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
These Foolish Things
Gerry Mulligan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh! Will you never set me free?
The ties that bound us
Are still around us
There's no escape that I can see
And still those little things remain
That bring me happiness or pain
An airline ticket to romantic places
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
A tinkling piano in the next apartment
Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant
A fair ground's painted swings
These foolish things remind me of you
You came you saw you conquer'd me
When you did that to me
I knew somehow this had to be
The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
A telephone that rings but who's to answer?
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
First daffodils and long excited cables
And candle lights on little corner tables
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
The park at evening when the bell has sounded
The "Ile de France" with all the gulls around it
The beauty that is Spring's
These foolish things remind me of you
How strange how sweet to find you still
These things are dear to me
They seem to bring you near to me
The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations
Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
Gardenia perfume ling'ring on a pillow
Wild strawb'ries only seven francs a kilo
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses
The waiters whistling as the last bar closes
The song that Crosby sings
These foolish things remind me of you
How strange how sweet to find you still
These things are dear to me
They seem to bring you near to me
The scent of smould'ring leaves, the wail of steamers
Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
"These Foolish Things" is a song about the lingering memories of a past love, and how even the smallest things can bring those memories flooding back. The singer is clearly struggling to move on from their past relationship, despite the ties that bound the two of them being still around them. The things that remind them of their past love are both happy and painful, from a cigarette bearing a lipstick's traces to the sigh of midnight trains in empty stations.
In each stanza, the singer describes different objects or situations that remind them of the one they have lost. They mention an airline ticket to romantic places, a tinkling piano in the next apartment, fairground's painted swings, the park at evening when the bell has sounded, and the scent of smould'ring leaves, among others. These objects might not have any particular significance on their own, but they take on a greater meaning because they remind the singer of their past love. The chorus that repeats "these foolish things remind me of you" emphasizes the emotional power of these little reminders.
The song is essentially a nostalgic look at a past love, and how the memories of that love persist even when it is gone. There is a sense of sadness throughout the song, but also a certain sweetness in the way that the singer cherishes these "foolish things" that remind them of their past love.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh! Will you never let me be?
Why won't you leave me alone?
Oh! Will you never set me free?
Why won't you let me go?
The ties that bound us
Our relationship that connected us
Are still around us
Are still affecting us
There's no escape that I can see
I cannot find a way out of this
And still those little things remain
And yet, the small details persist
That bring me happiness or pain
That evoke emotions of joy or sorrow
A cigarette that bears a lipstick's traces
A cigarette still marked by your lipstick
An airline ticket to romantic places
A plane ticket to a place we loved
And still my heart has wings
And yet, I still feel alive
These foolish things remind me of you
These insignificant things make me think of you
A tinkling piano in the next apartment
The sound of a piano in a nearby apartment
Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant
The awkward words I used to express my feelings
A fair ground's painted swings
A painted swing at a carnival
You came you saw you conquer'd me
You came, saw and won me over
When you did that to me
When you won me over
I knew somehow this had to be
I knew this was meant to happen
The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
The winds of March that make me feel alive
A telephone that rings but who's to answer?
The phone rings, but I don't know who's calling
How strange how sweet to find you still
It's strange and comforting to still have you in my thoughts
The park at evening when the bell has sounded
The park in the evening, after the curfew bell has rung
The "Ile de France" with all the gulls around it
The "Ile de France" ship surrounded by seagulls
The beauty that is Spring's
The beauty of Spring
The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations
The sound of trains passing through deserted stations
Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations
A pair of silk stockings left after a night of dancing
Gardenia perfume ling'ring on a pillow
The scent of gardenia perfume lingering on a pillow
Wild strawb'ries only seven francs a kilo
Wild strawberries selling for a low price
The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses
Greta Garbo's smile and the aroma of roses
The waiters whistling as the last bar closes
Waiters whistling at closing time
The song that Crosby sings
A song sung by Bing Crosby
The scent of smould'ring leaves, the wail of steamers
The smell of burning leaves and the sound of steamboats
Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers
Two lovers walking in a dream-like state
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
The reminder of you is haunting
These foolish things remind me of you
These trivial things remind me of you
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Harry Link, Holt Marvell, Jack Strachey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jean-François CATTEAU
Yes ! It's a good good Music - Thanks ;+)
Alonso Toro
the brightest of this genius, Lee Konitz