He was born in San Piero Patti, Sicily. His family emigrated to the United States in 1920 and settled in Santa Rosa, California. He started his musical career playing the baritone, like his father, but he quickly branched out into other instruments, notably the French horn and the piano. He received a bachelor's degree from San Francisco State College, and then studied composition with Darius Milhaud at Mills College in Oakland, California.
After he graduated, he was hired as an arranger and composer by guitarist and bandleader Johnny Richards. He spent World War II playing with Paul Desmond in an army band.
After WWII Rugolo went to work for Stan Kenton who headed one of the most progressive big bands of the time. Rugolo provided arrangements and original compositions that drew on his knowledge of 20th century music, sometimes blurring the boundaries between the ballroom and the concert hall.
While Rugolo continued to work occasionally with Kenton in the 1950s, he spent more time creating arrangements for pop vocalists, including June Christy, Peggy Lee and the Four Freshmen. During this period he also worked for a while on musicals at MGM, and served as an A&R director for Mercury Records in the late 1950s. Among his many albums were Adventures In Rhythm, Introducing Pete Rugolo, Rugolomania, Reeds In Hi-Fi and Music For Hi-Fi Bugs.
These Foolish Things
Pete Rugolo Lyrics
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Oh! Will you never set me free?
The ties that bound us
Are still around us
There's no escape that I can see
And still those little things remain
That bring me happiness or pain
An airline ticket to romantic places
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
A tinkling piano in the next apartment
Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant
A fair ground's painted swings
These foolish things remind me of you
You came you saw you conquer'd me
When you did that to me
I knew somehow this had to be
The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
A telephone that rings but who's to answer?
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
First daffodils and long excited cables
And candle lights on little corner tables
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
The park at evening when the bell has sounded
The "Ile de France" with all the gulls around it
The beauty that is Spring's
These foolish things remind me of you
How strange how sweet to find you still
These things are dear to me
They seem to bring you near to me
The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations
Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
Gardenia perfume ling'ring on a pillow
Wild strawb'ries only seven francs a kilo
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses
The waiters whistling as the last bar closes
The song that Crosby sings
These foolish things remind me of you
How strange how sweet to find you still
These things are dear to me
They seem to bring you near to me
The scent of smould'ring leaves, the wail of steamers
Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
The lyrics in Pete Rugolo's song These Foolish Things express the feeling of being bound to a past love, unable to escape the memories and little reminders that bring happiness or pain. The repeated lines of "Oh! Will you never let me be?" and "Oh! Will you never set me free?" convey the desperation to move on from the past. However, the ties that bound the singer to their past lover are still present, and there seems to be no escape from them. The memories of the past love are triggered by various "foolish things," such as a cigarette bearing lipstick traces or the sound of a tinkling piano in a nearby apartment. These memories bring the singer both joy and heartache, as they long for the past love but are also haunted by it. The repetitions of "These foolish things remind me of you" highlight the power of the memories to dominate the singer's thoughts and feelings, even though they long to move on.
The lyrics in These Foolish Things have stood the test of time and have been recorded by many artists, becoming a well-known jazz standard. The song was originally composed in 1934 by Jack Strachey, with lyrics by Eric Maschwitz, and has since been covered by artists such as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Chet Baker, and Frank Sinatra. The song's popularity may lie in its relatable theme of being unable to let go of a past love.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh! Will you never let me be?
Will you never stop haunting me?
Oh! Will you never set me free?
Are you always going to hold me back?
The ties that bound us
The relationship that we had
Are still around us
Still has an impact on us
There's no escape that I can see
I can't seem to forget about you
And still those little things remain
I am still reminded by those small things
That bring me happiness or pain
That make me feel both happy and sad
A cigarette that bears a lipstick's traces
A cigarette with your lipstick mark
An airline ticket to romantic places
A ticket of our past travels together
And still my heart has wings
I still have feelings for you
These foolish things remind me of you
These little things remind me of you
A tinkling piano in the next apartment
The piano sound that comes from our neighbor's apartment
Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant
The words I said to you that revealed my true feelings
A fair ground's painted swings
The swings we rode in at the fair
You came you saw you conquer'd me
You won me over completely
When you did that to me
When you won me over
I knew somehow this had to be
I knew we were meant to be together
The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
The feeling of happiness I get from the spring air
A telephone that rings but who's to answer?
A call that I expect to be from you, but it's not
The park at evening when the bell has sounded
The park at dusk when the bell rings
The "Ile de France" with all the gulls around it
The view of the "Ile de France" ship surrounded by seagulls
The beauty that is Spring's
The beauty of spring
How strange how sweet to find you still
It's unexpected but nice to still think of you
These things are dear to me
These small things are important to me
They seem to bring you near to me
They make me feel like you are still close to me
The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations
The sound of midnight trains passing by in deserted stations
Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations
Stockings left behind after dancing with you
Gardenia perfume ling'ring on a pillow
The scent of gardenia on the pillow we shared
Wild strawb'ries only seven francs a kilo
The memory of buying strawberries at a cheap price
The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses
The beauty of Garbo's smile and the fragrance of roses
The waiters whistling as the last bar closes
The sound of waiters whistling as the bar closes
The song that Crosby sings
The song that reminds me of you that Crosby sang
The scent of smould'ring leaves, the wail of steamers
The scent of burning leaves and the sound of steamers' whistles
Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers
Seeing two lovers on the street who look like they're dreaming
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOB STANLEY, PETER STEWART WIGGS, SARAH CRACKNELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind