And yet Charlie Barnet was only significant in jazz for about a decade (1939-1949). Although his family wanted him to be a lawyer, he was a professional musician by the time he was 16 and ironically in his career made more money than he would have in business. Barnet arrived in New York in 1932 and started leading bands on records the following year, but his career was quite erratic until 1939. Many of Barnet's early records are worthy but some are quite commercial as he attempted to find a niche. Best is a sideman appearance on a 1934 Red Norvo date that also includes Artie Shaw and Teddy Wilson.
In 1939, with the hit recording of "Cherokee" and a very successful run at the Famous Door in New York, Charlie Barnet soon became a household name. In addition to the fine trumpeter Bobby Burnet (who soloed on many of Barnet's Bluebird records), such sidemen as guitarist Bus Etri; drummer Cliff Leeman; singers Lena Horne, Francis Wayne, and Kay Starr; pianist Dodo Marmarosa; clarinetist Buddy DeFranco; guitarist Barney Kessel; and even trumpeter Roy Eldridge spent time with Barnet's bands. Although at the height of his popularity during 1939-1942 (when his orchestra could often play a close imitation of Ellington's), Barnet's recordings for Decca during 1942-1946 were also of great interest with "Skyliner" being a best-seller.
By 1947 Barnet was starting to look toward bop. Clark Terry was his star trumpeter that year, and in 1949 his screaming trumpet section included Maynard Ferguson, Doc Severinsen, Rolf Ericson, and Ray Wetzel. Barnet, however, soon lost interest and near the end of 1949 he broke up his band. Semi-retired throughout the remainder of his life, Charlie Barnet occasionally led swing-oriented big bands during short tours and appearances, making his last recording in 1966.
Midnight Sun
Charlie Barnet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Warmer than the Summer night.
The clouds were like an alabaster palace,
Rising to a snowy height.
Each star its own Aurora Borealis,
Suddenly you held me tight,
I could see the midnight sun.
Or was that a moonlit veil?
The music of the universe around me,
Or was that a nightingale?
And then your arms miraculously found me,
Suddenly the sky turned pale,
I could see the midnight sun.
Was there such a night?
It's still a thrill I don't quite believe;
But after you were gone
There was still some stardust on my sleeve!
The flame of it may dwindle to an ember,
And the stars forget to shine,
And we may see the meadow in December,
Icy white and crystalline.
But oh, my darlin', always I'll remember
When your lips were close to mine,
And I saw the midnight sun.
The flame of it may dwindle to an ember,
And the stars forget to shine,
And we may see the meadow in December,
Icy white and crystalline.
But oh, my darlin', always I'll remember
When your lips were close to mine,
And I saw the midnight sun,
The midnight sun,
The midnight sun,
The midnight sun.
The song Midnight Sun by Charlie Barnet is a romantic ballad that is filled with metaphorical language and vivid imagery. The opening lines, 'Your lips were like a red and ruby chalice, warmer than the Summer night' set the tone for the romantic imagery that fills the song. The comparison of the lover's lips to a chalice suggests that they are something to be treasured and revered, like a precious artifact. The reference to the Summer night creates a sense of warmth and passion that is further accentuated by the simile.
The song goes on to describe the beauty of the night sky with the clouds being compared to an alabaster palace and each star having its own Aurora Borealis. The Aurora Borealis is a natural phenomenon that is characterized by colorful lights that appear in the night sky, and the comparison suggests that the stars are equally beautiful and awe-inspiring. The imagery of the snow-topped palace and the colorful lights add to the sense of wonder and beauty that is so commonly associated with love.
Line by Line Meaning
Your lips were like a red and ruby chalice,
Your lips looked as beautiful as a jewel-encrusted drinking cup, gleaming a rich red shade, warming me more than the summer night.
Warmer than the Summer night.
Your lips were hot and passionate, just like a Summer night.
The clouds were like an alabaster palace,
The clouds looked like an elegant palace made of alabaster, rising high and white.
Rising to a snowy height.
The clouds rose higher and higher until they looked as tall as snow-capped mountains.
Each star its own Aurora Borealis,
Every star shimmered and sparkled, like a unique and beautiful Northern Lights display.
Suddenly you held me tight,
All of a sudden, you grabbed me in a passionate embrace.
I could see the midnight sun.
In that moment, I felt like I could see the beauty and wonder of the world at midnight, even though it was still light out.
I can't explain the silver rain that found me,
I can't put into words the strange and unexpected joy that came into my life.
Or was that a moonlit veil?
Maybe it was only a trick of the moonlight.
The music of the universe around me,
It felt like the entire universe was playing sweet melodies to me.
Or was that a nightingale?
Or maybe it was just the sweet sound of a nightingale.
And then your arms miraculously found me,
And then, just when I needed it, you miraculously appeared and gave me a comforting embrace.
Suddenly the sky turned pale,
In that moment, everything else faded away and nothing else seemed to matter except for us.
I could see the midnight sun.
Again, I felt like I could see the beauty and wonder of the world at midnight, even though it was still light out.
Was there such a night?
It's hard to believe that one night could be so magical.
It's still a thrill I don't quite believe;
Even now, I still can't quite believe how happy and wonderful that night was.
But after you were gone
But even though you're gone now,
There was still some stardust on my sleeve!
I can still feel the magic of that night, lingering on me like stardust on my sleeve.
The flame of it may dwindle to an ember,
The passion and magic of that night might fade over time,
And the stars forget to shine,
And even the stars in the sky might not seem as bright and special as they did that night.
And we may see the meadow in December,
Even when everything else seems bleak and barren, like a frozen meadow in December,
Icy white and crystalline.
We can still find beauty and wonder, like the icy white crystals that sparkle in the snow.
But oh, my darlin', always I'll remember
But no matter what happens, I will always remember,
When your lips were close to mine,
The moment when your lips were so close to mine,
And I saw the midnight sun.
And I felt like I could see the beauty and wonder of the world at midnight, even though it was still light out.
The midnight sun,
That magical, unforgettable feeling of seeing the beauty of the world,
The midnight sun,
That incredible moment when everything else fades away and all that exists is the two of us,
The midnight sun,
That feeling of being alive and in love, even when the rest of the world seems dark and cold,
The midnight sun.
That beautiful, unforgettable night when we saw the midnight sun together.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ERROLL GARNER, JOHNNY BURKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Billies Bounce
JJohn Bello, Jimmy Maxwell, Charlie Shavers, Al DeRisi (tp) Billy Byers, Frank Rehak, Chauncey Welsh (tb)
Charlie Barnet (sop,as) Phil Woods (as) Dick Meldonian (as,bar) Dick Hafer, Kurt Bloom (ts) Danny Bank
(bar) Nat Pierce (p) Barry Galbraith (g) Wendell Marshall (b) Don Lamond (d) Bill Holman (arr)
New York, September 29, 1958