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.'
Guilty
Artie Shaw and His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And think that we should part
It seems as though I have loved you so long
You'll always be in my heart
Is it a sin
Is it a crime
Loving you dear like I do
Guilty of loving you
Maybe I'm wrong dreaming of you
Dreaming the lonely night through
If it's a crime then I'm guilty
Guilty of dreaming of you
What can I do
What can I say
After I've taken the blame?
You say we're through
You'll go your way
But I'll always feel just the same
Maybe I'm right
Maybe I'm wrong
Loving you dear like I do
If it's a crime then I'm guilty
Guilty of loving you
Artie Shaw's song "Guilty" is about an individual who has been told that their love for someone is wrong and that they should part ways. However, the person singing still loved the person they are being told to let go of, and they claim that their love for this person is so strong that it feels like they've loved them forever. Despite their love being considered wrong by others, they cannot help but continue to love this person.
The lyrics ask the question, "Is it a sin? Is it a crime?" to love someone so deeply that it is considered wrong. The individual is aware that they may be dreaming of this person and that it is a crime to love them the way they do. However, they cannot help but feel guilty for their love, as if it is their fault for loving this person so purely.
In this song, the individual has taken the blame and accepts that they are guilty of loving this person. They may have to let go of them, but they will always feel the same. The lyrics touch on themes of love, guilt, and societal norms that dictate what can and cannot be considered acceptable love.
Line by Line Meaning
Though you've decided that our love is wrong
Even though you have decided that our love is immoral
And think that we should part
And believe that we should separate
It seems as though I have loved you so long
It appears that I have loved you for a substantial amount of time
You'll always be in my heart
You will perpetually remain in my heart
Is it a sin
Is it morally wrong
Is it a crime
Is it punishable by law
Loving you dear like I do
To love you as I do
If it's a crime then I'm guilty
If it is against the law, then I am culpable
Guilty of loving you
Culpable for loving you
Maybe I'm wrong dreaming of you
Perhaps I am mistaken to dream of you
Dreaming the lonely night through
Spending the whole night dreaming about you
If it's a crime then I'm guilty
If it is unlawful, then I am responsible
Guilty of dreaming of you
Culpable for dreaming about you
What can I do
What actions can I take
What can I say
What words can I utter
After I've taken the blame?
After I have taken responsibility
You say we're through
You state that we are over
You'll go your way
You will pursue a different path
But I'll always feel just the same
However, I will always feel identically
Maybe I'm right
Perhaps I am correct
Maybe I'm wrong
Perhaps I am incorrect
Loving you dear like I do
To love you as I do
If it's a crime then I'm guilty
If it is illegal, then I am culpable
Guilty of loving you
Culpable for loving you
Lyrics © DistroKid, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Harry Akst, Gus Kahn, Richard A. Whiting
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Great big band sound. Vocal by Mel Torme and the Mel-Tones. DerKlarinette
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