My Old Flame
Benny Goodman and His Orchestra & Peggy Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't even think of his name
But it's funny now and then
How my thoughts go flashing back again
To my old flame
My old flame
My new lovers all seem so tame
For I haven't met a gent
So innocent or elegant
As my old flame
I've met so many men
With fascinating ways
A fascinating gaze in their eyes
Some who sent me up to the skies
But their attempts at love
Were only imitations of
My old flame
I can't even think of his name
But I'll never be the same
Until I discover what became
Of my old flame
I've met so many men
With fascinating ways
A fascinating gaze in their eyes
Some who sent me up to the skies
But their attempts at love
Were only imitations of
My old flame
I can't even think of his name
But I'll never be the same
Until I discover what became
Of my old flame
In the song "My Old Flame", the singer is reminiscing about a past love and the hold that this love still has over her. She can't even remember his name, but she remembers how her thoughts flash back to him from time to time. She reflects on how all her new lovers seem too tame, too innocent, or too elegant in comparison to him. Even though she's met many men with fascinating ways and captivating gazes, their attempts at love pale in comparison to what she had with her old flame. She concludes the song by saying that she'll never be the same until she discovers what became of him.
The lyrics of the song reflect a sense of nostalgia and longing for a past love that the singer cannot forget. Despite the fact that she has moved on and has been with new lovers, none of them measure up to what she had with her old flame. The song captures the essence of the intense emotions that people can sometimes feel when remembering past romantic relationships. It also emphasizes the idea that sometimes people are unable to move on from a past love and that these memories can continue to impact their lives even when they try to forget.
Line by Line Meaning
My old flame
The person I used to love
I can't even think of his name
I can't remember his name anymore
But it's funny now and then
It's strange how memories come back to me
How my thoughts go flashing back again
I keep thinking about him
To my old flame
To the person I used to love
My new lovers all seem so tame
Compared to my old flame, my new lovers are boring
For I haven't met a gent
I haven't met a gentleman
So innocent or elegant
As kind and sophisticated as my old flame
I've met so many men
I've met many men
With fascinating ways
Who are interesting in their own ways
A fascinating gaze in their eyes
Who have a captivating look in their eyes
Some who sent me up to the skies
Some who made me feel overjoyed
But their attempts at love
But their efforts to love me
Were only imitations of
Were just copies of
My old flame
The person I used to love
But I'll never be the same
But I'll never feel the same way
Until I discover what became
Until I find out what happened
Of my old flame
To the person I used to love
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@katherinesage
doesn't get better.... my Mother's generation.... 1924 NYC
@pinkieldred
Peggy Lee... Oh Peggy how you could sing! Wouldn't it be wonderful to have you around to give these so called rock singers of today...a few lessons!
@newellgirl
Totally awesome..reminds one of the "golden generation" the folks from WW2 who protected us from tyranny and left a world to enjoy in relative peace for Christmas..i wont forgot those who sleep eternally in the Pacific for our freedom.
@frankmarter6845
Mae West introduced this song in one of her movies. She did it best.
@0001943
Great! I love these big band girl singers!
@CarlHalling
It was the late 1960s. I was a Pop/Rock kid, weaned on the Beat since Beatlemania and the Stones. But being driven back as a dreamer of a teenager to nautical college by my parents of a Sunday night after a solitary day's leave, I'd listen on a cassette player to Peggy singing this song and others with Benny Goodman, and I loved what I heard. I still love it, and I'm 53 now.
@golson33
I'm 77 now and NEVER get tired of listening to this lovely lady. What a lesson or two she could give these younger generation(s).......
@FelixPheonix
I tried singing this song , before listening to it , by looking at the lyrics. I've never heard it before and I got it pretty close. Woohoo! :D
@halleymetcalfe7924
Sing this to my cat. She is in awe!
@katherinesage
RRRRRearrrrrr