He initially formed a large marching band that was to be the core of a network of service orchestras, but his attempts at modernizing military music were met with some resistance from tradition-minded career officers. An example is the arrangement of "St. Louis Blues March", combining blues and jazz with the traditional military march. This was recorded October 29, 1943 at the Victor studios in New York City. [The Best of Glenn Miller and the Army Air Force Band] "Miller's striking innovations and his adaptions [sic] of Sousa marches for the AAF band prompted Time magazine to claim that he had rankled traditionalists in the field of Army music and had desecrated the march king. The magazine also criticized Miller's injection of casual enjoyment into the disciplined cadences of military music, stating that the Army was 'swinging its hips instead of its feet.'" ["Stripes"] In the end though, the soldiers had a positive reaction to the new music and the Army gave tacit approval to the changes. ["Stripes"]
The orchestra was first based at Yale University.[10] From mid-1943 to mid-1944 they made hundreds of live appearances, transcriptions, and "I Sustain the Wings" radio broadcasts for CBS and NBC. Miller felt it was important that the band be as close as possible to the fighting troops. In mid-1944 he had the group transferred to London, where they were renamed the American Band of the Allied Expeditionary Force. While in the United Kingdom the band gave more than 800 performances to an estimated one million Allied servicemen. After one of the band's performances, General "Jimmy" Doolittle told then Captain Miller, "Next to a letter from home, Captain Miller, your organization is the greatest morale builder in the ETO (European Theater of Operations)."
On November 17, 1944, Miller, now a major, was scheduled to fly from the United Kingdom to Paris to play for the soldiers who had recently liberated Paris. His plane departed from RAF Twinwood Farm, [Butcher 203-205] Clapham, Bedfordshire, but disappeared over the English Channel and was never found. Miller's disappearance remains a mystery; neither his remains nor the wreckage of his plane (a single-engined Noorduyn Norseman UC-64, USAAF Tail Number 44-70285) were ever recovered from the water. (Clive Ward's discovery of a Noorduyn Norseman off the coast of Northern France in 1985 was unverifiable and contained no human remains.)[12]
There have been sixty years of theories about what happened to Glenn Miller. Buddy DeFranco, one of the leaders of the post war Glenn Miller orchestra explained to George Simon, that at many of the concerts where he was leading the Glenn Miller band in the nineteen-seventies, more than a few people confided to him what "really" happened to Glenn Miller. "If I were to believe all those stories, there would have been about twelve thousand four hundred and fifty eight people there at the field in England seeing him off on that last flight!" [Simon 446]. It is now thought more than likely that Glenn Miller's plane was accidentally bombed by RAF bombers over The English Channel, after an abortive air raid on Germany and short on fuel dumping four thousand pounds of bombs in a safe drop zone to lighten the load. The logbooks of Royal Air Force pilot Fred Shaw record that a small mono engined plane was seen to spiral out of control and crash into the water.[13][14]
In The Mood
Glenn Miller & The Army Air Force Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What a pair o' shoes, I'd like to try 'em for size
I'll just tell him, "Baby, won't you swing it with me"
Hope he tells me maybe, what a wing it will be
So, I said politely "Darling may I intrude"
He said "Don't keep me waiting when I'm in the mood"
First I held him lightly and we started to dance
And I said "Hey, baby, it's a quarter to three
There's a mess of moonlight, won't you share it with me"
"Well" he answered "Baby, don't you know that it's rude
To keep my two lips waiting when they're in the mood"
In the mood, that's what he told me
In the mood, and when he told me
In the mood, my heart was skipping
It didn't take me long to say "I'm in the mood now"
In the mood for all his kissing
In the mood his crazy loving
In the mood what I was missing
It didn't take me long to say "I'm in the mood now"
So, I said politely "Darling may I intrude"
He said "Don't keep me waiting when I'm in the mood"
"Well" he answered "Baby, don't you know that it's rude
To keep my two lips waiting when they're in the mood"
Who's the loving daddy with the beautiful eyes
What a pair o' shoes, I'd like to try 'em for size
I'll just tell him, "Baby, won't you swing it with me"
Hope he tells me maybe, what a wing it will be
So, I said politely "Darling may I intrude"
He said "Don't keep me waiting when I'm in the mood"
First I held him lightly and we started to dance
Then I held him tightly what a dreamy romance
And I said "Hey, baby, it's a quarter to three
It's a mess of moonlight, won't you share it with me"
"Well" he answered "Baby, don't you know that it's rude
To keep my two lips waiting when they're in the mood"
The lyrics to Glenn Miller's "In the Mood" are about a woman who sees a man with "beautiful eyes" and "a pair o' shoes" she'd like to try on for size. She approaches him and asks him to swing it with her. They dance together, and she describes their romance as dreamy. She asks him to share the moonlight with her, and he agrees, saying it is rude to keep his "two lips waiting when they're in the mood." They continue to dance and hold each other tightly.
The song is about the excitement and energy of being in the mood for love and dancing. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a couple lost in the moment on the dance floor. The fast-paced swing music, accompanied by saxophones, trumpets, and drums, adds to the excitement of the song.
While the lyrics may seem light and playful, they also capture the cultural moment of the 1940s. The song, along with others of the time, was meant to lift people's spirits during wartime and provide a moment of distraction from the stress of everyday life. "In the Mood" was a popular song for soldiers during World War II, especially after Miller's Army Air Force Band began performing it on their tours.
Line by Line Meaning
Who's the loving daddy with the beautiful eyes
Asking about the man who catches the singer's eye due to his notable physical appearance.
What a pair o' shoes, I'd like to try 'em for size
Expressing interest in getting to know the man better.
I'll just tell him, "Baby, won't you swing it with me"
Invitation for the man to come dance with the singer.
Hope he tells me maybe, what a wing it will be
Looking forward to finding out what an experience with the man will be like.
So, I said politely "Darling may I intrude"
Asking permission to join the man in his current activities.
He said "Don't keep me waiting when I'm in the mood"
Acknowledging that he is receptive to the singer's advance if she acts fast.
First I held him lightly and we started to dance
Describing how the interaction between the singer and the man began.
Then I held him tightly what a dreamy romance
Sharing how the intensity of their connection increased as they danced.
And I said "Hey, baby, it's a quarter to three
Noticing the time and sharing it with the man.
There's a mess of moonlight, won't you share it with me"
Inviting the man to partake in the romantic ambiance of the moonlight with the singer.
"Well" he answered "Baby, don't you know that it's rude
Politely reminding the singer that she is being forward and should be mindful of his personal boundaries.
To keep my two lips waitin' when they're in the mood"
Expressing a desire to proceed with affection if the singer matches his level of romantic interest.
In the mood, that's what he told me
Declaring that the man is in the mood for romance.
In the mood, and when he told me
Reiterating the man's desire for affection.
In the mood, my heart was skippin'
Sharing the singer's own feelings about the man's advances.
It didn't take me long to say "I'm in the mood now"
Accepting the man's invitation for romance and expressing her own interest.
In the mood for all his kissin'
Expressing a desire for physical affection from the man.
In the mood his crazy lovin'
Describing the intensity and passion of the man's romantic advances.
In the mood what I was missin'
Sharing that the singer has been lacking in romantic fulfillment, but is finding it with the man.
It didn't take me long to say "I'm in the mood now"
Repeating the declaration of acceptance of the man's romantic advances.
Lyrics © SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
Written by: JOE GARLAND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kenzeier2943
In the Mood has got to be one of the top 100 songs all time in America.
@missipemudbug
Of course it was Glen Miller who began it all. We as a Country should praise Mr. Miller for his band and his commitment in keeping the moral up between the military troops at home as well as the civilians. These are the folks we need to teach out children aboiut.
@swingsc
One of Miller's best versions of In The Mood, I have this album and as you know there's some brilliant swing and sweet numbers on it.
@johnpappas5155
That was the great generation. The people who saved the world in ww2.What more can I say.
@johndyer4513
one of the greatest swing tunes
@kermifrog7789
Puts me in the mood every time I hear it!
@lic.josemanuelmaganaledesm4738
Sin duda, ésta y Moonlight Serenade identifican a Glenn Miller. Las conocen todas las generaciones.
Yo nací en '52. Mis hijas en '81 y '84. Me han pedido que, en sus bodas, se bailen estas melodías.
Lo curioso. Glenn Miller murió antes de que yo naciera.
@williamc.1198
Great music!
@talboters44
GOSH THIS BRINGS BACK MEMORIES AND THE SADDEST ONE WAS WHEN WE HEARD OF GLENNS TRAGIC LOSS OVER THE CHANNEL NEVER FORGOT THAT
@winnerscreed6767
Love it, love it