He began his career by playing trumpet and piano with New York City dance bands. He joined Bunny Berigan's band in 1935, then left to join Muggsy Spanier's Ragtime Band in 1939. From the late 1930s through to the late 1940s he also worked with Eddie Condon on records, radio and TV. After service in WWII he worked with Louis Armstrong and Benny Goodman.
He might be best known for co-writing "Oh! Look at Me Now", with John DeVries, when he worked in Tommy Dorsey's band. That song would become Frank Sinatra's first hit. In his 60s Bing Crosby ended Bushkin's semi-retirement with an offer for them to tour together.
Bushkin died in 2004.
The Song Is You
Joe Bushkin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A moment of bliss we spent
Our hearts were filled with a song of romance
As into the night we went
And sang to our hearts' content
The song is ended
But the melody lingers on
But the melody lingers on
The night was splendid
And the melody seemed to say
"Summer will pass away
Take your happiness while you may"
There 'neath the light of the moon
We sang a love song that ended too soon
The moon descended
And I found with the break of dawn
You and the song had gone
But the melody lingers on
In Joe Bushkin's song The Song Is You, the singer takes us on a journey down memory lane as he remembers a magical night spent with his lover. The lyrics suggest that he and his significant other attended a dance together, and while they were there, they experienced a rare moment of joy and euphoria. Their hearts were overflowing with a melody of romance as they sang and danced the night away. However, as the night came to an end, the singer realizes that the moment has passed, and the love song he sang with his lover is now over. Although the couple and the song are gone, the melody lingers on.
The lyrics of The Song Is You express the idea that memories are powerful, and they can take us back to a time when we were happy and in love. They show that music has the ability to transport us to a different time and place, and that we should cherish those fleeting moments of happiness when they come.
Line by Line Meaning
My thoughts go back to a heavenly dance
I am reminiscing about a beautiful moment in the past
A moment of bliss we spent
We experienced a brief, but intense period of happiness
Our hearts were filled with a song of romance
We felt deeply in love and expressed our emotions through music
As into the night we went
We spent time together during the evening hours
And sang to our hearts' content
We expressed ourselves fully through the power of music
The song is ended
The moment has passed and the music has stopped
But the melody lingers on
The memory of that moment remains with us and affects us emotionally
You and the song are gone
Both the person and the music have left our presence
But the melody lingers on
But the feeling we experienced still resonates within us
The night was splendid
The evening was wonderful
And the melody seemed to say
The music felt like it had a message
"Summer will pass away
Time is fleeting and we should enjoy life's pleasures while we can
Take your happiness while you may"
We should seize the moment and enjoy the good things in life that are available to us
There 'neath the light of the moon
We were together in the moonlight
We sang a love song that ended too soon
We shared our feelings and emotions through music, but the moment didn't last long enough
The moon descended
The moon set and the night came to an end
And I found with the break of dawn
As the sun rose, I realized that
You and the song had gone
The person and the music were no longer there
But the melody lingers on
But the emotional impact of that moment remains
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, IMAGEM U.S. LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: IRVING BERLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ian Blakesley
A rare swing version of this classic Irving Berlin ballad, with an all-star cast.
Joe Carbery
JOE BUSHKIN NYC. July 1, 1948
Collective personnel: Buck Clayton, Roy Eldridge (tp), Peanuts Hucko (cl), Bill Vitale (ts), Ernie Caceres (bar), Joe Bushkin (p), Jack Lesberg (b), Morey Feld (dm). Three numbers from this session were recorded for V-Disc.