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.
Terror
Les Baxter and His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Through a meadow land toward a closing door
A door marked "nevermore" that wasn't there before
The lonely night discloses just a passing breeze filled with memories
Of the golden smile that introduced me to
The days of wine and roses and you
Of the golden smile that introduced me to
The days of wine and roses and you-oo-oo
The lyrics of Les Baxter and His Orchestra's "Terror" evoke a sense of nostalgia and longing through vivid imagery and emotional resonance. The opening lines, “The days of wine and roses laugh and run away like a child at play,” serve as a metaphor for the fleeting nature of joy and beauty in life. The "days of wine and roses" symbolize a time of happiness, love, and carefree enjoyment, reminiscent of moments spent with loved ones. However, the simile compares these days to a child at play, suggesting that just as a child’s laughter can quickly fade as they run away, so too can the joyous moments in life vanish unexpectedly. This contrast between the simplicity and innocence of childhood and the complexity of adult emotions sets the stage for deeper reflections on love and loss.
As the lyrics progress, the mention of “a closing door” introduces a sense of finality and foreboding. This door, marked “nevermore,” implies an irreversible passage into a realm of despair or separation. The phrase "nevermore" is particularly evocative, often associated with Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Raven," indicating an end to hope or joy. The door that “wasn't there before” implies that this sense of loss has appeared suddenly, catching the singer off guard. It underscores the theme of inevitability in the transition from cherished memories to a stark realization of solitude. The vivid imagery creates an emotional landscape where beauty and sorrow coexist, prompting the listener to reflect on their own experiences of love and loss.
The refrain “The lonely night discloses just a passing breeze filled with memories” amplifies the theme of nostalgia, as the night becomes a metaphor for solitude and introspection. The “passing breeze” symbolizes memories that flutter briefly in the mind, evoking moments of reflection that are both sweet and melancholic. The memories are tinged with a sense of longing for something that has slipped away, represented here by “the golden smile.” This smile encapsulates the warmth of a deep connection, a reminder of what once brought joy. The repetition of this line reinforces the idea that while these memories can resurface in moments of quiet reflection, they ultimately speak to a longing for a past that cannot be reclaimed.
Overall, the lyrics reflect a poignant interplay between vivid memories of happiness and the weight of present loneliness. The refrain serves to emphasize the cyclical nature of memory: there is joy in recollection, yet it is inextricably linked to the pain stemming from the realization that these days of happiness are gone. The combination of playful imagery with somber undertones invites listeners to engage in their own journeys of introspection and heartache. In this exploration, the song captures the bittersweet essence of remembering love, offering a testament to the beauty and fragility of human connections. The interplay of light and dark in the lyrics ultimately reflects the complexity of our emotional experiences, where joy and sorrow are often intertwined.
Line by Line Meaning
The days of wine and roses laugh and run away like a child at play
The joyous moments of life, symbolized by indulgence and beauty, fleetingly evade us, reminiscent of a carefree child's playful escape.
Through a meadow land toward a closing door
We traverse a picturesque and serene landscape, approaching an endpoint that signifies the end of an idyllic phase.
A door marked 'nevermore' that wasn't there before
This doorway signifies finality, a barrier to the past that has suddenly emerged, representing lost opportunities or irretrievable moments.
The lonely night discloses just a passing breeze filled with memories
In the solitude of night, a gentle wind brings with it echoes of the past, invoking heartfelt recollections.
Of the golden smile that introduced me to
This refers to the radiant expression of someone dear, which opened my eyes to new experiences and joys.
The days of wine and roses and you
These cherished times of happiness and beauty, intertwined with the presence of a significant person in my life.
(The lonely night discloses) just a passing breeze filled with memories
In the stillness of the night, fleeting reminders of the past waft through, reminiscent of what once was.
Of the golden smile that introduced me to
A reference to the warmth and allure of a special person's smile that drew me into joyous experiences.
The days of wine and roses and you-oo-oo
The enchanting blend of jubilant moments and shared love, forever intertwined with your essence.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HENRY NICOLA MANCINI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ian Kaye
I CAN UNDERSTAND SOME LISTENERS BEING UNCOMFORTABLE WITH PARTS OF SOME OF THE PASSIONS ALBUM. MUCH THE SAME WAY ALFRED HITCHCOCK SCARED US ALL IN THE SHOWER SCENE IN YOU NO WHAT MOVIE. IT WAS LES BAXTER AT HIS BEST ORCHESTRALY SPEAKING PORTRAYING HUMAN EMOTIONS THROUGH MUSIC AND VOCAL SOLOIST WITHOUT WORDS. FOR ME THE MORE I HEAR THE DIFFERENT EMOTIONS SECTIONS,THE MORE I ENJOY AND APPRECIATE THE ALBUM. WE ALL RECOGNIZE HOW IMPORTANT MUSIC WAS IN MOVIES ESPECIALLY WRITTEN BY JOHN WILLIAMS, SUPERMAN,SPIELBERG MOVIES ETC. BY THE WAY IWAS TOLD JOHN WILLIAMS WAS THE PIANIST ON THE PASSIONS ALBUM. IT WOULDN'T SURPRISE ME THE PASSIONS ALBUM EXPERIENCE HELPED HIM IN HIS COMPOSING AND ORCHESTRATION SUCCESS.
IAN KAYE (KANEFSKY) BAS SHEVA'S BROTHER
ttenkrut
Thanks for comment. I’m a huge Bas Sheva fan. Her voice touches me.
Joe Hirst
interesting about JOhn Williams!!! I love The Passions and lots of Les Baxter
ttenkrut
Great upload