Horace Heidt (May 21, 1901 - December 1, 1986) was an American pianist, Big… Read Full Bio ↴Horace Heidt (May 21, 1901 - December 1, 1986) was an American pianist, Big Band leader, radio and television personality, and entertainer.

He was born in Alameda, California, and he attended Culver Academies. He is best known for his band "Horace Heidt and His Musical Knights" that were national celebrities who toured vaudeville and performed on radio and television for a number of years. Singer Matt Dennis got his start with Heidt's band and for a time, actor Art Carney was the band's singing comedian. The Heidt band musical recordings were highly successful, with "Gone with the Wind" going to No.1 in 1937, "Ti-Pi-Tin" No. 1 in 1938 and in 1939 "The Man with the Mandolin" reached No.2.

During this period, Heidt lived in the then-new "Brentwood" (Brentwood, California) neighborhood in West Los Angeles at what was the address of 1525 San Vicente Boulevard at the time. Heidt had bought the mansion from the widow of a retired dentist, and it offered stunning views of Santa Monica Canyon overlooking The Riviera Country Club and even out to Catalina Island on a clear day. The expansive hacienda-style residence, once featured on the cover of the then-popular magazine Pictorial California in Rotogravure in 1927, has long since been razed and the property subdivided.

His "Pot O' Gold" radio show became the basis for a 1941 motion picture of the same title produced by James Roosevelt (son of the U.S. president) and directed by George Marshall. The film featured Heidt as himself with his band, and starred Jimmy Stewart and Paulette Goddard. Art Carney can be glimpsed in some of the film's musical numbers. The movie gives a fairly accurate depiction of Heidt's radio show, but features some blatantly staged sequences, such as a scene in which a Minnesota farmer (allegedly phoned at random by Heidt during his radio show) is played by well-known character actor John Qualen.

His "Original Youth Opportunity Program" on both radio and TV went directly from radio to TV in 1950. It was one of the first talent shows on TV. Among the winners of the show were Dick Contino (Accordion), Ralph Sigwald (Vocals) and Al Hirt (Trumpet). Richard Melari, a talented young vocal impressionist from Cleveland Ohio, was also on the show.

Horace Heidt died in 1986 and was interred in the Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles. For his contribution to radio, Horace Heidt has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1631 Vine Street and a second star for his contribution to television at 6628 Hollywood Blvd.

Gone With the Wind
Horace Heidt Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Gone with the wind
Just like a leaf that has blown away
Gone with the wind
My romance has flown away
Yesterday's kisses are still on my lips
I had a lifetime of heaven at my fingertips
But now all is gone
Gone in the rapture that thrilled my heart

Gone with the wind
The gladness that filled my heart
Just like a flame

Love burned brightly, then became an empty smoke dream that has gone
Gone with the wind

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song "Gone With The Wind" by Horace Heidt describe the experience of losing a love that was once cherished. The singer likens their romance to a leaf that has been blown away, suggesting that it was fragile and easily taken by the wind. The memories of their relationship are still present on their lips, highlighting the bittersweet nature of the loss. The singer laments the fact that they once had everything they wanted, with "a lifetime of heaven at [their] fingertips," but now all is gone. The rapture that once thrilled their heart is now gone with the wind, leaving behind only an empty smoke dream of love that once burned brightly.

The lyrics of "Gone With The Wind" convey a sense of sadness and longing for a past love. The metaphor of the wind carries through the entire song, emphasizing the feeling of transience and impermanence. The use of past tense verbs and words like "yesterday's kisses" create a sense of distance from the love that once was. The final line, "gone with the wind," echoes the title of the song and emphasizes the sense of finality and loss.

Line by Line Meaning

Gone with the wind
My love has left me and everything we had together is gone.

Just like a leaf that has blown away
My love drifted away from me, just like a leaf drifts away in the wind.

Gone with the wind
My love has vanished from my life and I am left alone.

My romance has flown away
The love and passion between us has disappeared and left me feeling empty.

Yesterday's kisses are still on my lips
I still remember the love and intimacy we shared.

I had a lifetime of heaven at my fingertips
My relationship with my love was like a dream come true, perfect and heavenly.

But now all is gone
Everything we had is gone and I am left with only memories.

Gone in the rapture that thrilled my heart
The passion and intensity of our love is what made it so special, and that is now gone.

Gone with the wind
My love is gone and I am left with nothing but emptiness.

The gladness that filled my heart
The happiness and joy that our love brought me is now gone and replaced with sadness.

Just like a flame
Our love was once bright and strong, like a flame burning brilliantly.

Love burned brightly, then became an empty smoke dream that has gone
Our love was passionate and intense, but it eventually faded away, leaving me with nothing but memories of what could have been.

Gone with the wind
My love has disappeared like the wind, leaving nothing behind.

Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Herbert Magidson, Allie Wrubel

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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