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
I Feel Pretty
Gerry Mulligan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, so pretty,
I feel pretty and witty and bright!
And I pity
Any girl who isn't me tonight.
I feel charming,
Oh, so charming
And so pretty
That I hardly can believe I'm real.
See the pretty girl in that mirror there:
Who can that attractive girl be?
Such a pretty face,
Such a pretty dress,
Such a pretty smile,
Such a pretty me!
I feel stunning
And entrancing,
Feel like running and dancing for joy,
For I'm loved
By a pretty wonderful boy!
Have you met my good friend Maria,
The craziest girl on the block?
You'll know her the minute you see her,
She's the one who is in an advanced state of shock.
She thinks she's in love.
She thinks she's in Spain.
She isn't in love,
She's merely insane.
It must be the heat
Or some rare disease,
Or too much to eat
Or maybe it's fleas.
Keep away from her,
Send for Chino!
This is not the
Maria we know!
Modest and pure,
Polite and refined,
Well-bred and mature
And out of her mind!
I feel pretty,
Oh, so pretty
That the city should give me its key.
A committee
Should be organized to honor me.
La la la la . . .
I feel dizzy,
I feel sunny,
I feel fizzy and funny and fine,
And so pretty,
Miss America can just resign!
La la la la . . .
See the pretty girl in that mirror there:
What mirror where?
Who can that attractive girl be?
Which? What? Where? Whom?
Such a pretty face,
Such a pretty dress,
Such a pretty smile,
Such a pretty me!
Such a pretty me!
I feel stunning
And entrancing,
Feel like running and dancing for joy,
For I'm loved
By a pretty wonderful boy!
The song "I Feel Pretty" from the musical "West Side Story" is sung by the character Maria after she falls in love with Tony, a boy from a rival gang. The lyrics express Maria's newfound confidence and sense of being loved, as well as her superior feelings towards other women. Maria describes herself as pretty, witty, charming, stunning, and entrancing, and pities other girls who aren't her. She feels as if the whole city should honor her and give her the key. Maria's joy and elation are contrasted with the character of her friend, the unstable and lovesick Maria. The song ends on a humorous note, with Maria declaring that even Miss America can resign because of her newfound attractiveness.
The lyrics of "I Feel Pretty" can be interpreted in various ways. On the one hand, they celebrate the character's newfound confidence and positive self-image, which is especially important in a story that deals with gang violence and ethnic tensions. The song shows that even in the midst of a violent and unfair world, people can feel good about themselves and find joy in their personal relationships. On the other hand, the lyrics can also be seen as shallow and narcissistic, as Maria seems to value herself only for her physical appearance and the admiration of a man. The song's lighthearted tone and catchy melody, however, make it an enduring classic of musical theater.
Line by Line Meaning
I feel pretty,
I feel beautiful,
Oh, so pretty,
Extremely beautiful I feel,
I feel pretty and witty and bright!
I feel very attractive, smart and lively!
And I pity
I feel sorry for
Any girl who isn't me tonight.
Any girl who doesn't feel as attractive as me tonight.
I feel charming,
I feel full of charisma
Oh, so charming
So full of charm it's striking,
It's alarming how charming I feel!
I feel my level of charm is dangerously high!
And so pretty
Also beautiful
That I hardly can believe I'm real.
I almost can't believe how beautiful I am!
See the pretty girl in that mirror there:
Looking at the beautiful girl in the mirror over there.
Who can that attractive girl be?
Wondering who that beautiful girl in the mirror is.
Such a pretty face,
A beautiful face,
Such a pretty dress,
A beautiful dress,
Such a pretty smile,
A beautiful smile,
Such a pretty me!
A beautiful me!
I feel stunning
I feel astonishingly beautiful
And entrancing,
And captivating,
Feel like running and dancing for joy,
Want to run and dance with joy!
For I'm loved
Because I'm loved
By a pretty wonderful boy!
By someone I find extremely attractive and wonderful!
Have you met my good friend Maria,
Do you know my friend Maria?
The craziest girl on the block?
The most insane girl in the neighborhood?
You'll know her the minute you see her,
You'll recognize her at first sight,
She's the one who is in an advanced state of shock.
She's the one who is in a severely confused and agitated state.
She thinks she's in love.
She believes she's in love.
She thinks she's in Spain.
She believes she's in Spain.
She isn't in love,
She's not in love,
She's merely insane.
She's crazy.
It must be the heat
The high temperature is perhaps causing it,
Or some rare disease,
Or some illness
Or too much to eat
Or maybe she overate
Or maybe it's fleas.
Or perhaps she was bitten by fleas.
Keep away from her,
Stay away from her,
Send for Chino!
Get help from Chino!
This is not the
She's not the
Maria we know!
Maria we know!
Modest and pure,
Humble and innocent,
Polite and refined,
Well-mannered and cultured,
Well-bred and mature
Refined and mature,
And out of her mind!
But she lost her mind!
That the city should give me its key.
That the city recognizes how beautiful I am!
A committee
A group of people
Should be organized to honor me.
Should gather to celebrate my beauty!
La la la la . . .
Singing sounds to celebrate my beauty!
I feel dizzy,
I feel light-headed,
I feel sunny,
I feel happy,
I feel fizzy and funny and fine,
I feel high-spirited, amusing and wonderful!
And so pretty,
And so beautiful,
Miss America can just resign!
So beautiful that Miss America should give up her title!
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LEONARD BERNSTEIN, STEPHEN SONDHEIM, STEPHANE AUDARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Agnes Baldaino
Love you Annie