In the 1920s and early 1930s Whiteman dubbed himself The King of Jazz (see: Jazz royalty). Much of what his band played hasn't been considered "true" jazz by later generations. Others reject these notions, and regard Whiteman's music as an interesting development in jazz history. He recorded Hoagy Carmichael singing and playing Washboard Blues to the accompaniment of his orchestra in 1926.[1]
While today most fans of jazz consider improvisation to be essential to the musical style, Whiteman thought the music could be improved by scoring the best of it. Modern revisionists might look back & say "that wasn't the True Jazz", but his notions were critically popular and commercially successful at the time. Whiteman's music was often the first jazz of any form that some people heard.
Duke Ellington wrote in his autobiography: "Paul Whiteman was known as the King of Jazz, and no one as yet has come near carrying that title with more certainty and dignity."
Whiteman commissioned George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, which was premiered by Whiteman's Orchestra with Gershwin at the piano in 1924. Another familiar piece in Whiteman's repertoire: Grand Canyon Suite, by Ferde Grofé (much of which was used in the score of A Christmas Story).
Whiteman appreciated jazz musicians and hired many of the best white jazz men for his band, including Bix Beiderbecke, Frankie Trumbauer, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, Steve Brown, Mike Pingitore, Gussie Mueller, Jack Teagarden, and Bunny Berigan. Whiteman gave them constant chances to improvise, paid them top salaries and encouraged them to make small band jam recordings on the side.
Paul Whiteman was primarily responsible for revolutionizing the dance orchestra and dance music after World War I. Prior to that time, dances were played by military bands, string ensembles, or small combinations. Working in 1918-19 with arranger Ferde Grofé and in parallel with fellow San Francisco bandleader Art Hickman, Whiteman introduced the saxophone section as a musical unit of equal weight with the brass. This set a standard for instrumentation that defined the dance orchestra, and remains in big bands to this day. Before Whiteman, musical arrangements were very cut-and-dried, with much repetition. Whiteman and Grofé introduced arrangements that instead of repeating, changed keys, textures and rhythms over their course, much like symphonic music. This innovation, combined with the jazz elements mentioned above, plus his insistence on using top notch, concert-calibre musicians, made Paul Whiteman's orchestra a vanguard force that changed the face of popular music in the 1920s.
Whiteman was also one of the greatest of all talent scouts. For over 30 years, he sought out and encouraged musicians, vocalists, composers, arrangers and entertainers who looked promising. It is worth repeating that Whiteman not only premiered George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" in 1924, but commissioned him to write it, much to Gershwin's surprise at the time.
Both Bing Crosby and Mildred Bailey got their start singing with the Whiteman Orchestra.
In 1931, Whiteman married motion picture actress Margaret Livingston.
After he disbanded his Orchestra, in the 1940s and 1950s Whiteman worked as a music director for the ABC Radio Network. He also hosted several television programs and continued to appear as guest conductor for many concerts.
Paul Whiteman died at the age of 77 in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.
It's Only A Paper Moon
Paul Whiteman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sailing over a cardboard sea
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me
Yes, it's only a canvas sky
Hanging over a muslin tree
But it wouldn't be make-believe
Without your love
It's a honky tonk parade
Without your love
It's a melody played in a penny arcade
It's a Barnum and Bailey world
Just as phony as it can be
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me
Say, it's only a paper moon
Sailing over a cardboard sea
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me
Yes, it's only a canvas sky
Hanging over a muslin tree
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me
Without your love
It's a honky-tonk parade
Without your love
It's a melody played in a penny arcade
It's a Barnum and Bailey world
Just as phony as it can be
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me
It's phony it's plain to see
How happy I would be
If you believed in me
Paul Whiteman's "It's Only A Paper Moon" is a classic tune that expresses the power of believing in someone or something. In the first verse, the singer acknowledges that the world is often just an illusion, like a "paper moon" sailing over a cardboard sea. However, he asserts that it is not make-believe if someone truly believes in him. He is encouraging the listener to trust in him and his promises, to have faith, and believe that what may appear to be fake or unreal can become real if they share his beliefs.
The chorus emphasizes the same message, that without love and support, life can be a meaningless parade or a cheap penny arcade. However, if the listener believes in the singer and his promises, they can transcend the fake world around them, and it wouldn't be make-believe anymore. The final verse brings the same idea to its conclusion, by stressing how much happier the singer would be if he had the listener's belief and trust.
Line by Line Meaning
Say, it's only a paper moon
Acknowledging that what we see is not real
Sailing over a cardboard sea
The reality we know is artificial
But it wouldn't be make-believe
Although it seems unreal, it can be made real
If you believed in me
With faith and trust, the impossible can be overcome
Yes, it's only a canvas sky
The world we see is a mere fabrication
Hanging over a muslin tree
Even nature has been made up
Without your love
Without a connection, life loses its meaning
It's a honky tonk parade
Life is filled with noise and chaos
It's a melody played in a penny arcade
Life can be repetitive and dull
It's a Barnum and Bailey world
Life is like a circus, full of spectacle
Just as phony as it can be
Everything around us is fake
But it wouldn't be make-believe
Through the power of belief, the unreal can become real
If you believed in me
Believing in someone can make all the difference
It's phony it's plain to see
This falseness is obvious to us
How happy I would be
The singer wishes for something more genuine and fulfilling
If you believed in me
Finding happiness and meaning through the belief of others
Lyrics © S.A. MUSIC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Billy Rose, E. Y. Harburg, Harold Arlen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mikekennedy4572
Love this song from the movie. Paper Moon with Tatum and Ryan O'Neal is one of my favorites.
@debbiewhite8770
So clean and clear, 78prof ! Like others here, it is my favorite rendition of this song, not least because it is part of the Paper Moon soundtrack - my favorite film of ALL TIME. It really does sound wonderful. Thanks so much for making it available to us !
@the78prof72
Glad that you like it, Debbie.
@Imforthewhales
I love that movie too .
@JulianCinefilo12
Hermosa película, lastima que en la actualidad no tenga tanto reconocimiento
@johnnypastrana6727
I keep coming back to 'Paper Moon' also Debbie...Ryan O'Neal coached up his daughter in that movie and she won an Oscar and had a big payday.
"Paper Moon" will always be a classic and stand the test of time for those people who walk the earth with a heart. ♥
@denisemarie6029
The 1973 movie got me digging all of these tunes. I’m old at 59 but we need to get our grandkids to appreciate this stuff! Love you, always Tatum! Please stay well! 💝
@aylamiller5752
59 isn't old at all! My mommas 58 and had me at 40!
@darylkik6204
Best version of the song. I lived in Hays Kansas for a while and the residents spoke of where they filmed Paper Moon and most of them played background extras. Great movie and Song. I was 19 when I first saw the movie and heard the song.
@johnnypastrana6727
Those folks did a great job...an over the top classic...as rare as blue roses.