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

Serenade In Blue
Jackie Gleason Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When I hear that Serenade in blue
I'm somewhere in another world, alone with you
Sharing all the joys we used to know
Many moons ago

Once again your face comes back to me
Just like the theme of some forgotten melody
In the album of my memory

Serenade in blue

It seems like only yesterday
The small cafe, a crowded floor
And as we danced the night away
I hear you say forever more
And then the song became a sigh
Forever more became goodbye
But you remained in my heart

So tell me darling in there still a spark?
Or only lonely ashes of the flame we knew

Should I go on whistling in the dark,
Serenade in blue

Overall Meaning

The song Serenade in Blue by Jackie Gleason is a nostalgic melody that reminisces past love and lost romance. The lyrics tell of a man who, upon hearing the song, recalls a time when he was alone with his loved one, sharing joys they used to know many moons ago. He remembers the moments they shared together, dancing the night away in a small crowded café, and how the song they danced to became a sigh and forevermore turned to goodbye. Despite this separation, he admits that she still remains in his heart and asks if there's still a spark between them or if it's just the lonely ashes of a flame that once burned bright.

The lyrics are poignant and express the beauty of love and the pain of losing it. The line "Once again your face comes back to me, just like the theme of some forgotten melody in the album of my memory" paints a picture of how vivid the memories of the moments shared with his loved one are. The song is one of yearning and is perfect for anyone who wants to reminisce on past love or lost romance.

Line by Line Meaning

When I hear that Serenade in blue
Whenever I hear that Serenade in blue

I'm somewhere in another world, alone with you
I feel like I've traveled to another world and I'm alone with you

Sharing all the joys we used to know
We are reliving all the happy times we used to share

Many moons ago
A long time ago

Once again your face comes back to me
I see your face in my mind once again

Just like the theme of some forgotten melody
It's like the melody of a song I used to know but can't quite remember now

In the album of my memory
In my memory

Serenade in blue
Referring to the Serenade in blue melody

It seems like only yesterday
It feels like it was just yesterday

The small cafe, a crowded floor
The memories of the small cafe and crowded floor come back to me

And as we danced the night away
I recall dancing with you all night long

I hear you say forever more
I remember you saying 'forever more'

And then the song became a sigh
But then the happy song became a sad sigh

Forever more became goodbye
'Forever more' turned into a goodbye

But you remained in my heart
But you still live on in my heart

So tell me darling in there still a spark?
So, my darling, do you still feel the same spark for me?

Or only lonely ashes of the flame we knew
Or has it all turned into lonely ashes of the flame we once had?

Should I go on whistling in the dark,
Should I keep hoping even when it's dark and uncertain?

Serenade in blue
Referring to the Serenade in blue melody

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harry Warren, Mack Gordon

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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