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.'

Lament
Artie Shaw and His Orchestra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Missed the Saturday dance
Heard they crowded the floor
Couldn't bear it without you
Don't get around much anymore

Though I'd visit the club
Got as far as the door
They'd have asked me about you

Don't get around much anymore

Darling, I guess my mind's more at ease
But, nevertheless, why stir up memories?

Been invited on dates
Might have gone, but what for?

Awfully different without you
Don't get around much anymore

Overall Meaning

In Artie Shaw and His Orchestra's song "Lament," the lyrics express a strong sense of loss and heartbreak. The singer reminisces about not being able to attend a dance without their beloved partner, and the pain that comes with the knowledge that things have changed. The singer goes on to describe how they thought about visiting the club, but ultimately did not because they knew they would be asked about the person they miss, which only serves to remind them of their heartache. The lyrics suggest that the singer has stopped going out and socializing without their partner, creating a sense of isolation and loneliness.

The lyrics also suggest that the singer is struggling to move on with their life after the loss of their partner. They describe how they have been invited on dates, but they have no interest in going because they know it won't be the same without their partner. The singer's reluctance to move on is reinforced by the line "Darling, I guess my mind's more at ease / But, nevertheless, why stir up memories?" This line suggests that while the singer may be more at peace with the situation, they are not ready to move on completely and still long for their lost love.

Line by Line Meaning

Missed the Saturday dance
I did not attend the Saturday dance

Heard they crowded the floor
I heard that the dance floor was full of people

Couldn't bear it without you
I could not handle being there without you

Don't get around much anymore
I do not go out as much as I used to

Though I'd visit the club
I thought of going to the club

Got as far as the door
But I only made it to the door

They'd have asked me about you
I knew they would have asked me about you

Darling, I guess my mind's more at ease
I am feeling more at peace now

But, nevertheless, why stir up memories?
I do not want to bring up old memories

Been invited on dates
I have been asked out on dates

Might have gone, but what for?
But what would be the point?