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.
Glow Worm
Mel Tormé Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
Lead us lest too far we wander
Love's sweet voice is calling yonder
Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
Hey, there don't get dimmer, dimmer
Light the path below, above
And lead us on to love!
Glow little glow-worm, fly of fire
Glow like an incandescent wire
Glow for the female of the species
Turn on the AC and the DC
This night could use a little brightnin'
Light up you little ol' bug of lightnin'
When you gotta glow, you gotta glow
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Glow little glow-worm, glow and glimmer
Swim through the sea of night, little swimmer
Thou aeronautical boll weevil
Illuminate yon woods primeval
See how the shadows deep and darken
You and your chick should get to sparkin'
I got a gal that I love so
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Glow little glow-worm, turn the key on
You are equipped with taillight neon
You got a cute vest-pocket Mazda
Which you can make both slow and fazda
I don't know who you took a shine to
Or who you're out to make a sign to
I got a gal that I love so
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Glow little glow-worm, glow!
The song "Glow Worm" by Mel Tormé is a charming little piece about a little insect that glows in the night, and how its light can guide us through the darkness and lead us to love. In the first couple of verses, the glow worm is asked to "shine" and "glimmer" so as to illuminate the path and guide us towards the voice of love which is calling us. There is a fear of being lost which is present in the lines, "Lead us lest too far we wander," and that is where the glow worm comes in - it is depicted as a guiding light that keeps us on track.
The later verses talk more about the actual phenomenon of the glow worm, which is described as a "fly of fire" that can "illuminate yon woods primeval." There is a sense of wonder and awe at the way this little creature can light up an entire area, and how this light is beautiful even in the midst of darkness. There is also a fun, playful nature to the song, with lines like "Turn on the AC and the DC" and "You got a cute vest-pocket Mazda/Which you can make both slow and fazda."
Line by Line Meaning
Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
Illuminate the darkness with your soft, flickering light
Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
Illuminate the darkness with your soft, flickering light
Lead us lest too far we wander
Guide us and keep us from getting lost in the darkness
Love's sweet voice is calling yonder
Love is calling us from afar
Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
Illuminate the darkness with your soft, flickering light
Hey, there don't get dimmer, dimmer
Hey, don't lose your intensity or brightness
Light the path below, above
Illuminate the path both below and above
And lead us on to love!
Guide us towards love and happiness!
Glow little glow-worm, fly of fire
Illuminate the darkness, glowing insect
Glow like an incandescent wire
Shine brightly like a glowing wire
Glow for the female of the species
Shine brightly for the female glow-worms
Turn on the AC and the DC
Use both alternating and direct current to shine brightly
This night could use a little brightnin'
The darkness of the night could use a little illumination
Light up you little ol' bug of lightnin'
Illuminate the darkness with your light, little bug
When you gotta glow, you gotta glow
When you have to shine, you have to shine
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Shine brightly, little glow-worm
Glow little glow-worm, glow and glimmer
Shine and flicker in the darkness, little glow-worm
Swim through the sea of night, little swimmer
Move through the dark night like a swimmer moves through water
Thou aeronautical boll weevil
You are like a flying airplane in the darkness
Illuminate yon woods primeval
Illuminate the ancient forest ahead of us
See how the shadows deep and darken
Notice how the shadows grow deeper and darker
You and your chick should get to sparkin'
You and your girlfriend should start a romantic relationship
I got a gal that I love so
I have a girl that I love so much
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Shine brightly, little glow-worm
Glow little glow-worm, turn the key on
Turn on your bright light, little glow-worm
You are equipped with taillight neon
You have a tail light that shines brightly
You got a cute vest-pocket Mazda
You have a tiny, cute car called a Mazda
Which you can make both slow and fazda
You can make the car go both slow and fast
I don't know who you took a shine to
I don't know who you've taken a liking to
Or who you're out to make a sign to
Or who you're trying to communicate with
I got a gal that I love so
I have a girl that I love so much
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Shine brightly, little glow-worm
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Shine brightly, little glow-worm
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Shine brightly, little glow-worm
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: HEINRICH BOLTEN BAECKERS, PAUL LINCKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind