him the "King of the Clarinet." Shaw, however, felt the titles were reversed. "Benny Goodman played clarinet. I played music," he said.
Artie Shaw and his band playing "Everything's Jumping" from Second Chorus (1940)Shaw did in fact prize innovation and exploration in music more highly than popular success and formulaic dance music, despite a string of hits which sold more than 100 million records. He fused jazz with classical music by adding strings to his arrangements, experimented with bebop, and formed "chamber jazz" groups that utilized such novel sounds as harpsichords or Afro-Cuban music.
The long series of musical groups Shaw formed included such talents as vocalists Billie Holiday, Helen Forrest and, Mel Tormé; drummers Buddy Rich and Dave Tough, guitarists Barney Kessel, Jimmy Raney, and Tal Farlow and trombonist-arranger Ray Conniff, among countless others. He composed the morose "Nightmare", with its Hassidic nuances, for his personal theme, rather than more approachable songs. In a televised interview of the 1970s, Shaw derided the often "asinine" songs that bands were compelled to play night after night even though he did write the anthem for Rav Meir Kahane's' JDL . In 1994, he told Frank Prial (The New York Times), "I thought that because I was Artie Shaw I could do what I wanted, but all they wanted was 'Begin the Beguine.'
Begin the Beguine
Artie Shaw and His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It brings back the sound of music so tender,
It brings back a night of tropical splendor,
It brings back a memory ever green.
I'm with you once more under the stars,
And down by the shore an orchestra's playing
And even the palms seem to be swaying
To live it again is past all endeavor,
Except when that tune clutches my heart,
And there we are, swearing to love forever,
And promising never, never to part.
What moments divine, what rapture serene,
Till clouds came along to disperse the joys we had tasted,
And now when I hear people curse the chance that was wasted,
I know but too well what they mean;
So don't let them begin the beguine
Let the love that was once a fire remain an ember;
Let it sleep like the dead desire I only remember
When they begin the beguine.
Oh yes, let them begin the beguine, make them play
Till the stars that were there before return above you,
Till you whisper to me once more,
"Darling, I love you!"
And we suddenly know, what heaven we're in,
When they begin the beguine
In the song "Begin the Beguine," the lyrics describe the power of music to evoke memories of a past love affair. The melody of the beguine reminds the singer of a night of tropical splendor spent with a lover by the shore, listening to an orchestra play. The tune transports the singer back to that moment of divine rapture and serene pleasure. However, the memory is bittersweet, as the love affair ultimately ended, and the clouds of disappointment and regret dispersed the joy they shared. Despite this, the singer still yearns to relive those moments of bliss with their former lover, and the beguine seems to offer a glimmer of hope that they might be able to recapture that heavenly feeling.
The lyrics are rich with imagery that evokes a sense of longing and nostalgia. The tropical setting, the starry night sky, and the swaying palms all contribute to the atmosphere of romantic escape. The beguine music itself is described as tender and powerful, capable of conjuring up intense emotions and memories. The singer's plea at the end of the song to "let them begin the beguine" reflects their desire to relive the past and hold onto the love they once shared.
Line by Line Meaning
When they begin the beguine
The start of the song 'Begin the Beguine'
It brings back the sound of music so tender,
The melody reminds me of sweet, gentle music
It brings back a night of tropical splendor,
Hearing this song reminds me of a luxurious, tropical evening
It brings back a memory ever green.
This song carries evergreen memories for me
I'm with you once more under the stars,
The melody transports me back to a moment under the stars with you
And down by the shore an orchestra's playing
I can hear the orchestra playing as we stand by the shore
And even the palms seem to be swaying
The music is so infectious it even makes the trees sway
When they begin the beguine.
This song always takes me back to that special moment
To live it again is past all endeavor,
Trying to relive that moment is impossible
Except when that tune clutches my heart,
But when I hear this song, it fills my heart with that same emotion
And there we are, swearing to love forever,
I'm transported back to a moment where we swore to love each other forever
And promising never, never to part.
We vowed to never be separated from each other
What moments divine, what rapture serene,
Those were some divine and serene moments
Till clouds came along to disperse the joys we had tasted,
Unfortunately, that happiness was short-lived because bad things happened
And now when I hear people curse the chance that was wasted,
When I hear others lament a missed opportunity, I empathize
I know but too well what they mean;
I understand exactly how they feel
So don't let them begin the beguine
I don't want to be reminded of lost opportunities
Let the love that was once a fire remain an ember;
I want to preserve the love we shared, even if it's just a spark
Let it sleep like the dead desire I only remember
I'd like to let it settle, become a distant memory
When they begin the beguine.
Let's avoid getting caught up in reminiscing through this song
Oh yes, let them begin the beguine, make them play
Actually, on second thought, let's let the music play
Till the stars that were there before return above you,
Let's bring back the stars and the magic of that moment
Till you whisper to me once more,
I'd like you to whisper in my ear once again
"Darling, I love you!"
Those magical words that made me feel like I was in heaven
And we suddenly know, what heaven we're in,
When we hear this song, we're transported to a heavenly place
When they begin the beguine.
It's all because of the start of the song: 'Begin the Beguine'
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jamesforbes2871
@@shirleybalinski4535 ...
"Artie by the way appears to have been a monster with women."
Was that a little gem from a women's studies course? Some of the world's most desirable were lined up to marry him (8 times), so he couldn't have been all that bad. Many of them were serial marriers as well.
Maybe they meant "had a monster ****"
@richardwheeler7845
Hard to believe you could go out to a nightclub and spend an evening listening to these great bands. Eating, drinking, dancing. I was born too late.
@nd5301
Ты совершенно точно прочитал мои мысли)
@vicgallimore6756
Only the rich could afford this .
@isabelleon3360
@@vicgallimore6756 nope, not just for the rich, my Dad went out dancing, it was the thing to do, and saw all the greats in concert and danced, and my Pop had worked since he was 7 years old...and the 40s were his hay days
@elizabethgatesdodge8320
Didn't hear A.S. live, but was privileged to see Benny Goodman, Sarah Vaughan, several other greats, and danced at the Rainbow Room and a few other legendary venues back in the day ('60s, early '70s). Yeah, I was a baby in my 20s! VERY proud to have grown up in the "old" NY!
@seanohare5488
Me too
@vincejamison2401
It's August 2023.
How many of you would love to jump into a time machine and be transported back to the time when these bands reigned supreme in the American music scene?
Absolute Big Band platinum!
@mooniegoodie
This was released in the 1930s
The great depression was in
@Maggie-du4mw
Yessss, I wish a time machine would come, we would gladly go back to an era that truly knew how to live and love...
@toddbonin6926
This was one of my dad's favorite songs. I used to hate it when he'd pull out his old records and play this. Funny, now that he's gone, I could listen over and over. I love it. Gosh, we're dumb when we're young.