By 14, Les Brown was already a seasoned professional, and he started what would be the first of many bands; 'The Royal Serertadore'. Although the sax remained his main interest, Les also studied and mastered the classical clarinet while at Ithaca Conservatory of Music. (Years later, Les said he ended his solo clarinet playing career after listening to Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Jimmy Dorsey, and Woody Herman, and decided that he "wasn't in their class as a soloist and never would be.") After Ithaca Conservatory, he enrolled at Duke University and performed with the 'Blue Devils' for four years, taking over as leader in his junior year. The final performance of Les, and the Blue Devils, was in 1936 at Budd Lake, NJ, the hometown of Georgia Claire De Wolfe. Two years later, in September of 1938, Claire and Les became husband and wife.
Les took jobs arranging for the bands of Isham Jones, Larry Clinton and others, but he was keen to lead his own band again, and with the help of two 'angels', a new Les Brown band was born. His first big hit was a novelty tune written by Ben Homer and "deejay" Alan Courtney. It was "Joltin' Joe DiMaggio" based on Joe DiMaggio's amazing 56-game hitting streak that had the entire U.S.A. talking that summer of 1941. Les wasn't able to record the song for two years, however, due to a musician's union recording ban imposed in 1942.
As soon as the recording ban was lifted, Les and the band great vocals by Henry "Butch" Stone (sax and vocals), and Doris Day, whose recording of "Sentimental Journey" became the perfect theme song for all the young men returning home from the war. It remained the number one song in the country for sixteen weeks, stayed on the Hit Parade for months, and has since become an undeniable standard in the lexicon of what composer Alec Wilder called 'American Popular Song'.
By this time, the band was known as "Les Brown and the Band of Renown", a name born on the spot when the band was about to perform live one night on the radio from the Palladium. Since the 60s, Les and his band have never stopped performing. They have continued making records and still perform about 60 dates a year making them the oldest existing band in America. In April of 1996, the Guiness Book of World Records awarded Les with the distinction of being the leader of the longest lasting musical organization in the history of popular music. Les' band is also very well remembered for the amount of traveling and radio shows they did with famed comedian Bob Hope.
I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
Les Brown and His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(do do-do do do do-do)
(do do-do do do do-do)
The snow is snowing and the wind is blowing
But I can weather the storm!
What do I care how much it may storm?
For I've got my love to keep me warm
Just watch those icicles form!
Oh, what do I care if icicles form?
Oh, I've got my love to keep me warm
Off with my overcoat, off with my glove
I need no overcoat, I'm burning with love!
My heart's on fire, the flame grows higher
So I will weather the storm!
What do I care how much it may storm?
Oh, I've got my love to keep me warm
The snow is snowing, the wind is blowing
But I can weather the storm!
What do I care how much it may storm?
Oh, I've got my love to keep me warm
I can't remember a worse December
Just watch those icicles form!
What do I care if icicles form?
Oh-ho-ho, I've got my love to keep me warm
Off with my overcoat, off with my glove
I need no overcoat, I'm burning with love!
My heart's on fire, the flame grows higher
So I will weather the storm!
What do I care how much it may storm?
Oh, I've got my love to keep me warm
The song "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" is an upbeat, jazz-inspired tune that speaks about finding warmth and comfort in love during the cold winter season. The lyrics describe a snowy and windy day, but the singer is heedless of the conditions since he is deeply in love. The song starts with the singer acknowledging the snow and wind but reassures himself that he can weather the storm. The chorus repeats twice, emphasizing that he doesn't care how bad the storm gets since he has love to keep him warm.
As the song progresses, the singer becomes more confident, expressing that he doesn't need an overcoat or gloves to stay warm since his love keeps him burning with heat. His passion for his love is so strong that it even makes his heart feel like it is on fire. The song concludes with a repetition of the chorus and the line, "What do I care how much it may storm? Oh, I've got my love to keep me warm."
The lyrics in this song suggest that, no matter how cold and bleak winter gets, one can always find solace in the warmth of love. It is a classic winter holiday song that has been covered by numerous artists over the years.
Line by Line Meaning
The snow is snowing and the wind is blowing
It is snowing and the wind is blowing.
But I can weather the storm!
Despite the harsh weather conditions, I am able to withstand it.
What do I care how much it may storm?
Why should I worry about the storm?
For I've got my love to keep me warm
Because I have my love to keep me company, I am not bothered by the storm outside.
I can't remember a worse December
I cannot recall a December that was worse than this.
Just watch those icicles form!
I am able to observe icicles forming outside due to the freezing temperatures.
Off with my overcoat, off with my glove
I want to remove my overcoat and gloves.
I need no overcoat, I'm burning with love!
I do not require an overcoat as the warmth of my love is enough to keep me warm.
My heart's on fire, the flame grows higher
I am filled with passion and my love continues to grow stronger.
So I will weather the storm!
I am capable of enduring the storm thanks to the love in my heart.
What do I care how much it may storm?
The storm outside does not faze me.
Oh, I've got my love to keep me warm
I am comforted by my love during this cold weather.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Irving Berlin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jamesmarshall8836
"The last great hit of the Big Band Era." Recorded September 16, 1946.
@sstavsky
I once heard someone suggest that this was the second-to-last Big Band hit, the last being "So Rare" by Jimmy Dorsey. But, of course, that song was a hit in 1957, way beyond the Big Band Era, and it did have a bit of a rock and roll beat.
@jamesmarshall8836
One could make a case for TEA FOR TWO CHA-CHA from 1958 also.
@garymilliken5053
@@jamesmarshall8836 The phrase "Big Band Era" says what's being referred to... if we're talking about any hit after then that used a big band, look at Si Zentner's "Up a Lazy River" from 1961.
@jamesmarshall8836
Gary Milliken
Yes, some consider the Big Band Era 1935-1945, others stretch it from 1935-1955. I'm not calling "LOVE TO KEEP ME WARM" the last great hit, I'm quoting someone else.
@elliotsoldies9585
To say that this was the last great hit of the big bands discredits the many successes of Ray Anthony and Ralph Flanagan in the early '50s as well
@bobakins4837
les brown and bob hope what team for us GIs I shall not forget.
@catman351
This is Les Brown’s signature piece.
@miguelmanriquez6612
que buena musica....me recuerda mi niñes en mi casa se escuchaba esa musica....que ecuerdos de mis padres que ya no esta....agradesco a la persona que sube esta musica...gracias
@anecenta
thank you so much kirby. this music needs to make a comeback