Throughout the 1950s and early-1960s, Jackie Gleason enjoyed a secondary mu… Read Full Bio ↴Throughout the 1950s and early-1960s, Jackie Gleason enjoyed a secondary music career, lending his name to a series of best-selling mood music albums with jazz overtones for Capitol. Gleason felt there was a ready market for romantic instrumentals. He recalled seeing Clark Gable play love scenes in movies, and the romance was, in his words, "magnified a thousand percent" by background music. Gleason reasoned, "If Gable needs music, a guy in Brooklyn must be desperate!"

Gleason could not read or write music in a conventional sense; he was said to have conceived melodies in his head and described them vocally to staff help. He did likewise with the well-remembered themes of both The Jackie Gleason Show ("Melancholy Serenade") and The Honeymooners ("You're My Greatest Love"). There has been some controversy over the years as to how much credit Gleason should have received for the finished products; it has been written that beyond the possible conceptualizing of many of the songs, Gleason had no direct involvement such as conducting in the making of these recordings. However, his main musical companion, cornetist and trumpeter Bobby Hackett once said: "Jackie knows a lot more about music than people give him credit for. I have seen him conduct a sixty-piece orchestra and detect one discordant note in the brass section. He would immediately stop the music and locate the wrong note. It always amazed the professional musicians how a guy who technically did not know one note from another could do that. And he was never wrong."

Born February 26, 1916 in Brooklyn, New York, United States. He died on June 24, 1987

Mad About the Boy
Jackie Gleason Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm mad about the boy
And I know it's stupid to be mad about the boy
I'm so ashamed of it but must admit the sleepless nights I've had
About the boy

Mm on the silver screen
He melts my foolish heart in every single scene
Although I'm quite aware that here and there are traces of the kid

About the boy

Lord knows I'm not a fool-girl
I really shouldn't care
Lord knows I'm not a school-girl
Who's in the flurry of her first affair

Will it ever cloy
This odoversity of misery and joy
I'm feeling quite insane and young again
And all because I'm mad about the boy

I'm feeling quite insane and young again
And all because I'm mad

About the boy!

Overall Meaning

The song "Mad About The Boy" by Jackie Gleason is a timeless classic that is all about infatuation and love. The lyrics reveal a vulnerability that comes from being head over heels for someone you cannot have. The songwriter expresses an embarrassment in being mad about the boy, indicating that it's a silly and juvenile feeling to have. This emotion is so strong that it has caused sleepless nights, which shows how much this person consumes the mind.

The lyrics mention the silver screen, indicating that the feelings may not necessarily be directed to someone the songwriter knows personally but perhaps an actor. The singer delves into the fact that they are aware that the person of interest is not perfect, and there are traces of the kid. This could refer to the idea that the person may not have it all together or may not be emotionally mature, but the infatuation continues regardless.

The chorus explores the writer's inner conflict, knowing that they shouldn't care, but they can't help how they feel. It is a struggle of wanting to move on and get over it, but the feelings keep creeping back. The lyrics 'This odoversity of misery and joy' express that this person brings both happiness and pain. In the end, it appears that the writer knows that their feelings might never fade away.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm mad about the boy
I have strong feelings of affection towards this boy

And I know it's stupid to be mad about the boy
I understand that my obsession with him is irrational

I'm so ashamed of it but must admit the sleepless nights I've had
I feel embarrassed about how much I like him, but I can't deny the impact he has on me

Mad About the BoyJackie Gleason Lyrics

Mad About the Boy
Jackie Gleason Lyrics