Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky in New York City) grew up in New Ha… Read Full Bio ↴Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky in New York City) grew up in New Haven, Connecticut, where his natural introversion was deepened by local antisemitism according to Shaw's autobiography. Shaw began learning the saxophone when he was 13 years old, and by the age of 16, he switched to the clarinet and left home to tour with a band. Returning to New York, he became a session musician through the early 1930s. From 1925 until 1936, Shaw performed with a variety of bands and orchestras, including those of Johnny Caverello and Austin Wylie. In 1929 and 1930 he played with Irving Aaronson's Commanders, where he was exposed to symphonic music which he would later incorporate into his arrangements.

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.'

In the Stil of the Night
Artie Shaw and His Orchestra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

My mama done tol' me
When I was in knee pants
My mama done tol' me

"Son, a woman'll sweet talk
And give ya the glad eye
But when the sweet talkin's done

A woman's a two face
A worrisome thing
Who'll leave ya t'sing
The blues in the night"

Now the rain's a fallin'
Hear the train a collin'
Whoo-ee

My mama done tol' me
Hear dat lonesome whistle
Blowin' cross the trestle, whoo-ee

My mama done tol' me
A whoo-ee duh whoo-ee, ol' clickety clack's
A echoin' back th' blues in the night

The evenin' breeze'll start the trees to cryin'
And the moon'll hide its light
When you get the blues in the night

Take my word, the mockin' bird'll
Sing the saddest kind of song
He knows things are wrong and he's right

From Natchez to Mobile
From Memphis to St. Joe
Wherever the four winds blow

I been in some big towns
An' heard me some big talk
But there is some thing I know

A woman's a two face
A worrisome thing

Who'll leave ya t'sing
The blues in the night

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Artie Shaw’s “Blues in the Night” reveal a mother’s warning to her son of the dangers of woman’s deceitfulness. The mother’s advice echoes throughout the verses as the singer narrates his experiences and what he knows about life from Natchez to Memphis. The song's titular phrase is used frequently to emphasize the deep feelings of sadness and despair that come with a heartbreak, particularly at nighttime. The song conjures up imagery of blues, loneliness, and despair, enhanced by the sound of rain falling and trains colliding, making the listener feel the pain and sorrow of the singer.

The song was composed by Harold Arlen in 1941 with lyrics by Johnny Mercer, one of the most remarkable and productive collaborations of the era. It became a hit especially after the performance by the legendary Jimmy Lunceford and His Orchestra. Notable versions of the song have been performed by Woody Herman, Dinah Shore, Rosemary Clooney, and Ella Fitzgerald. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

Line by Line Meaning

My mama done tol' me
My mother has informed me

When I was in knee pants
When I was a young boy

Son, a woman'll sweet talk
Son, a woman may flatter you with kind words

And give ya the glad eye
And seduce you with her gaze

But when the sweet talkin's done
However, when her sweet talking is finished

A woman's a two face
A woman has two different personalities

A worrisome thing
This is a concerning matter

Who'll leave ya t'sing
She'll make you sing

The blues in the night
The sounds of sadness and melancholy

Now the rain's a fallin'
Currently, there is some rainfall

Hear the train a collin'
Listen to that train rumbling

My mama done tol' me
My mother has informed me

Hear dat lonesome whistle
Hear that forlorn whistle

Blowin' cross the trestle, whoo-ee
Echoing throughout the bridge

A whoo-ee duh whoo-ee, ol' clickety clack's
A mournful echo of the train's wheels

A echoin' back th' blues in the night
Reverberating the sounds of sadness and melancholy

The evenin' breeze'll start the trees to cryin'
The gentle breeze in the evening elicits cries from the trees

And the moon'll hide its light
The moon will cease shining its brightness

When you get the blues in the night
When overcome by depression, loneliness and difficulty

Take my word, the mockin' bird'll
Believe me, the mockingbird will

Sing the saddest kind of song
Sing the most sorrowful tune

He knows things are wrong and he's right
He is aware of things that are not right and that realization is not wrong.

From Natchez to Mobile
From Natchez to Mobile

From Memphis to St. Joe
From Memphis to St. Joe

Wherever the four winds blow
Wherever the four winds take me

I been in some big towns
I have visited big cities

An' heard me some big talk
I've heard a lot of boasting

But there is some thing I know
However, there is something I am certain of

A woman's a two face
A woman can have two opposite sides to her personality

A worrisome thing
This can be a bothersome matter

Who'll leave ya t'sing
And make you sing

The blues in the night
The sounds of sorrowful melodies at night

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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