In 1943, Torme made his movie debut in Frank Sinatra's first film, the musical "Higher and Higher." He went on to sing and act in a number of films and television episodes throughout his career, even hosting his own television show in 1951-52. His appearance in the 1947 film musical "Good News" made him a teen idol for a few years. In the last years of his career he toured and sang with the wonderful George Shearing Quartet, often sitting in at drums, for a number or two in a set. To hear two such accomplished jazz artists was an evening not to be forgotten.
In that year he also formed the vocal quintet "Mel Torme and His Mel-Tones," modeled after Frank Sinatra and the Pied Pipers. The Mel-Tones, which included Les Baxter and Ginny O'Connor, had several hits fronting Artie Shaw's band and on their own, including Cole Porter's "What is This Thing Called Love?" The Mel-Tones were among the first jazz-influenced vocal groups, blazing a path later followed by The Hi-Los, The Four Freshmen, and The Manhattan Transfer.
In 1947, Torme went solo. His singing at New York's Copacabana led a local DJ, Fred Robbins, to give him the nickname "The Velvet Fog", thinking to honor his high tenor and smooth vocal style, but Torme detested the nickname. As a solo singer, he recorded a number of romantic hits for Decca (1945), and with the Artie Shaw Orchestra on the Musicraft label (1946-48). In 1949, he moved to Capitol Records, where his first record, "Careless Hands," became his only number one hit. His versions of "Again" and "Blue Moon" became signature tunes. His composition "California Suite," prompted by the Gordon Jenkins's "Manhattan Tower," became Capitol's first 12 inch LP. Around this time, he helped pioneer cool jazz.
From 1955 to 1957, Torme recorded 7 jazz vocal albums with Red Clyde's Bethlehem Records, all with groups led by Marty Paich, most notably "Mel Torme with the Marty Paich Dektette." These recordings proved a creative peak for Torme and for Paich, a leading figure in the West coast jazz of the time.
When rock & roll music (which Torme called "three chord manure") came on the scene in the 1950s, commercial success became elusive. During the next two decades, Torme often recorded mediocre arrangements of the pop tunes of the day, never staying long with any particular label. He was sometimes forced to make his living by singing in obscure clubs. He had two minor hits, his 1956 recording of "Mountain Greenery," and his 1962 R&B song "Comin' Home, Baby," arranged by Claus Ogerman. The latter recording led the jazz and gospel singer Ethel Waters to say that "Torme is the only white man who sings with the soul of a black man." It was later covered instrumentally by Quincy Jones and Kai Winding.
In 1963–64, Torme wrote songs and musical arrangements for the The Judy Garland Show, and made two guest appearances on the show itself. A few years later, after Garland's death, his time with her show became the subject of his first book, "The Other Side of the Rainbow." Although the book was praised, it led to an unsuccessful lawsuit by Garland's family.
Torme continued to play jazz drums as an adult, and befriended drummer Buddy Rich, who became the subject of his book "Traps-The Drum Wonder-The Life of Buddy Rich." Torme also owned and played a drumset that renowned drummer Gene Krupa had used for many years.
Although a jazz and popular musician, Torme also respected classical music, especially that of Frederick Delius and Percy Grainger.
The resurgence of vocal jazz in the 1970s resulted in another artistically fertile period for Torme, whose live performances during the 1960s and 70s fueled a growing reputation as a jazz singer. He found himself performing as often as 200 times a year around the globe. In 1976, he won an Edison Award (the Dutch equivalent of the Grammy) for best male singer, and a Downbeat award for best male jazz singer. For a number of years around this time, his September appearances at Michael's Pub, on the Upper East Side would unofficially open New York's fall cabaret season.
Tormé viewed his 1977 Carnegie Hall concert with George Shearing and Gerry Mulligan as a turning point. Shearing later said:
"It is impossible to imagine a more compatible musical partner… I humbly put forth that Mel and I had the best musical marriage in many a year. We literally breathed together during our countless performances. As Mel put it, we were two bodies of one musical mind."
Starting in 1982, Torme recorded a number of albums with Concord Records, including:
* Five albums with pianist George Shearing;
* His big band work with Rob McConnell and his Boss Brass orchestra (see Mel Torme, Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass);
* A reunion with Marty Paich, resulting in a live recording in Tokyo (In Concert Tokyo) and a studio album (Reunion).
In the 1980s, he often performed with pianist John Colianni. In the last years of his career he toured and sang with the wonderful George Shearing Quartet, often sitting in at drums, for a number or two in a set. To hear two such accomplished jazz artists was an evening not to be forgotten.
Torme made 9 guest appearances as himself on the 1980s sitcom Night Court whose main character, Judge Harry Stone (played by Harry Anderson), was depicted as an unabashed Tormé fan. In the mid-90s, Torme gained a following among Generation Xers by appearing in a series of Mountain Dew commercials and on an episode of the sitcom Seinfeld, in which he dedicates a song to the character Kramer (played by Michael Richards). Torme also recorded a version of Nat King Cole's "Straighten up and Fly Right" with his son, alternative/adult contemporary/jazz singer Steve March Torme.
In February 1999, Tormé was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. On August 8, 1996, a stroke abruptly ended his 65-year singing career; another stroke in 1999 ended his life. In his eulogistic essay, John Andrews wrote about Tormé: "Tormé's style shared much with that of his idol, Ella Fitzgerald. Both were firmly rooted in the foundation of the swing era, but both seemed able to incorporate bebop innovations to keep their performances sounding fresh and contemporary. Like Sinatra, they sang with perfect diction and brought out the emotional content of the lyrics through subtle alterations of phrasing and harmony. Ballads were characterized by paraphrasing of the original melody which always seemed tasteful, appropriate and respectful to the vision of the songwriter. Unlike Sinatra, both Fitzgerald and Tormé were likely to cut loose during a swinging up-tempo number with several scat choruses, using their voices without words to improvise a solo like a brass or reed instrument."
Tormé wrote more than 250 songs, a number of which became jazz standards. He also often wrote the arrangements for the songs he sang. He often collaborated with Bob Wells, and the best known Tormé-Wells song is "The Christmas Song", often referred to by its opening line "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire." First recorded by Nat King Cole in 1946, it has been a holiday favorite ever since. Tormé said that he wrote the music to the song in only 40 minutes, and that it was not one of his personal favorites.
Blues in the Night
Mel Tormé Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I was in knee pants,
My mama done tol' me, Son!
A woman'll sweet talk
And give ya the big eye;
But when the sweet talkin's done,
A woman's a two face
A worrisome thing
The blues in the night
Now the rain's a-fallin',
Hear the train a-callin'
Whoo-ee (my mama done tol' me)
Hear that lonesome whistle
Blowin' 'cross the trestle,
Whoo-ee (my mama done tol' me)
A whoo-ee-duh-whoo-ee, ol' clickety clack's
A-echoin' back the blues in the night
The evenin' breeze'll start the trees to cryin'
And the moon'll hide its light
When you get the blues in the night
Take my word, the mockin' bird'll
Sing the saddest kind o' song
He knows things are wrong and he's right
From Natchez to Mobile,
From Memphis to St. Jo,
Wherever the four winds blow,
I been in some big towns,
An' heard me some big talk,
But there is one thing I know
A woman's a two face,
A worrisome thing
Who'll leave ya t'sing the blues in the night.
My mama was right,
There's blues in the night.
"Blues in the Night" is a classic blues song that talks about the pain of lost love and the sad feeling it brings. The lyrics start by the singer referencing his mother's advice about how women can sweet talk men and give them the big eye, but once the sweet talking is done, the women can turn into a worrisome thing and leave the men singing the blues in the night. The rain falling and the train whistling are used as sound effects in the song, adding to the overall mood of melancholy and despair. The singer then talks about how even the mockin' bird knows that things are wrong and will sing the saddest kind of song, as he knows he is right.
The song sets a mood of longing and loss, with it's melancholic melody and the use of the train whistling and the rain falling adding to the sadness of the song. It speaks to the universal feeling of heartbreak and how it can leave you feeling alone at night. The song also talks about how the singer has been in some big towns and heard some big talk but knows that a woman's a two-face, a worrisome thing, who'll leave you singing the blues in the night.
Overall, "Blues in the Night" is a classic and timeless song that speaks to the universal feeling of despair after a heartbreak. The lyrics paint a clear picture of the pain that can come with love, and the singer's voice conveys the feeling of longing and sadness that the song is trying to express.
Line by Line Meaning
My mama done tol' me,
My mother has already told me before,
When I was in knee pants,
When I was still a young child,
My mama done tol' me, Son!
My mother told me, Son!
A woman'll sweet talk
A woman would try to impress you with kind loving words,
And give ya the big eye;
And would try to seduce you with her eyes,
But when the sweet talkin's done,
But when she has already got your attention,
A woman's a two face
A woman is two-faced,
A worrisome thing
A stressful burden,
Who'll leave ya t'sing
That will make you sing,
The blues in the night
The sad melody of the night
Now the rain's a-fallin',
As the rain pours down,
Hear the train a-callin'
Listen to the train's whistle,
Whoo-ee (my mama done tol' me)
Whoo-ee (as I remember my mama’s words),
Hear that lonesome whistle
Listen to that lonely whistle,
Blowin' 'cross the trestle,
Blowing across the wooden structure,
Whoo-ee (my mama done tol' me)
Whoo-ee (as I remember my mama’s words),
A whoo-ee-duh-whoo-ee, ol' clickety clack's
With a whoo-ee-duh-whoo-ee, the sound of the old train traveling on the tracks,
A-echoin' back the blues in the night
Echoing back the sad melody of the night
The evenin' breeze'll start the trees to cryin'
The gentle breeze at night makes the trees sway and rustle with a melancholic sound,
And the moon'll hide its light
Whilst hiding behind the clouds,
When you get the blues in the night
When you get overwhelmed with sadness at night
Take my word, the mockin' bird'll
Believe me, the mockingbird will
Sing the saddest kind o' song
Sing the saddest tune possible,
He knows things are wrong and he's right
The bird knows things aren't going right, and he is right,
From Natchez to Mobile,
From Natchez to Mobile,
From Memphis to St. Jo,
From Memphis to St. Jo,
Wherever the four winds blow,
Wherever the four winds take me,
I been in some big towns,
I've been to some of the bigger cities,
An' heard me some big talk,
And heard some of the more impressive conversation,
But there is one thing I know
But I know one thing
A woman's a two face,
A woman is two-faced,
A worrisome thing
A stressful burden,
Who'll leave ya t'sing the blues in the night.
That will make you sing the sad melody of the night.
My mama was right,
My mother was correct,
There's blues in the night.
The night can make you feel sad and melancholic.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HAROLD ARLEN, JOHNNY MERCER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind