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.'
Two Blind Loves
Artie Shaw and His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And when you smiled at me,
In my heart I felt a thrill you see,
That it was love at sight and
I was right to love you as I do.
Still I never dreamed that you could love me too.
Your eyes of blue, your kisses too,
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
You're telling ev'ry one I know
I'm on your mind each place we go
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
I have always placed you far above me.
I just can't imagine that you love me.
And after all is said and done,
To think that I'm the lucky one.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
Skies are gray. I'm blue each day
When you are not around.
Ev'ry thing goes wrong, my dear I've found
But when you're by my side I fill with pride
For I'm so proud of you
It all seems too good to me to all be true
Your eyes of blue, your kisses too,
I never knew what they could do.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
You're telling ev'ry one I know
I'm on your mind each place we go
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
I have always placed you far above me.
I just can't imagine that you love me.
And after all is said and done,
To think that I'm the lucky one.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
The song "I Can't Believe That You're in Love With Me" is a classic jazz and swing standard that was originally recorded by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra in 1938. The lyrics describe a feeling of disbelief and surprise that the singer's love interest feels the same way about them. The song is a celebration of the joy that love can bring, and a reflection on how unexpected it can be when it happens.
The first verse sets the scene, describing the moment when the two lovers first met and the feeling of excitement and thrill that it evoked. The second verse describes how the singer's friends and acquaintances are surprised to hear that their love interest is interested in them. The chorus repeats the idea that the singer can't believe that they are in love because it seems too good to be true.
The third verse describes the singer's feelings of loneliness and sadness when their love interest is not around, but how everything feels right when they are together. The chorus repeats again, emphasizing that the singer is incredulous that their love is reciprocated, but also feeling lucky and grateful for it.
Overall, "I Can't Believe That You're in Love With Me" is a feel-good, upbeat song that celebrates the joy of unexpected love.
Line by Line Meaning
Yesterday you came my way,
I saw you yesterday and that was the start of things between us.
And when you smiled at me,
Your smile made me feel something in my heart, something like an excitement of sorts.
In my heart I felt a thrill you see,
I felt a thrill run through my heart that I had never felt before.
That it was love at sight and
I knew immediately that I had fallen in love with you at first sight.
I was right to love you as I do.
My love for you is true and I believe it's justified.
Still I never dreamed that you could love me too.
Despite my love for you, I never imagined that you could feel the same way about me.
Your eyes of blue, your kisses too,
Your blue eyes and gentle kisses have an effect on me that I never understood before.
I never knew what they could do.
I never understood the power of your eyes and kisses until I experienced them myself.
You're telling ev'ry one I know
You tell everyone about me and make it known that I'm on your mind.
I'm on your mind each place we go
No matter where we go, you always have thoughts of me in your mind.
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
Others are surprised that you have fallen in love with me.
I just can't imagine that you love me.
It's hard for me to comprehend that you have feelings of love for me.
And after all is said and done,
Despite everything that has happened between us,
To think that I'm the lucky one.
I feel incredibly lucky to be loved by someone like you.
Skies are gray. I'm blue each day
When you're not around, life seems less colorful and I feel down.
But when you're by my side I fill with pride
When you're with me, I feel proud and complete.
For I'm so proud of you
I feel proud of you and all that you are.
It all seems too good to me to be all true
I'm so happy that it all seems too good to be true.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CLARENCE GASKILL, JIMMY MC HUGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind