Rhapsody In Blue
George Gershwin & Paul Whiteman's 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
But you remained in my heart

So tell me darling, is there still a spark?
Or only lonely ashes of the flame we knew
Should I go on whistling in the dark
Serenade in blue

So tell me darling, is 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 "Serenade in Blue" are a nostalgic reflection on lost love. The song begins with the singer hearing a "Serenade in blue," and being transported to another world where they are alone with the person they loved in the past. The singer remembers the joy and happiness they shared many years ago and their face comes back to them like a forgotten melody. The memories are bittersweet as the singer recalls the last time they heard the small cafe band play, and the dance they shared until their love became a sigh and forever more became goodbye. The song ends with the singer wondering if there is still a spark left between them or if they are left with only the lonely ashes of their past love.


Overall, the lyrics of "Serenade in Blue" are a beautiful expression of nostalgia and lost love. The singer's reflection on their past relationship is both melancholic and hopeful, as they wonder if there is still a chance for their love to rekindle. The song captures the mood and sentiment of many people who have lost someone they once loved, and it remains a popular and timeless classic.


Line by Line Meaning

When I hear that Serenade in blue
The sound of a particular serenade sends me into a state of mind where I feel like I'm transported to another place and time.


I'm somewhere in another world, alone with you
I feel like I'm in a separate reality where I'm with a specific person, and we have an intimate connection.


Sharing all the joys we used to know
During this time, we're reliving moments of shared happiness and remembering old times.


Many moons ago
These moments happened a long time ago.


Once again your face comes back to me
I can vividly remember and picture this person's face in my mind.


Just like the theme of some forgotten melody
Remembering this person's face feels like a distant melody that I can barely recall.


In the album of my memory
This memory is preserved and kept safe in the metaphorical album that is my memory.


It seems like only yesterday
Although it's been a long time, it still feels like it happened more recently than it actually did.


The small cafe, a crowded floor
This memory takes place in a small cafe or restaurant with a lot of people there.


And as we danced the night away
We spent the evening dancing together.


I hear you say forever more
During this memory, the person I'm with says the words 'forever more.'


And then the song became a sigh
Something happened that caused the mood to shift, and the song that was playing turned into a melancholic sigh.


Forever more became goodbye
The promise of forever became a final goodbye.


But you remained in my heart
Despite the goodbye, this person remains in my heart and memory.


So tell me darling, is there still a spark?
I'm wondering if there's still a chance for us, if there's still something there between us.


Or only lonely ashes of the flame we knew
Maybe there's nothing left but the remnants of a relationship that has burnt out.


Should I go on whistling in the dark
I'm questioning whether or not I should pretend that everything is okay when I know it's not.


Serenade in blue
This specific memory is connected to a serenade that evokes powerful emotions and memories for me.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harry Warren, Mack Gordon

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@artshifrin3053

NOTHING FROM THIS PERFORMANCE IS MISSING. IT'S ALL THAT WAS
RECORDED. IT IS NOT THE DURATION OF THE DEBUT VERSION HEARD
BY THE AUDIENCE AT ITS DEBUT. THE ARRANGEMENT WAS TRUNCATED TO COMPLY WITH VICTOR'S 'NO SETS' POLICY. IS IT KNOWN (LATER INTERVIEWS, DIARIES, etc.) WHETHER OR NOT GERSHWIN & WHITEMAN OBJECTED TO THE CUT? WOULD THE DECISION MAKERS @ VICTOR HAVE EVEN CARED?

THINK OF THIS HAVING BEEN A 3 SIDED SET! THE FOURTH COULD'VE
BEEN THE VERY IMPRESSIVE EMBOSSING (I'VE SEEN THEM ON RED SEALS) OF THE NIPPER LOGO ON SIDE 4.

SUBSEQUENTLY, THE '27 VERSION WAS RELEASED ON A SINGLE SIDE
OF ONE OF THEIR EARLY 30s 10" DIAMETER 33.33 RPM "PROGRAM TRANSCRIPTIONS". IT WAS AMONGST OTHER DUBS OF PREVIOUSLY ISSUED (ELECTRICALLY RECORDED) 78s. THIS 'PRE-LP' UNDERTAKING WAS A CALAMITY FOR VICTOR. EXCEPT, FOR THE FUNERAL PARLOR MARKET.
I AM NOT KIDDING. THEY'RE LISTED AS SUCH IN THEIR LATER CATALOGS:
CONTAINING OF COURSE, SOMBER MUSIC. VICTOR'S EARLY 30s "PROGRAM
TRANSCRIPTION" UNDERTAKING IT WAS THE REVERSE INSPIRATION FOR COLUMBIA, WHICH DID IT CORRECTLY WITH LP FORMAT: DEBUTED WHEN I
WAS, IN 1948.

SOME OF YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN THIS 'RHAPSODIC SCREW UP' OF A SUBSEQUENT PRESSING RUN OF THE 1927 VERSION. SOMEONE AT THE FACTORY 'GRABBED' 2 NON-MATCHING METAL PARTS: ONE FROM '24 & THE OTHER FROM '27. ON A HIGHER FIDELITY (EVEN NON - ELECTRIC ORTHOPHONIC ONES) PHONOGRAPH THE DIFFERENCE IN THE SOUND QUALITY HAD TO, EXCEPT FOR A LISTENER WITH IMPAIRED HEARING* BE INTRIGUING, ANNOYING, ETC. OF COURSE, THEY WERE WITHDRAWN. THEY ARE COLLECTIBLE.

THIS FARCE WAS A RESULT OF THE COMPANY'S (COLUMBIA TOO) MASTERS DESIGNATION PRACTICE. EXAMPLE: THEN THE MASTER # OF A PLANNED CATALOGUED RELEASE** (NOT THE SAME #) WOULD BE NUMERICAL. THEN, FOLLOWED BY A HYPHEN, THE TAKE #. IF, TO GET IT "RIGHT", MULTIPLE TAKES MIGHT BE DONE ON SUCCESSIVE DAYS, EVEN WEEKS. THE MASTER #s WERE RETAINED. THE TAKE DESIGNATIONS WERE TYPICALLY INCREMENTED NUMERICALLY & OR ALPHABETICALLY. THE CRITERIA FOR DOING ALTERNATES WERE AESTHETICS, PERFORMANCE ERRORS, EQUIPMENT FAILURE & OR DAMAGE TO THE METAL ***PARTS. THUSLY THE HYBRID PRESSING
OCCURRED.

WAS THE MISMATCH INTENTIONAL? BY A DISGRUNTLED, INEBRIATED, SLEEP DEPRIVED, ILL OR NEOPHYTE EMPLOYEE? THAT'D BE AN INTERESTING VICTOR MEMO.

SOME COMPANY'S MASTER #s OFTEN INCLUDED ABBREVIATIONS INDICATING
IN WHICH STUDIOS INCLUDING WHERE THE RECORDINGS WERE MADE.

VARIATIONS OF THESE PRACTICES OCCURRED ON OUR "THIRD ROCK
FROM THE SUN".

* HEARING IMPAIRED: I AM NOT MOCKING THIS DISORDER, MY RIGHT EAR
HAS BEEN DEAF SINCE I WAS ABOUT 6...I'VE NEVER HEARD STEREO...
BUT I CAN SEE IT ON AN OSCILLOSCOPE

**MASTERING AND MAKING "78s" AND OTHER SPECIAL PURPOSE DISKS:

EXCEPT FOR THE VERY EARLY DAYS OF THE INDUSTRY, MASTER & CATALOG
#S WERE IDENTICAL. FOR EXAMPLE, WHAT IS REFERRED TO AS A "PRE-MATRIX" DISK & I SUPPOSE, CYLINDERS INDICATES ONLY ONE #. WHEN STAMPERS & MOULDS WORE OUT & SALES REQUIRED IT, THEN PERFORMERS HAD TO MAKE NEW REPEAT RECORDINGS THAT MIGHT HAVE HAD THE SAME TITLES, BUT WITH. VARIATIONS OF CONTENT: SACRED, DANCE, VERBAL RECITATION. THEY COULD BE DONE IN THE SAME STUDIO ON THE SAME DAY, BUT COMPRISE DIFFERENT CATALOG SECTIONS.

***NOT INCLUDING THE PIONEERING DISKS OF EMIL BERLINER, THESE
STEPS COMPRISED THE TYPICAL MANUFACTURING PROCESS:

1)ORIGINAL --- ERRONEOUSLY STILL CALLED "WAX", THE STUFF'S A FORM OF SOAP - IT'S STILL USED AS A VERB (WAX & WAXING). UNTIL A SPECIAL PURPOSE LIGHT TRACKING ARM & PICKUP (DESIGNED BY BELL LABS IN THE 1920s BECAME AVAILABLE, ) THE "WAX" WAS HEATED TO MAKE IT MORE MALLEABLE, THUS LESS PRONE TO CHIPPING & DISTORTION THAT WOULD HAVE OTHERWISE OCCURRED. THE MATERIAL WAS TYPICALLY, SUBSEQUENTLY MELTED FOR REUSE. --- HAD POSITIVE GROOVES ---

2) AN ELECTRO-PLATED 'COPY' --- (HAD INVERTED GROOVES) WOULD BE MADE FROM (1)

3) AN ELECTRO-PLATED 'COPY' 'FROM (2) --- HAD POSITIVE GROOVES
AS WITH (1) , WARRANTED CAREFUL HANDING AND PLAYING : DERIVED
FROM (2)

4a) . AN ELECTRO-PLATED 'COPY' 'FROM (3) HAD NEGATIVE GROOVES ---
USED TO STAMP THE FINAL PRODUCT: PLAYABLE DISKS. MULTIPLE
CLONES OF 4 COULD LIKELY ENSURE THAT A SIGNIFICANT QUANTITY

THE PRACTICAL ADVANTAGE OF THIS STRATEGY WAS TO VERY LIKELY
NOT DEPLETE THE SUPPLY OF STAMPERS, ESPECIALLY OF A 'BIG HIT'. 1 ENABLED 2, 2 ENABLED 3, 3 ENABLED 4, 4 ENABLED PROFIT AND COPIES
THAT WE CAN STUDY AND ENJOY NOW, IN 2021 AND HOPEFULLY HEREAFTER

FINAL NOTES. HOORAY !!!

EXCEPTING ANALOG WIRE AND TAPE ---

4b FOR MASTERING: IN GERMANY, TRI-ERGON RECORDED
ITS ORIGINALS, OBVIOUSLY IN REAL TIME, ON OPTICAL FILM. IT WASN'T PLAYED DIRECTLY TO THE DISK CUTTERS. THE FILMS PLAYED BACK
SLOWER THAN REAL TIME. THEIR TRANSPORTS, VIA STEP-UP
GEARS RAN THE TURNTABLES AT REQUIRED RPMs FOR DIFFERENT
WORLD - WIDE MARKETS. ALSO, THE FILM MASTERS COULD BE EDITED
WITHOUT DUBBING AND CONSEQUENT LOSSES OF AUDIO QUALITY.

4c BY 1939, LACQUER (NOT ACETATE!) COATED DISKS WERE USED TO
CUT MASTERS @ 33.33 RPM. A 16" DIAMETER DISK HAD A NOMINAL
MAXIMUM DURATION OF 16 MINUTES. FIVE TAKES OF TYPICAL 10"
CONSUMER PRESSINGS COULD BE ACCOMODATED. COMPARING
ALTERNATE TAKES WAS THEREFORE LOGISTICALLY STREAMLINED.
AS A RESULT OF PHYSICS & ELECTRONICS, THE DUBS FROM THE LACQUERS
COULD HAVE RESULTS SUPERIOR THAN WHAT HAD RESULTED FROM
THE PREVIOUS METHOD. SIMULTANEOUSLY MASTERING MORE THAN
ONE LACQUER PROTECTED THE ORIGINALS FROM WHICH THE 78 RPM MASTERS WOULD BE DUBBED. WHEN 17"
LACQUERS BECAME AVAILABLE, THEN OBVIOUSLY, THE DURATIONS
WERE INCREASED. ALSO, AT THE OUTER - MOST GROOVES, THE
HIGH FREQUENCIES RECORDED & PLAYED BACK BETTER THAN ON THE
SMALLER DIAMETERS (PHYSICS).

I'M BUZZED OUT FROM COMPOSING AND PROOF READING THIS
I REGRET WHATEVER ERRORS ARE WITHIN.



All comments from YouTube:

@dgmelvin

What a wonderful transfer of this iconic record. I have two copies but neither are good enough to warrant a transfer. Thanks for posting this!

@the78prof72

My pleasure, Daniel.

@coolcatz2681

Your icons look classic 😊

@coolcatz2681

I'm a fan of classics, too!

@kendra.e7929

Happy 100th Anniversary Of Rhapsody in Blue.
February - 12 - 1924.
100 Years.
Thank You George Gershwin.

@martinbryan3716

Thank you, indeed! You left us way too early.

@kendra.e7929

@@martinbryan3716 You're Welcome.

@mossryder

love the chuckling clarinet in the beginning, after the intro lick. Lost in most later recordings.

@thewkovacs316

a huge mistake. piece was meant to invoke the joy of the jazz age and introduce jazz as a serious art. the choice of many to make it more symphonic negates what gershwin meant to do.

@msphoenix269

Don't know how true this is, but seen elsewhere: Fun fact: the clarinet solo at the very beginning of the track was basically the musician (virtuoso Ross Gorman) doing an "improvised joke" at a rehearsal of the first concert ever in which this song would be played. Much to his surprise, instead of laughs or discontent from Gershwin, Gorman was met with his immediate approval.

Actually, even though it was a "jokeful" and "improvised" addition to his original composition, Mr. Gershwin loved it so much he chose to modify the clarinet part so it would always be played that way.

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