Baxter studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory before moving to Los Angeles for further studies at Pepperdine College. Abandoning a concert career as a pianist, he turned to popular music as a singer. At the age of 23 he joined Mel Tormé's Mel-Tones, singing on Artie Shaw records such as "What Is This Thing Called Love?".
Baxter then turned to arranging and conducting for Capitol Records in 1950, and was credited with the early Nat King Cole hits, "Mona Lisa" and "Too Young", but both were actually orchestrated by Nelson Riddle.[1] (In later releases of the recordings the credit was corrected to Riddle.[citation needed]) Not a uncommon practice these days: Baxter himself had arranged Nat King Cole's "Nature Boy" in 1947 for a recording conducted by Frank De Vol. In 1953 he scored his first film, the sailing travelogue Tanga Tika. With his own orchestra, he released a number of hits including "Ruby" (1953), "Unchained Melody" (1955) and "The Poor People Of Paris" (1956). The latter recording sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.[2]He also achieved success with concept albums of his own orchestral suites: Le Sacre Du Sauvage, Festival Of The Gnomes, Ports Of Pleasure, and Brazil Now, the first three for Capitol and the fourth on Gene Norman's Crescendo label. The list of musicians on these recordings includes Plas Johnson and Clare Fischer.
Baxter also wrote the "Whistle" theme from the TV show Lassie.
Baxter did not restrict his activities to recording. As he once told Soundtrack! magazine, "I never turn anything down".
In the 1960s, he formed the Balladeers, a besuited and conservative folk group that at one time featured a young David Crosby.[citation needed] He operated in radio as musical director of The Halls of Ivy and the Bob Hope and Abbott and Costello shows.
Like his counterparts Henry Mancini, Lalo Schifrin and James Horner, Baxter later worked for the film industries from 1960s to 70s. He worked on movie soundtracks for American International Pictures where he composed and conducted scores for Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe films and other horror stories and teenage musicals, including The Pit and the Pendulum, Panic in Year Zero!, Beach Party, The Comedy of Terrors,The Dunwich Horror, and Frogs. Howard W. Koch recalled that Baxter composed, orchestrated, and recorded the entire score of The Yellow Tomahawk (1954) in a total of three hours for $5,000.[3]
With less soundtrack work in the 1980s, he scored music for theme parks and SeaWorlds. In the 1990s, Baxter was widely celebrated, alongside Martin Denny and the Arthur Lyman Group, as one of the progenitors of what had become known as the "exotica" movement. In his 1996 appreciation for Wired magazine, writer David Toop remembered Baxter thus:
"Baxter offered package tours in sound, selling tickets to sedentary tourists who wanted to stroll around some taboo emotions before lunch, view a pagan ceremony, go wild in the sun or conjure a demon, all without leaving home hi-fi comforts in the white suburbs".
Baxter has a motion picture star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6314 Hollywood Blvd.
Gigi
Les Baxter and His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or have I merely been too blind to realize?
Oh Gigi, why you've been growin' up before my eyes?
Gigi, you're not at all that funny awkward little girl I knew
Oh no, overnight there's been a breathless change in you
Oh Gigi, why you were tremblin' on the brink
Oh Gigi, have I been standin' up too close or back too far?
When did your sparkle turn to fire
And your warmth become desire?
Oh, what miracle has made you the way you are?
Oh Gigi, why you were tremblin' on the brink
Was I out yonder somewhere blinkin' at a star?
Oh Gigi, have I been standin' up too close or back too far?
When did your sparkle turn to fire
And your warmth become desire?
Oh, what miracle has made you the way you are?
The song Gigi by Les Baxter and his Orchestra is a beautiful and wistful ballad that tells the tale of a man who has been so enamored by a young girl named Gigi that he barely even noticed her growing up. The song is primarily about the singer's realization that Gigi has transformed from an awkward and funny little girl into a beautiful woman. The opening lines, "Gigi, am I a fool without a mind, or have I merely been too blind to realize?" highlight this realization, as the singer seems to be questioning whether he has been oblivious to Gigi's transformation.
The chorus of the song symbolizes the singer's growing sense of confusion as he tries to understand Gigi's transformation. He wonders if he has been standing too close or too far away, which could mean he either missed the transformation, or was too close to see it. He also wonders when Gigi's "sparkle turned to fire" and "warmth became desire," emphasizing that her metamorphosis was more emotional than physical. The final lines of the song ask what miracle has made Gigi the way she is now, suggesting that the singer is in awe of Gigi's transformation and is trying to understand how it happened.
Overall, Gigi is a song that speaks to the idea of growing up and the many changes that come with it. It is a beautifully nostalgic and tender ballad that captures the bittersweet feeling of watching someone you love grow up and change.
Line by Line Meaning
Gigi, am I a fool without a mind
Am I so foolish that I lack any sense or intelligence, Gigi?
Or have I merely been to blind to realize?
Or have I been completely unaware, unable to see what's really going on?
Oh Gigi, why you've been growin' up
Oh Gigi, why have you been maturing so quickly?
Before my very eyes!
In front of my eyes, without me even noticing.
Gigi, you're not at all the funny
Gigi, you're not the humorous, quirky girl I once knew.
Awkward little girl I knew
You were once a shy and clumsy young girl.
Oh no, overnight there's been a breathless
But now, suddenly, you've transformed into a stunning, captivating woman.
Change in you!
You're not the same person you used to be, Gigi.
Gigi, why you were tremblin' on the brink
Gigi, why were you on the verge of something, trembling with anticipation?
Was I out yonder somewhere blinkin' at a star?
Was I too far away, lost in thought, gazing at a distant star?
Oh Gigi, have I been standin' up to close
Gigi, have I been too close to you or focusing too much on you?
Or back too far?
Or have I been too distant, not fully engaging with you?
When did your sparkle turn to fire
When did your gleam and shine transform into a passionate energy?
And your warmth become desire?
When did your kindness and friendliness become intense longing?
Oh, what miracle
Oh, what incredible event, beyond understanding or explanation, has brought about this transformation?
Has made you the way you are?
What has caused you to become the captivating, alluring person you are today, Gigi?
Oh Gigi, have I been standin' up to close
Gigi, have I been too focused on you, not giving you enough space?
Or back too far?
Or have I been too distant, not fully seeing and appreciating you?
When did your sparkle turn to fire
When did your shine turn into flames of passion?
And your warmth become desire?
When did your friendliness become an intense longing to be close to someone?
Oh, what miracle
What amazing occurrence has brought about this transformation in you?
Has made you the way you are?
What has caused you to become the captivating, alluring person you are today, Gigi?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALAN JAY LERNER, FREDERICK LOEWE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind