Benny Goodman performed with various musicians and different constellations… Read Full Bio ↴Benny Goodman performed with various musicians and different constellations, the main one being Benny Goodman and His Orchestra, but also small group sessions like "Benny Goodman and His Trio", His Quartet and His Sextet. Peggy Lee replaced Helen Forrest after she left "His Orchestra", and was one of few vocalists invited to participate on Goodman's small group sessions, where for example "Where or When" and "The Way You Look Tonight" was recorded.

It wasn't until years later they were credited as "Peggy Lee & Benny Goodman" or "Peggy Lee with Benny Goodman" on CD compilations.

My Old Flame
Peggy Lee & Benny Goodman Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

My old flame
I can't even think of his name
But it's funny now and then
How my thoughts go flashing back again
To my old flame
My old flame
My new lovers all seem so tame
For I haven't met a gent

So innocent or elegant
As my old flame

I've met so many men
With fascinating ways
A fascinating gaze in their eyes
Some who sent me up to the skies
But their attempts at love
Were only imitations of
My old flame
I can't even think of his name
But I'll never be the same
Until I discover what became
Of my old flame

I've met so many men
With fascinating ways
A fascinating gaze in their eyes
Some who sent me up to the skies
But their attempts at love
Were only imitations of
My old flame
I can't even think of his name
But I'll never be the same

Until I discover what became
Of my old flame

Overall Meaning

The song "My Old Flame" recounts a nostalgic trip down memory lane for the singer, who is filled with emotions and memories of her past lover. Though she seems unable to remember his name, she vividly recalls how he impacted her life in deeper ways than any of her new lovers. She compares her current lovers to him, finding them to be relatively bland and not as special as he was. She notes that she has been with many men after him, some of whom had qualities that reminded her of him, but none of them could replace the feeling that he brought to her life.

Throughout the song, the singer hints at her inability to move on from her past and discover what became of her old flame. Although she seems to have accepted his absence from her life, her attachment makes it impossible for her to shake off her feelings entirely. The song is a beautiful and soulful interpretation of a bittersweet memory.

Line by Line Meaning

My old flame
The person I loved in the past

I can't even think of his name
I have forgotten the name of my old flame

But it's funny now and then
Sometimes it seems strange to me

How my thoughts go flashing back again
How memories of my old flame keep coming back to me

To my old flame
To the person I loved in the past

My new lovers all seem so tame
The people I have been with since then seem dull in comparison

For I haven't met a gent
I haven't met someone

So innocent or elegant
Who is as pure and refined as my old flame

I've met so many men
I have encountered many people

With fascinating ways
With interesting qualities

A fascinating gaze in their eyes
An alluring look in their eyes

Some who sent me up to the skies
Some who made me feel very happy and excited

But their attempts at love
Their efforts to love me

Were only imitations of
Were only copies of

My old flame
The person I loved in the past

But I'll never be the same
But I'll never feel the same

Until I discover what became
Until I find out what happened

Of my old flame
To the person I loved in the past

Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

@katherinesage

5y↑2

doesn't get better.... my Mother's generation.... 1924 NYC

@pinkieldred

14y↑7

Peggy Lee... Oh Peggy how you could sing! Wouldn't it be wonderful to have you around to give these so called rock singers of today...a few lessons!

@newellgirl

12y↑4

Totally awesome..reminds one of the "golden generation" the folks from WW2 who protected us from tyranny and left a world to enjoy in relative peace for Christmas..i wont forgot those who sleep eternally in the Pacific for our freedom.

@frankmarter6845

2y↑3

Mae West introduced this song in one of her movies. She did it best.

@0001943

14y↑4

Great! I love these big band girl singers!

@CarlHalling

15y↑6

It was the late 1960s. I was a Pop/Rock kid, weaned on the Beat since Beatlemania and the Stones. But being driven back as a dreamer of a teenager to nautical college by my parents of a Sunday night after a solitary day's leave, I'd listen on a cassette player to Peggy singing this song and others with Benny Goodman, and I loved what I heard. I still love it, and I'm 53 now.

@golson33

6y↑4

I'm 77 now and NEVER get tired of listening to this lovely lady. What a lesson or two she could give these younger generation(s).......

@FelixPheonix

13y↑3

I tried singing this song , before listening to it , by looking at the lyrics. I've never heard it before and I got it pretty close. Woohoo! :D

@halleymetcalfe7924

6y↑3

Sing this to my cat. She is in awe!

@katherinesage

5y↑1

RRRRRearrrrrr

@hoozerob

7y↑3

I was just watching a biography on Mae West. They showed a brief clip of her singing this song. It was extremely haunting and sort of daunting. I never heard that song before, but I love it.

@ENACODNOM

13y↑4

Delightful! It really deserves the two takes.

@Novaximus

7y↑5

This is one of those songs that you sort of sing at random for no particular reason. You don't get a lot of that with the songs they make these days. I first heard this song in the 80's parodied by Spike Jones. One of my dad's old cassettes. Then I heard pieces of the song in various movies over the years. For whatever reason I started humming it and wanted a lyric refresher and to hear the original.

@johnallan4951

6y↑2

Novaximus ....I first heard it on a Spike Jones album, as well, that I got from my grand father. I love the comedy of it.

@yamma98

I love the Platters version of this song. Really nice arrangement.

@seymourfroggs

5y↑2

Doesn't quite sound like Peggy Lee (mike filter??). I like the orchestration.

@aileen694

3y↑1

@seymour froggs Hi! Well, if you're still out there 2 years later, I agree! These recordings sound like a completely different singer! Maybe she was SO young then...but so different!!!

@Swampzoid

9y↑4

great performance. the lyrics are a bit intriguing - "i can't even think of his name".

@waynebrasler

11y↑2

I think these are not alternate takes but versions done at different recording sessions. When Peg joined the Goodman band he did several of her earlier songs over again at later recording sessions. The funny thing is, listening to them today, it seems to me the first version was always just as good as the second version. Goodman always did at least two takes for safety and when these have emerged Peg always strikes me as just perfect every time out. Goodman, not nice to people, adored her!

@christinecremen4151

I''m not surprised that he was fond of her.. How exactly was he unpleasant to otherpeople ?

@chepe5025

14y↑1

PAX DOMINUS POR SEMPER.

@rickricardo94

13y↑2

Both takes are simply wonderful, but I actually prefer the second. It sounds a bit cleaner. Peggy also toys with her vocal abilities a bit more. Trumpet solo in the second take is hot, even if it's only a few measures.