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.'
Comes Love
Artie Shaw and His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Comes a snow storm you can get a little heat;
Comes love nothing can be done.
Comes a fire then you know just what to do,
Blow a tire You can buy another shoe,
Comes love nothing can be done.
Don't try hidin' 'cause there isn't any use,
You'll start slidin' when your heart turns on the juice.
Comes a toothache see the dentist right away;
Comes love nothing can be done!
Comes a heat wave you can hurry to the shore,
Comes a summons you can hide behind the door;
Comes love Nothing can be done.
Comes the measles you can quarantine the room,
Comes a mousie you can chase it with a broom;
Comes love nothing can be done.
That's all brother, If you've ever been in love,
That's all brother, you know what I'm speaking of!
Comes a nightmare you can always stay awake,
Comes depression you may get another break;
Comes love nothing can be done!
The lyrics to "Comes Love" by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra use a series of humorous and ironic comparisons to express the idea that love is an unstoppable force that cannot be resisted or controlled. The song suggests that just as we must adapt to and respond to various types of weather or crises, we must also accept and yield to the power of love. The opening lines, "Come a rain storm put your rubbers on your feet, Comes a snow storm you can get a little heat," suggest that we take precautions to prepare for difficult situations, but when it comes to love, there is nothing we can do to protect ourselves.
The lyrics go on to highlight a variety of troubles and annoyances that can be dealt with or avoided, but love is not one of them. The lines, "Don't try hidin' 'cause there isn't any use, You'll start slidin' when your heart turns on the juice," emphasize that love cannot be escaped or ignored. The song ends with the assertion that anyone who has ever experienced love knows the truth of the message: "That's all brother, If you've ever been in love, That's all brother, you know what I'm speaking of!"
Line by Line Meaning
Come a rain storm put your rubbers on your feet,
When life brings obstacles, you should protect yourself and be prepared for the worst.
Comes a snow storm you can get a little heat;
Even in the coldest and darkest of times, there is always a glimmer of hope or some way to stay warm.
Comes love nothing can be done.
Love has the power to take over and cannot be controlled or prevented.
Comes a fire then you know just what to do,
When faced with a crisis, you must take action and handle the situation head-on.
Blow a tire You can buy another shoe,
Sometimes, the best course of action is to simply replace what has been lost or broken.
Comes love nothing can be done.
Love is a force that cannot be stopped or avoided.
Don't try hidin' 'cause there isn't any use,
There is no point in trying to avoid or deny the power of love.
You'll start slidin' when your heart turns on the juice.
Once love takes hold of your heart, there is no stopping the powerful emotions and feelings that come with it.
Comes a headache you can lose it in a day,
Even physical pain can be temporary and healed with time and patience.
Comes a toothache see the dentist right away;
It is important to take care of yourself and seek help when facing challenges or pain.
Comes love nothing can be done!
Love is an unstoppable force that cannot be avoided or controlled.
Comes a heat wave you can hurry to the shore,
When the heat becomes unbearable, you can seek relief and solace in nature or other calming environments.
Comes a summons you can hide behind the door;
When things get tough, it may be tempting to hide and avoid the consequences, but this will not make the problem go away.
Comes love Nothing can be done.
The power of love is beyond human control or manipulation.
Comes the measles you can quarantine the room,
In the face of illness, it is important to take precautions and protect those around you.
Comes a mousie you can chase it with a broom;
Small problems can often be solved with simple solutions and actions.
Comes love nothing can be done.
Love is a force that can overpower everything else, and cannot be stopped or avoided.
That's all brother, If you've ever been in love,
This song is a message to all those who have experienced the power of love.
That's all brother, you know what I'm speaking of!
Those who have been in love understand the all-consuming and powerful emotions that come with it.
Comes a nightmare you can always stay awake,
Even in the darkest of times, we have the power to stay alert and find solutions to our problems.
Comes depression you may get another break;
Mental illness can be difficult to overcome, but it is possible to find a way out.
Comes love nothing can be done!
The power of love is beyond human control and will always prevail.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHARLES TOBIAS, LEW BROWN, SAMMY H. STEPT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Charles Potter
Nice combination . Artie and Helen do put a smile on your face listening to this .
Carole Carle
Wow Nellie! Helen Forrest! As a young musical theatre performer imagine getting to work with this amazing woman! 1967 Fresno Music Theatre Lewis+Young production of "Oliver". She sang the heck outta "As Long As He Needs Me". And omg the original boy from "Lassie" (tv)-- and much more--Tommy Rettig as The Artful Dodger! Thanks Prof78!!
The78Prof
My pleasure, Carole!
Trombonology Erstwhile
This record was where I first heard the great Helen Forrest. I was very impressed by her interpretive and technical powers, as it seems were most Big Band Era fans. Jerry Gray's arrangement is a knockout, from that arresting intro with the doo-wah trumpets to the conclusion. His writing conveys the mysterious nature of love, which suits the lyric, "Comes love -- nothing can be done." Johnny Best's opening melody statement is beautiful -- what a tone he had. The leader and Georgie Auld's solos, too, are superb.
surferpam1
Beautiful, clean copy.
Definitely Not A Dimension Guide
Found this wonderful tune from a Harvard University video about how the rhythm section swings
Piotr Barcz
Goodness me, Helen really had one of the best voices of the time, only Helen Ward really could match or surpass her!
Michael Plummer
Anita ODay
Piotr Barcz
@Michael Plummer Eh, maybe
Chip Saunders
That’s one hot tune mi amigo.