As a youth, he was recognized as an extraordinary talent and formed a traveling duo with Danny Polo, a musical prodigy on the clarinet and trumpet from nearby Clinton, Indiana. As a student at Garfield High School in Terre Haute, he played with several theater bands.
Thornhill entered the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music at age 16. That same year he and clarinetist Artie Shaw started their careers at the Golden Pheasant in Cleveland, Ohio with the Austin Wiley Orchestra. Thornhill and Shaw went to New York together in 1931.
Claude went to the West Coast in the late 1930s with the Bob Hope Radio Show, and arranged for Judy Garland in Babes in Arms.
In 1935, he played on sessions for Glenn Miller's first recordings under his own name, as Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. He played on Glenn Miller's composition "Solo Hop," which was released on Columbia Records.
After playing for Paul Whiteman, Benny Goodman, Ray Noble, Glenn Miller, and Billie Holiday, and arranging "Loch Lomond" and "Annie Laurie" for Maxine Sullivan, in 1939 he founded his Claude Thornhill Orchestra. Danny Polo was his lead clarinet player. Although the Thornhill band was originally a sophisticated dance band, it became known for its many superior jazz musicians and for Thornhill's and Gil Evans' innovative arrangements; its "Portrait of a Guinea Farm" has become a classic jazz recording.
The band played without vibrato so that the timbres of the instruments could be better appreciated, and Thornhill encouraged the musicians to develop cool-sounding tones. The band was popular with both musicians and the public; the Miles Davis Nonet was modeled in part on Thornhill's cool sound and use of unconventional instrumentation. The band's most successful records were "Snowfall," "A Sunday Kind of Love" and "Love for Love."
His most famous recording, "Snowfall," was released in 1941 as Columbia 36268. He released the song also as a V-Disc recording, as V-Disc 271A1.
Playing at the Paramount Theater in New York for $10,000 a week in 1942, Thornhill dropped everything to enlist in the US Navy to support the war effort. As chief musician, he played shows across the Pacific Theater with Jackie Cooper as his drummer and Dennis Day as his vocalist.
In 1946, he was discharged from the Navy. Then in April, he reformed his ensemble. He kept his same stylistic lines, but added some Bop lines to it. He got his old members of Danny Polo, Gerry Mulligan, and Barry Galbraith back together, but also added new members like Red Rodney, Lee Konitz, Joe Shulman and Bill Barber. Barber was a tuba player, who was considered as a "soft brass" player rather than a bass as to not interfere with (Joe) Shulman on the bass. Their creative and immaculately clean and delicate interpretation of Evans’s arrangement of Dizzy Gillespie’s fast bop theme "Anthropology" (1947) provides a particularly noteworthy example of Thornhill’s style, which influenced Miles Davis’s recordings in 1949 for Capitol and many musicians who followed .
In the mid 1950s, Thornhill was briefly Tony Bennett's musical director.
He offered his big band library to Gerry Mulligan when Gerry formed the Concert Jazz Band, but Gerry regretfully declined the gift, since his instrumentation was different. A large portion of his extensive library of music is currently held by Drury University in Springfield, Missouri.
After his discharge from the Navy he continued to perform with his orchestra until his death of a heart attack at 1:30 a.m., July 2, 1965, at his home in Caldwell, New Jersey. Claude was booked at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey, at the time, the engagement was kept in his honor with his music director in his place. He was survived by his wife, actress Ruth Thornhill, and his mother, Maude Thornhill (81 at the time), of Terre Haute, Indiana, still active at the time conducting choirs.
Claude Thornhill's compositions included the standard "Snowfall", "I Wish I Had You", recorded by Billie Holiday and Fats Waller, "Let's Go", "Shore Road", "Portrait Of A Guinea Farm", "Lodge Podge", "Rustle Of Spring", "It's Time For Us To Part", "It Was A Lover And His Lass", "The Little Red Man", "Memory Of An Island", and "Where Has My Little Dog Gone?"
In 1984, Claude Thornhill was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.
Oh You Beautiful Doll
Claude Thornhill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just turn out the lights and then come over here!
Nestle close, up to my side,
My heart's afire, with love's desire
In my arms, rest complete,
Never thought that life could ever be so sweet
'Til I met you,some time ago,
But now you know,
Oh, you beautiful doll!
You great, big, beautiful doll!
Let me put my arms about you,
I could never live without you.
Oh, you beautiful doll!
You great, big, beautiful doll!
If you ever leave me how my heart would ache,
I want to hug you but I fear you'd break
Oh, oh, oh, oh,
Oh, you beautiful doll!
Precious prize, close your eyes,
Now we're goin' to visit lover's paradise,
Press your lips,
Again to mine,
For love is king of ev'rything
Squeeze me dear, I don't care!
Hug me just as if you were a grizzly bear
This is how I'll go through life,
No care or strife, when you're my wife
Oh, you beautiful doll!
You great, big, beautiful doll!
Let me put my arms about you,
I could never live without you.
Oh, you beautiful doll!
You great, big, beautiful doll!
If you ever leave me how my heart would ache,
I want to hug you but I fear you'd break
Oh, you beautiful doll! Oh, oh, oh, oh
The lyrics of Claude Thornhill's Oh You Beautiful Doll suggest a romantic encounter between two lovers. The lyrics convey a longing to be close to the other person, with the singer asking their lover to turn off the lights and come closer to them. The singer wants to be enveloped in a warm embrace, to feel the heat of their lover’s body close to them. They want to express their love and desire, to hold and squeeze their lover tightly without any inhibitions. The singer also acknowledges that their life has been fuller and richer since they met their lover. The lyrics portray an intimate and loving relationship between two people.
In addition, the chorus of the song, “Oh, you beautiful doll,” is a term of endearment that was popular in the early 20th century. The phrase referred specifically to a beautiful and charming woman. It was a common compliment that men would use to flatter women.
Line by Line Meaning
Honey dear, want you near,
My beloved, I desire your proximity,
Just turn out the lights and then come over here!
Turn off the lights and join me in this space,
Nestle close, up to my side,
Draw near and snuggle up against me,
My heart's afire, with love's desire
My heart is burning with the passion of love,
In my arms, rest complete,
Find solace and fulfilment within my embrace,
Never thought that life could ever be so sweet
I never fathomed life could be this delightful,
'Til I met you, some time ago,
I discovered this joy from the moment I met you,
But now you know,
And now you understand,
I love you so!
That I love you immensely!
Oh, you beautiful doll!
You are such a beautiful person!
You great, big, beautiful doll!
You are a fantastic, stunning person!
Let me put my arms about you,
Please let me hold you close,
I could never live without you.
I cannot fathom living without you by my side.
If you ever leave me how my heart would ache,
The thought of you leaving causes my heart immense pain,
I want to hug you but I fear you'd break
I would love to hold you, but I worry I might harm you,
Precious prize, close your eyes,
Beloved treasure, close your eyes,
Now we're goin' to visit lover's paradise,
Together, we will travel to a world of love and passion,
Press your lips again to mine,
Please, kiss me once more,
For love is king of ev'rything
For love rules over everything,
Squeeze me dear, I don't care!
Please, embrace me tightly; I do not mind at all,
Hug me just as if you were a grizzly bear
Hold me like a grizzly bear holds its prey,
This is how I'll go through life,
This is how I wish to live my life,
No care or strife, when you're my wife
Free from worry and trouble when you are my spouse,
Oh, oh, oh, oh,
Oh, how you bring me joy!
Oh, you beautiful doll!
You are a delightful person!
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: NATHANIEL D. AYER, SEYMOUR BROWN A
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind