Rhapsody in Blue
Paul Whiteman Orchestra Lyrics
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I'm somewhere in another world, alone with you
Sharing all the joys we used to know
Many moons ago
Once again your face comes back to me
Just like the theme of some forgotten melody
In the album of my memory
It seems like only yesterday
The small cafe, a crowded floor
And as we danced the night away
I hear you say forever more
And then the song became a sigh
Forever more became goodbye
But you remained in my heart
So tell me darling, is there still a spark?
Or only lonely ashes of the flame we knew
Should I go on whistling in the dark
Serenade in blue
So tell me darling, is there still a spark?
Or only lonely ashes of the flame we knew
Should I go on whistling in the dark
Serenade in blue
The above lyrics to Paul Whiteman Orchestra's song "Rhapsody In Blue" suggest that the singer is transported to a different time and place when he hears the Serenade in Blue. He reminisces about the good times he shared with someone in the past, fondly recalling the joys they used to know. The mention of a forgotten melody and the album of memory indicate that the person he's reminiscing about is no longer in his life, just a distant memory. The song's melancholic tone suggests that while the singer is happy to remember the past, he's also struggling to come to terms with the fact that those moments have passed.
The idea of going on "whistling in the dark" is a metaphor for holding onto hope in a hopeless situation. The singer is asking whether there is still a spark of the love they had or if it has turned to lonely ashes. The line "forever more became goodbye" suggests that the relationship between the singer and the person he's addressing has ended. Despite this, he still holds onto the memory of the relationship, embodying the sentimentality of the song's melody.
Line by Line Meaning
When I hear that Serenade in blue
My mind is transported to a different place and time upon hearing the Serenade in blue.
I'm somewhere in another world, alone with you
I feel like I am in a completely different world, with only you for company.
Sharing all the joys we used to know
I remember and relive all the happiness we once shared.
Many moons ago
It all happened long ago, it seems like a different lifetime.
Once again your face comes back to me
I can see your face as clearly as if it were in front of me.
Just like the theme of some forgotten melody
Your face comes to me in a way that reminds me of a distant melody that I cannot quite remember.
In the album of my memory
These memories are like pages in an album that I can revisit whenever I hear the Serenade in blue.
Serenade in blue
This song brings all of these memories and feelings to my mind.
It seems like only yesterday
Despite how much time has passed, these memories seem just as vivid and fresh in my mind.
The small cafe, a crowded floor
I can see the setting so vividly, a small cafe with a lot of people and a dance floor.
And as we danced the night away
We danced together the entire night.
I hear you say forever more
You said that we would be forever and never part from each other.
And then the song became a sigh
Unfortunately, things changed and the song became sad.
Forever more became goodbye
We said goodbye instead of forever.
But you remained in my heart
Despite our parting, my love for you is still alive and present in my heart.
So tell me darling, is there still a spark?
I wonder if you still feel the same way about me and if there is any hope for us.
Or only lonely ashes of the flame we knew
Perhaps all that is left are the lonely remnants of what we once had and nothing more.
Should I go on whistling in the dark
I feel like I am blindly holding onto something that may no longer exist, wondering if it is worth it to keep going.
Serenade in blue
It all comes back to this song, a symbol and reminder of all that we once shared.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harry Warren, Mack Gordon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@artshifrin3053
NOTHING FROM THIS PERFORMANCE IS MISSING. IT'S ALL THAT WAS
RECORDED. IT IS NOT THE DURATION OF THE DEBUT VERSION HEARD
BY THE AUDIENCE AT ITS DEBUT. THE ARRANGEMENT WAS TRUNCATED TO COMPLY WITH VICTOR'S 'NO SETS' POLICY. IS IT KNOWN (LATER INTERVIEWS, DIARIES, etc.) WHETHER OR NOT GERSHWIN & WHITEMAN OBJECTED TO THE CUT? WOULD THE DECISION MAKERS @ VICTOR HAVE EVEN CARED?
THINK OF THIS HAVING BEEN A 3 SIDED SET! THE FOURTH COULD'VE
BEEN THE VERY IMPRESSIVE EMBOSSING (I'VE SEEN THEM ON RED SEALS) OF THE NIPPER LOGO ON SIDE 4.
SUBSEQUENTLY, THE '27 VERSION WAS RELEASED ON A SINGLE SIDE
OF ONE OF THEIR EARLY 30s 10" DIAMETER 33.33 RPM "PROGRAM TRANSCRIPTIONS". IT WAS AMONGST OTHER DUBS OF PREVIOUSLY ISSUED (ELECTRICALLY RECORDED) 78s. THIS 'PRE-LP' UNDERTAKING WAS A CALAMITY FOR VICTOR. EXCEPT, FOR THE FUNERAL PARLOR MARKET.
I AM NOT KIDDING. THEY'RE LISTED AS SUCH IN THEIR LATER CATALOGS:
CONTAINING OF COURSE, SOMBER MUSIC. VICTOR'S EARLY 30s "PROGRAM
TRANSCRIPTION" UNDERTAKING IT WAS THE REVERSE INSPIRATION FOR COLUMBIA, WHICH DID IT CORRECTLY WITH LP FORMAT: DEBUTED WHEN I
WAS, IN 1948.
SOME OF YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN THIS 'RHAPSODIC SCREW UP' OF A SUBSEQUENT PRESSING RUN OF THE 1927 VERSION. SOMEONE AT THE FACTORY 'GRABBED' 2 NON-MATCHING METAL PARTS: ONE FROM '24 & THE OTHER FROM '27. ON A HIGHER FIDELITY (EVEN NON - ELECTRIC ORTHOPHONIC ONES) PHONOGRAPH THE DIFFERENCE IN THE SOUND QUALITY HAD TO, EXCEPT FOR A LISTENER WITH IMPAIRED HEARING* BE INTRIGUING, ANNOYING, ETC. OF COURSE, THEY WERE WITHDRAWN. THEY ARE COLLECTIBLE.
THIS FARCE WAS A RESULT OF THE COMPANY'S (COLUMBIA TOO) MASTERS DESIGNATION PRACTICE. EXAMPLE: THEN THE MASTER # OF A PLANNED CATALOGUED RELEASE** (NOT THE SAME #) WOULD BE NUMERICAL. THEN, FOLLOWED BY A HYPHEN, THE TAKE #. IF, TO GET IT "RIGHT", MULTIPLE TAKES MIGHT BE DONE ON SUCCESSIVE DAYS, EVEN WEEKS. THE MASTER #s WERE RETAINED. THE TAKE DESIGNATIONS WERE TYPICALLY INCREMENTED NUMERICALLY & OR ALPHABETICALLY. THE CRITERIA FOR DOING ALTERNATES WERE AESTHETICS, PERFORMANCE ERRORS, EQUIPMENT FAILURE & OR DAMAGE TO THE METAL ***PARTS. THUSLY THE HYBRID PRESSING
OCCURRED.
WAS THE MISMATCH INTENTIONAL? BY A DISGRUNTLED, INEBRIATED, SLEEP DEPRIVED, ILL OR NEOPHYTE EMPLOYEE? THAT'D BE AN INTERESTING VICTOR MEMO.
SOME COMPANY'S MASTER #s OFTEN INCLUDED ABBREVIATIONS INDICATING
IN WHICH STUDIOS INCLUDING WHERE THE RECORDINGS WERE MADE.
VARIATIONS OF THESE PRACTICES OCCURRED ON OUR "THIRD ROCK
FROM THE SUN".
* HEARING IMPAIRED: I AM NOT MOCKING THIS DISORDER, MY RIGHT EAR
HAS BEEN DEAF SINCE I WAS ABOUT 6...I'VE NEVER HEARD STEREO...
BUT I CAN SEE IT ON AN OSCILLOSCOPE
**MASTERING AND MAKING "78s" AND OTHER SPECIAL PURPOSE DISKS:
EXCEPT FOR THE VERY EARLY DAYS OF THE INDUSTRY, MASTER & CATALOG
#S WERE IDENTICAL. FOR EXAMPLE, WHAT IS REFERRED TO AS A "PRE-MATRIX" DISK & I SUPPOSE, CYLINDERS INDICATES ONLY ONE #. WHEN STAMPERS & MOULDS WORE OUT & SALES REQUIRED IT, THEN PERFORMERS HAD TO MAKE NEW REPEAT RECORDINGS THAT MIGHT HAVE HAD THE SAME TITLES, BUT WITH. VARIATIONS OF CONTENT: SACRED, DANCE, VERBAL RECITATION. THEY COULD BE DONE IN THE SAME STUDIO ON THE SAME DAY, BUT COMPRISE DIFFERENT CATALOG SECTIONS.
***NOT INCLUDING THE PIONEERING DISKS OF EMIL BERLINER, THESE
STEPS COMPRISED THE TYPICAL MANUFACTURING PROCESS:
1)ORIGINAL --- ERRONEOUSLY STILL CALLED "WAX", THE STUFF'S A FORM OF SOAP - IT'S STILL USED AS A VERB (WAX & WAXING). UNTIL A SPECIAL PURPOSE LIGHT TRACKING ARM & PICKUP (DESIGNED BY BELL LABS IN THE 1920s BECAME AVAILABLE, ) THE "WAX" WAS HEATED TO MAKE IT MORE MALLEABLE, THUS LESS PRONE TO CHIPPING & DISTORTION THAT WOULD HAVE OTHERWISE OCCURRED. THE MATERIAL WAS TYPICALLY, SUBSEQUENTLY MELTED FOR REUSE. --- HAD POSITIVE GROOVES ---
2) AN ELECTRO-PLATED 'COPY' --- (HAD INVERTED GROOVES) WOULD BE MADE FROM (1)
3) AN ELECTRO-PLATED 'COPY' 'FROM (2) --- HAD POSITIVE GROOVES
AS WITH (1) , WARRANTED CAREFUL HANDING AND PLAYING : DERIVED
FROM (2)
4a) . AN ELECTRO-PLATED 'COPY' 'FROM (3) HAD NEGATIVE GROOVES ---
USED TO STAMP THE FINAL PRODUCT: PLAYABLE DISKS. MULTIPLE
CLONES OF 4 COULD LIKELY ENSURE THAT A SIGNIFICANT QUANTITY
THE PRACTICAL ADVANTAGE OF THIS STRATEGY WAS TO VERY LIKELY
NOT DEPLETE THE SUPPLY OF STAMPERS, ESPECIALLY OF A 'BIG HIT'. 1 ENABLED 2, 2 ENABLED 3, 3 ENABLED 4, 4 ENABLED PROFIT AND COPIES
THAT WE CAN STUDY AND ENJOY NOW, IN 2021 AND HOPEFULLY HEREAFTER
FINAL NOTES. HOORAY !!!
EXCEPTING ANALOG WIRE AND TAPE ---
4b FOR MASTERING: IN GERMANY, TRI-ERGON RECORDED
ITS ORIGINALS, OBVIOUSLY IN REAL TIME, ON OPTICAL FILM. IT WASN'T PLAYED DIRECTLY TO THE DISK CUTTERS. THE FILMS PLAYED BACK
SLOWER THAN REAL TIME. THEIR TRANSPORTS, VIA STEP-UP
GEARS RAN THE TURNTABLES AT REQUIRED RPMs FOR DIFFERENT
WORLD - WIDE MARKETS. ALSO, THE FILM MASTERS COULD BE EDITED
WITHOUT DUBBING AND CONSEQUENT LOSSES OF AUDIO QUALITY.
4c BY 1939, LACQUER (NOT ACETATE!) COATED DISKS WERE USED TO
CUT MASTERS @ 33.33 RPM. A 16" DIAMETER DISK HAD A NOMINAL
MAXIMUM DURATION OF 16 MINUTES. FIVE TAKES OF TYPICAL 10"
CONSUMER PRESSINGS COULD BE ACCOMODATED. COMPARING
ALTERNATE TAKES WAS THEREFORE LOGISTICALLY STREAMLINED.
AS A RESULT OF PHYSICS & ELECTRONICS, THE DUBS FROM THE LACQUERS
COULD HAVE RESULTS SUPERIOR THAN WHAT HAD RESULTED FROM
THE PREVIOUS METHOD. SIMULTANEOUSLY MASTERING MORE THAN
ONE LACQUER PROTECTED THE ORIGINALS FROM WHICH THE 78 RPM MASTERS WOULD BE DUBBED. WHEN 17"
LACQUERS BECAME AVAILABLE, THEN OBVIOUSLY, THE DURATIONS
WERE INCREASED. ALSO, AT THE OUTER - MOST GROOVES, THE
HIGH FREQUENCIES RECORDED & PLAYED BACK BETTER THAN ON THE
SMALLER DIAMETERS (PHYSICS).
I'M BUZZED OUT FROM COMPOSING AND PROOF READING THIS
I REGRET WHATEVER ERRORS ARE WITHIN.
@dgmelvin
What a wonderful transfer of this iconic record. I have two copies but neither are good enough to warrant a transfer. Thanks for posting this!
@the78prof72
My pleasure, Daniel.
@coolcatz2681
Your icons look classic 😊
@coolcatz2681
I'm a fan of classics, too!
@kendra.e7929
Happy 100th Anniversary Of Rhapsody in Blue.
February - 12 - 1924.
100 Years.
Thank You George Gershwin.
@martinbryan3716
Thank you, indeed! You left us way too early.
@kendra.e7929
@@martinbryan3716 You're Welcome.
@mossryder
love the chuckling clarinet in the beginning, after the intro lick. Lost in most later recordings.
@thewkovacs316
a huge mistake. piece was meant to invoke the joy of the jazz age and introduce jazz as a serious art. the choice of many to make it more symphonic negates what gershwin meant to do.
@msphoenix269
Don't know how true this is, but seen elsewhere: Fun fact: the clarinet solo at the very beginning of the track was basically the musician (virtuoso Ross Gorman) doing an "improvised joke" at a rehearsal of the first concert ever in which this song would be played. Much to his surprise, instead of laughs or discontent from Gershwin, Gorman was met with his immediate approval.
Actually, even though it was a "jokeful" and "improvised" addition to his original composition, Mr. Gershwin loved it so much he chose to modify the clarinet part so it would always be played that way.