Benny Goodman led his first band in 1934. The music they played had its ro… Read Full Bio ↴Benny Goodman led his first band in 1934. The music they played had its roots in the Southern jazz forms of ragtime and Dixieland, while its structure adhered more to arranged music than its more improvisational jazz counterparts. On August 21, 1935, Benny's band played the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles. The gig was sensational and marked the beginning of the years that Benny would reign as King: the Swing Era.

See also http://www.last.fm/music/Benny+Goodman+&+His+Orchestra

Serenade in Blue
Benny Goodman and His Orchestra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When I hear that Serenade in blue
I'm somewhere in another world, alone with you
Sharing all the joys we used to know
Many moons ago

Once again your face comes back to me
Just like the theme of some forgotten melody
In the album of my memory

Serenade in blue

It seems like only yesterday
The small cafe, a crowded floor
And as we danced the night away
I hear you say forever more
And then the song became a sigh
Forever more became goodbye
Cause you remained in my heart, but

Tell me darling in there still a spark?
Or only lonely ashes of the flame we knew

Should I go on whistling in the dark,
Serenade in blue

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Benny Goodman & his Orchestra's song "Serenade In Blue" explore the feelings and memories of a person who is transported to another world every time they hear the serenade. This person is sharing all the joys they used to know with someone who they were once close to, but are now separated from. The memories are vivid and intense, and they feel like they are reliving the past with this person who they are alone with in this other world.

As the serenade continues, it triggers even more memories of this person, whose face comes back to the singer just like a forgotten melody. They recall a small café and a crowded floor where they danced the night away, and the person they were with said "forever more." However, this forever more eventually became goodbye, but this person remains in the singer's heart. The song ends with the singer questioning whether there is still a spark between them or only lonely ashes of the flame they once knew, as they continue to whistle the serenade in blue in the dark.

Overall, the lyrics of "Serenade In Blue" vividly capture the intense emotions and memories that a person can experience when they hear a song that is tied to someone they care about deeply. The combination of nostalgia and longing make for a powerful and affecting song.

Line by Line Meaning

When I hear that Serenade in blue
Every time I listen to Serenade in blue

I'm somewhere in another world, alone with you
I feel like you and I are alone in another world when I hear this song

Sharing all the joys we used to know
Remembering all the happy memories we shared together

Many moons ago
It feels like a very long time ago

Once again your face comes back to me
I am reminded of your face once again

Just like the theme of some forgotten melody
It's like remembering a melody from the past

In the album of my memory
It is like an old memory stored in my mind

Serenade in blue
The song Serenade in blue

It seems like only yesterday
It feels like just yesterday

The small cafe, a crowded floor
A flashback to a crowded café

And as we danced the night away
As we kept dancing until the end of the night