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
My Silent Love
Jackie Gleason Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now that you left me
How can I live through another day
Watching my dreams turn into ashes
And all my hopes into bits of clay
Once I could see, once I could feel
Now I am numb
I've become unreal
I walk the night, oh, without a goal
Stripped of my heart, my soul
What now my love
Now that it's over
I feel the world closing in on me
Here come the stars
Tumbling around me
And there's the sky where the sea should be
What now my love
Now that you're gone
I'd be a fool to go on and on
No one would care, no one would cry
If I should live or die
What now my love
Now there is nothing
Only my last goodbye
Only my last goodbye
The lyrics to Jackie Gleason's song "My Silent Love" speak to the overwhelming sense of despair and emptiness that comes after a loved one leaves. The singer is left questioning how they can continue living through another day as they witness their dreams and hopes crumble before them. They used to have the ability to see and feel, but now they are numb and feel like they have become unreal.
The singer describes aimlessly wandering through the night without any purpose, as if their heart and soul have been stripped away. The love they once had is now over, and they feel the weight of the world closing in on them. The mention of stars tumbling around them and the absence of the sea in the sky further emphasizes the disorientation and confusion they feel in the absence of their love.
The chorus repeats the question "What now my love?" as the singer contemplates a future without their loved one. They believe that continuing to live and carry on would be foolish, as they believe no one would care or cry if they were to live or die. The song concludes with the acceptance of the harsh reality - there is nothing left for them except for their final goodbye.
Overall, "My Silent Love" is a poignant exploration of the aftermath of a lost love, capturing the feeling of emptiness, desolation, and the struggle to find purpose in the absence of someone who meant so much.
Line by Line Meaning
What now my love
What am I supposed to do now that you're no longer here
Now that you left me
After you walked away from me
How can I live through another day
I can't fathom getting through another day without you
Watching my dreams turn into ashes
Seeing all my hopes and dreams fall apart
And all my hopes into bits of clay
Even my aspirations have crumbled and lost their form
Once I could see, once I could feel
I used to have clarity and emotions
Now I am numb
But now I am emotionally numb
I've become unreal
I feel detached from reality
I walk the night, oh, without a goal
I wander aimlessly in the dark, without a purpose
Stripped of my heart, my soul
Feeling completely devoid of love and passion
What now my love
What am I supposed to do now
Now that it's over
Now that our relationship has ended
I feel the world closing in on me
I feel overwhelmed and suffocated by the world around me
Here come the stars
I see the stars appearing
Tumbling around me
But they seem to be falling and swirling around me
And there's the sky where the sea should be
The sky has taken the place of the sea
Now that you're gone
Now that you have departed
I'd be a fool to go on and on
Continuing to live without you would be foolish
No one would care, no one would cry
No one would be concerned or shed a tear
If I should live or die
Whether I continue living or perish
Now there is nothing
Now there's nothing left
Only my last goodbye
All I have is a final farewell
Only my last goodbye
Only my farewell remains
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BALANDRAS EDITIONS, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Carl Sigman, Gilbert Becaud, Pierre Delanoe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Onyx Jazman
Ah, good, another piece from Jackie Gleason's orchestra. I mean, I've listened to 'Again' on loop for most of today, and have done that several times since you uploaded it. Now, I'm not sure how much of Gleason's orchestra's pieces were done from music Jackie had thought up in his head, but they certainly always got his idea of 'music for lovers' down incredibly well, from what I've heard. In my opinion, his orchestra was one of the classiest sources of music in the mid-20th century, or, hell, ever.
And might I add how much of a damned shame it is that orchestras are no longer truly their own thing? They're damn near ALWAYS connected to either another form of entertainment, baroque or classical music, and not much else. sigh As much as I know I'm going to sound like an old curmudgeon (even though I'm 18), music is NOTHING compared to what it used to be. Pop is now a synonym for, at best, catchy tunes with no substance, and even if you can find good music here and there, it isn't, to use the word once more, classy... and yes, that bothers me a lot. Music is, I think, the thing that's most indicative of the mindset of a decade, and I don't think the past 25 years of music has been indicative of anything particularly worthy of bragging about.
D D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcPIZTQr1FQ&index=4&list=PLiMHOAwkMoN57ogUUeAnnjz_yO1OruSXv.
Austin Casey
+Aedan Clarke Amen. I couldn't have said any of that any better if I tried. I'm glad you really seem understand. Not many people of our generation do understand and it's sad and frustrating. You give me hope though.
Gleason's orchestra's music was indeed the epitome of class and elegance. Other orchestras had it too, but Gleason's concept of doing it on a big scale with full orchestra, dance band rhythm section and simple arrangements of dreamy ballads really made him stand out. He knew what the public wanted and he delivered. I've heard that he didn't know a thing about music... but even still, it was his concept and his money and time that went into the early albums he did for Capitol Records, so he really does deserve credit. Sadly, as you said there are no orchestras quite like this today that play Pop music from the 1920s-1960s. Most are rooted in European classical music. That's great, but we really could use more of THIS.
I'm glad that you recognize that popular music today is essentially "garbage". Most people our age don't recognize this fact because they don't know about the history of American popular music. To them it's great.. but if they had grown up hearing music like this, they would undoubtedly be able to hear that this is high-quality and memorable music... while the junk you hear on the radio today is low-quality trash. It's disposable music for a disposable culture. I'm not saying we should pretend its 1950 and do everything like they did, but we should recognize that we've thrown away some things from previous generations that we really should have kept... including truly GOOD music like this here.
While I'm very glad that you recognize the difference in quality and substance of music past and present, try not to become bitter about it . The more you get into music like this and really start to love it and appreciate it, the more upset you get with where society is and is heading. This music is the antithesis of contemporary popular culture. It really frustrates me sometimes so I can't think about it too much... but sometimes I'm forced to. Don't wind up like me. I'm honestly not the happiest person when I have to deal with our generation on the topic of music. Lol
Here is a very interesting clip that perfectly explains where we're at today with music and why we got here. Maybe you won't agree with all of what he says, but I think at least some of it you already seem to understand.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1qMnZ1HZy4
Hector Granados
Eso era música...
Una joya...