Weston became an arranger for Rudy Vallee's Fleischman Hour on radio. In 1936 he joined the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra as chief arranger, holding the position until 1940. He then became Dinah Shore's arranger/conductor and also worked freelance for the Bob Crosby Orchestra. His association with the Crosby unit took him to Hollywood and into film work, starting with Holiday Inn in 1941. Subsequent films as musical director include Holiday Inn (1942), Belle of the Yukon (1944) and Road To Utopia (1945). Weston arranged Ella Fitzgerald's album Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Songbook (1957), devoted to the music of Irving Berlin.
In 1942, songwriter Johnny Mercer, Glenn Wallichs and Buddy DeSylva formed Capitol Records and engaged Weston as musical director for the label. Weston also began working on radio with Mercer and Capitol songstress Jo Stafford. Stafford signed with Columbia Records in 1950 and Weston also joined Columbia. In 1952, Weston and Stafford married and had two children, Tim (born 1954) and Amy (born 1956).
Weston had a long career as a musical director for television including The Danny Kaye Show. He teamed up with his wife to produce a series of comedy albums based on Jo's ability to sing off-key deliberately while Paul murdered the piano accompaniment. They assumed the personas of "Jonathan and Darlene Edwards" for these musical travesties.
The couple retired from performing in the 1970s. Weston died on September 20, 1996, in Santa Monica, California.
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Paul Weston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea
I forgive you, 'cause I can't forget you
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea
[Repeat: x2]
I ought to cross you off my list
But when you come a-knocking at my door
And I come running back for more
I should hate you, but I guess I love you
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea
The devil and the deep blue sea
The lyrics to Paul Weston & His Orchestra's song "Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea" speaks to the internal struggle of a person who is caught between two opposing situations. The phrase "between the devil and the deep blue sea" is a well-known idiom that refers to being in a difficult, almost impossible, situation where choosing one option could result in a negative outcome, and choosing the other could lead to an equally undesirable consequence. The first line sets the tone for the song, as the singer conveys a sense of uneasiness with their predicament. The following lines establish the two opposing sides - the desire to let go of the relationship and the fear of losing the person.
Despite the singer's feelings of animosity towards the other person, they can't deny the strong emotional pull that they feel. This is apparent in the line, "I should hate you, but I guess I love you." Here, the singer acknowledges the contradiction in their emotions but also hints at their continued affection towards the other person. The line, "Fate seems to give my heart a twist," suggests that the singer is not entirely in control of the situation and is at the mercy of fate. The use of the idiom "the devil and the deep blue sea" is a metaphor for the difficult situation that the singer is in.
Overall, the song speaks to the universal feeling of being caught in a bind and not knowing which way to turn. The lyrics are simple, but the emotional depth that they convey is complex.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want you, but I'd hate to lose you
I am in a torn state where I do not have a desire to be with you, but losing you is also something that is undesirable.
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea
I am stuck in a situation where it feels like I am in between an impossible choice with no easy way out.
I forgive you, 'cause I can't forget you
I cannot forget the memories that we have shared, hence, I choose to forgive you.
I ought to cross you off my list
I know that pursuing you is not a good choice for me, and I should remove you from my life's list.
But when you come a-knocking at my door
Whenever you reach out to me, it tempts me to give in to our relationship again.
Fate seems to give my heart a twist
I feel like destiny has decided that we should be together and it makes it hard for me to resist your presence.
And I come running back for more
I end up giving in to the temptation and return to the relationship, even when I know it is not good for me.
I should hate you, but I guess I love you
I know that being with you is not beneficial for me, but my feelings for you continue to sustain despite it all.
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea
I feel trapped between two unfavorable choices where there seems to be no escape.
The devil and the deep blue sea
This phrase is an idiom used to describe a difficult or challenging situation, just like the one being experienced by the artist in the song.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HAROLD ARLEN, TED KOEHLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind