Goldenthal was born on May 2, 1954, the youngest son of a Jewish housepainter father and a Catholic seamstress mother in Brooklyn, New York City, where he was influenced from an early age by music from all cultures and genres. Both pairs of Goldenthal's grandparents emigrated to the United States from Bucharest and Iași, Romania. Goldenthal lived in a multi-cultural part of town, and this is reflected in his works. He attended John Dewey High School in Brooklyn where, at the age of 14, he had his very first ballet Variations on Early Glimpses performed; he continued to display his eclectic musical range, performing with rock bands in the seventies. He then studied music full-time at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with composer John Corigliano (whom he greatly admired), to earn his Bachelor of Music degree (1977) and Master of Music degree (1979) in musical composition.
Goldenthal has written works for concert hall, theater, dance and film. His work includes music for films such as Alien 3, Michael Collins, Batman Forever, Heat and the Academy Award-winning score for Julie Taymor's Frida, a movie in which Goldenthal had a small acting part as a "Newsreel Reporter". Incidentally he also had a small part in the stage show Juan Darièn as a "Circus Barker / Streetsinger".
The Tony-Award-winning Juan Darién: A Carnival Mass (1988/'96) and The Green Bird (1999), based on a story by Carlo Gozzi, are a two of the composer's theatre works. In 2006, Goldenthal completed his original three-act opera with Taymor entitled Grendel an adaptation of the John Gardner novel of the same name which told the story of Beowulf from the monster Grendel's point of view. It had its world premiere in early June 2006 at the Los Angeles Opera, the role of Grendel performed by Eric Owens, with an audience that included John Williams and Emmy Rossum; the opus was added to the Los Angeles Opera's permanent repertoire and earned Goldenthal a nomination in April 2007 for the Pulitzer Prize for Music. In 2008 Goldenthal reunited with Michael Mann to score 1930s gangster movie Public Enemies and in 2009 he scored another Julie Taymor Shakespeare adaptation, The Tempest. He cites Japanese composer Tōru Takemitsu as an influence and someone he styles his own career on; Goldenthal has said that the lines between traditional concert music and orchestral film score have become more blurred which is the way he thinks it should be. He has also collaborated four times with Irish director Neil Jordan, including on his films Interview with the Vampire and In Dreams.
Elliot Goldenthal has been called the "thinking man's composer" by film-music collectors and a generally more cerebral choice for film makers and lovers of film music. He is known for his experimentation, nuances and willingness to try unconventional techniques. He has scored films in almost every genre from horror to action to Shakespeare adaptations. He has not yet scored comedy, but he has composed comedic motifs for several films such as Demolition Man and the Batman series. His eclectic output has gained him a great deal of respect in the music and film communities and with fans. He is widely appreciated for his musical abilities and distinctive style, although some find his work to be too experimental or inaccessible. His action music is brutal and atonal. Sometimes, in underscore, he uses very fast French horn passages with bending tones and whining. Goldenthal has said that he doesn't "hear" atonal and tonal, rather, "I either hear melody or I hear sonority".
Am I Blue
Elliot Goldenthal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Without a warning I found he was gone
How could he do it
Why should he do it
He never done it before
Am I blue
Am I blue
How can you ask me "am I blue"
Why, wouldn't you be too
If each plan
With your man
Done fell through
There was a time
When I was his only one
But now I'm
The sad and lonely one, lonely
Was I gay
Until today
Now he's gone, and we're through
Am I blue
The lyrics of "Am I Blue" by Elliot Goldenthal convey the feelings of heartbreak and betrayal after a sudden departure of a loved one. The singer expresses confusion and disbelief as they try to make sense of the situation. They ask how and why this person could leave when they had never done it before.
The repetition of the phrase "Am I blue" throughout the song serves as a rhetorical question, reflecting the singer's deep sadness and emotional turmoil. They question the obviousness of their tears and wonder why anyone would even ask if they were feeling blue. The lyrics highlight the pain and disappointment of a failed relationship, with the singer acknowledging that it's only natural to feel blue when all their plans with this person have fallen apart.
The song also touches upon the shift in the singer's role from being the cherished partner to becoming the sad and lonely one. There is a sense of loss and longing for the times when they were each other's only one, suggesting that the singer may have previously experienced happiness and fulfillment in the relationship. The departure of their partner has abruptly changed their world, leaving them questioning their own happiness and sense of self.
Overall, "Am I Blue" captures the raw emotions of heartbreak, confusion, and self-doubt that come with the sudden end of a meaningful relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
It was a morning, long before dawn
It was the early hours of the morning, before sunrise
Without a warning I found he was gone
Without any indication, I discovered that he had left
How could he do it
I'm surprised by his actions
Why should he do it
I can't understand his motive
He never done it before
He has never done this in the past
Am I blue
Am I feeling sad or depressed
Ain't these tears, in these eyes telling you
Can't you see the tears in my eyes that show my sadness
How can you ask me "am I blue"
Why would you even question whether I am feeling sad
Why, wouldn't you be too
Wouldn't you also feel sad
If each plan with your man done fell through
If every plan I had with him has failed
There was a time when I was his only one
There was a period when I was the only person he loved
But now I'm the sad and lonely one, lonely
But now I am the one who feels sad and alone
Was I gay until today
Was I happy or content until this day
Now he's gone, and we're through
Now that he has left, our relationship is over
Am I blue
Am I feeling sad or depressed
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GRANT CLARKE, HARRY AKST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Josephine DANIELS
He Sly like a Fox and he is the boss this is a great movie and this is a great song we love you Johnny Depp💝👏👏👏🍷
calmagical
I love this song!! It's really hard to find, so thanks for uploading.
Sharon Dillon
Love this era of music.
Lídice Matos
Kevin Conroy has such a beautiful voice! He has not recorded any other songs?
Jewel
This is Billie Holiday, what on earth are you talking about? And she recorded MANY other songs.
손창식
We need more aspiring musicians now more than ever. And I mean the self-taught musicians who love playing music for the sake of making beautiful music, and not the ones looking for a record label.
ZekeThe Jester
Ever feel you were born really late. That's how I feel everytime I listen to music from early 30's - late 50's
julisan123
great song,,, great movie :):)<3
Jeff Northern
so much passion
JC
This is good, but Batman's version is the best!!