Mulligan started on the piano before learning clarinet and the various saxophones. His initial reputation was as an arranger. In 1944 he wrote charts for Johnny Warrington's radio band and soon was making contributions to the books of Tommy Tucker and George Paxton. He moved to New York in 1946 and joined Gene Krupa's Orchestra as a staff arranger; his most notable chart was "Disc Jockey Jump." The rare times he played with Krupa's band was on alto and the same situation existed when he was with Claude Thornhill in 1948.
Gerry Mulligan's first notable recorded work on baritone was with Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool nonet (1948-50) but once again his arrangements ("Godchild," "Darn That Dream" and three of his originals "Jeru," "Rocker" and "Venus de Milo") were more significant than his short solos. Mulligan spent much of 1949 writing for Elliot Lawrence's orchestra and playing anonymously in the saxophone section. It was not until 1951 that he began to get a bit of attention for his work on baritone. Mulligan recorded with his own nonet for Prestige, displaying an already recognizable sound. After he traveled to Los Angeles, he wrote some arrangements for Stan Kenton (including "Youngblood," "Swing House" and "Walking Shoes"), worked at the Lighthouse and then gained a regular Monday night engagement at the Haig. Around this time Mulligan realized that he enjoyed the extra freedom of soloing without a pianist. He jammed with trumpeter Chet Baker and soon their magical rapport was featured in his piano-less quartet. The group caught on quickly in 1952 and made both Mulligan and Baker into stars.
A drug bust put Mulligan out of action and ended that quartet but, when he was released from jail in 1954, Mulligan began a new musical partnership with valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer that was just as successful. Trumpeter Jon Eardley and Zoot Sims on tenor occasionally made the group a sextet and in 1958 trumpeter Art Farmer was featured in Mulligan's Quartet. Being a very flexible player with respect for other stylists, Mulligan went out of his way to record with some of the great musicians he admired. At the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival he traded off with baritonist Harry Carney on "Prima Bara Dubla" while backed by the Duke Ellington Orchestra, and during 1957-60 he recorded separate albums with Thelonious Monk, Paul Desmond, Stan Getz, Ben Webster and Johnny Hodges. Mulligan played on the classic Sound of Jazz television special in 1958 and appeared in the movies I Want to Live and The Subterraneans.
During 1960-64 Mulligan led his Concert Jazz Band which gave him an opportunity to write, play baritone and occasionally double on piano. The orchestra at times included Brookmeyer, Sims, Clark Terry and Mel Lewis. Mulligan was a little less active after the big band broke up but he toured extensively with the Dave Brubeck Quartet (1968-72), had a part-time big band in the 1970s (the Age of Steam), doubled on soprano for a period, led a mid-'70s sextet that included vibraphonist Dave Samuels, and in 1986 jammed on a record with Scott Hamilton. In the 1990s he toured the world with his excellent "no-name" quartet and led a "Rebirth of the Cool Band" that performed and recorded remakes of the Miles Davis Nonet classics. Up until the end, Gerry Mulligan was always eager to play. Gerry Mulligan died on January 20th, 1996 in Darien, CT.
Among Mulligan's compositions were "Walkin' Shoes," "Line for Lyons," "Bark for Barksdale," "Nights at the Turntable," "Utter Chaos," "Soft Shoe," "Bernie's Tune," "Blueport," "Song for Strayhorn," "Song for an Unfinished Woman" and "I Never Was a Young Man" (which he often sang). He recorded extensively through the years for such labels as Prestige, Pacific Jazz, Capitol, Vogue, EmArcy, Columbia, Verve, Milestone, United Artists, Philips, Limelight, A&M, CTI, Chiaroscuro, Who's Who, DRG, Concord and GRP. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Gerry Mulligan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea
I forgive you, 'cause I can't forget you
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea
[Repeat: x2]
I ought to cross you off my list
But when you come a-knocking at my door
And I come running back for more
I should hate you, but I guess I love you
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea
The devil and the deep blue sea
The classic song "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" by Gerry Mulligan describes a tumultuous and conflicted relationship. The first two lines set the tone by expressing the singer's mixed feelings: "I don't want you, but I'd hate to lose you." This contradictory statement captures the essence of the emotional tug-of-war that defines the rest of the song.
The title phrase "between the devil and the deep blue sea" refers to being caught in a difficult or dangerous situation with no good options. The singer feels at the mercy of fate, unable to escape the magnetic attraction of the love interest who repeatedly causes pain, but is also unable to let go. "You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea" is sung twice, emphasizing the inescapable feeling of being trapped. The singer concludes by acknowledging that they should hate the love interest, but instead they are stuck in a cycle of love and hurt that they can't seem to break free from.
Through the song's witty lyrics and jazzy rhythm, Mulligan captures the helplessness of being caught in toxic love. The push and pull between wanting to leave but being unable to resist the allure of the love interest is a theme that remains relevant to this day.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want you, but I'd hate to lose you
I have mixed feelings about wanting to keep you in my life, even though I don't really want to be with you.
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea
I feel trapped between two difficult choices, one of which is choosing to keep you in my life despite my reservations about doing so.
I forgive you, 'cause I can't forget you
I still have strong feelings for you and even though you may have hurt me, I am willing to forgive and forget because my feelings for you are too strong.
I ought to cross you off my list
I know it would be best if I moved on and let go of our relationship.
But when you come a-knocking at my door
However, when you reach out to me, it's hard for me to resist you.
Fate seems to give my heart a twist
It seems like destiny wants us to be together, despite my reservations about doing so.
And I come running back for more
Even though I know it may not be the best decision, I am drawn back to you every time you come back into my life.
I should hate you, but I guess I love you
Even though I know I should be angry with you for the way you made me feel, I still love you anyway.
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea
Once again, I feel torn between two difficult choices related to our relationship.
The devil and the deep blue sea
This phrase is a metaphor for being in a difficult, even dangerous, situation where there are no good choices.
Lyrics © S.A. MUSIC, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind