As a child Anthony, born Raymond Antonini in Bentleyville, Pennsylvania, moved with his family to Cleveland, Ohio, where he studied the trumpet with his father. He played in Glenn Miller's band from 1940–1941 and appeared in the Glenn Miller movie Sun Valley Serenade in 1941 before joining the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war he formed his own group. The Ray Anthony Orchestra became very popular in the early 1950s, with recordings that included Anthony's classic dance songs "The Bunny Hop" and the "Hokey Pokey," as well as the theme music from Dragnet. He had a #2 chart hit with a remake of the Glenn Miller tune, "At Last" in 1952.
From 1953-1954 Anthony was the musical director on the television series TV's Top Tunes, and he also appeared as himself in the 1955 film Daddy Long Legs. In 1955 Anthony married his second wife, the sex symbol actress Mamie Van Doren. Their son Perry Ray was born March 18, 1956. He then began expanding his own acting career. He starred in a short-lived television 1956-1957 variety show, The Ray Anthony Show. Anthony also appeared in several films during the late 1950s, including The Five Pennies (where he portrayed Jimmy Dorsey), and Van Doren's movies High School Confidential as "Bix" and Girls Town. In the 1959-1960 television season, he guest starred in the episode "Operation Ramrod" of David Hedison's espionage series Five Fingers on NBC.
After van Doren filed for divorce in 1958, citing cruelty, they finally divorced in 1960, and Anthony's brief film career ended at about the same time. However, he continued his musical career and had another hit record with the theme from Peter Gunn, which reached #8 on Billboard's pop chart. Among his pianists was Allen "Puddler" Harris, a native of Franklin Parish, Louisiana, who had been a member of the original Ricky Nelson band and Kellie Green, who also played the vibraphone.
Anthony was considered one of the most modern of the big band leaders. In the lyrics to "Opus One", which imagine a number of players performing the song, he is cited along with Les Brown and his Band of Renown:
If Mr. Les Brown can make it renowned
And Ray Anthony could rock it for me
Anthony and his band were also featured in the movie, The Girl Can't Help It, and were treated as one of the rockers in the line-up, but also shown in performances with Mansfield that are essential to the plot.
Ray Anthony's compositions include "Thunderbird", "Bunny Hop", "Trumpet Boogie", "Big Band Boogie", and "Mr. Anthony's Boogie".
In the early 1980s, Anthony formed Big Band '80s, other members including Buddy Rich, Harry James, Les Brown, and Alvino Rey.
Anthony, who has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, continues to be active as a bandleader and musician.
Anthony is a close friend of Hugh Hefner and has appeared in numerous episodes of The Girls Next Door.
Rhapsody In Blue
Ray Anthony Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
Cause you remained in my heart, but
Tell me darling in there still a spark?
Or only lonely ashes of the flame we knew
Should I go on whistling in the dark,
Serenade in blue
In Ray Anthony's 1942 hit song "Serenade in Blue," the singer recalls the fond memories and longs for the love that once thrived. The song's opening lines imply that music has always been a gateway for the singer to transport himself into the past, into another world where he and his lover were exchanging joy and happiness. As the melody unfolds, it brings back memories of a small cafe with a crowd-filled dance floor, where the two of them spent a magical evening many moons ago. The nostalgia of dancing to the tune of the song with his lover is intense enough to bring her face back into the singer's memory album.
As the song progresses, the singer confronts the absence of his lover and wonders if there is any chance of reigniting their relationship. Although the Serenade in Blue evokes happy moments, it also recalls the tragedy of a lost love. The song becomes a symbol of goodbye as the love between the two individuals fades away. The singer desires to know if their love can still be resurrected or there are only lonely ashes left of the flame they once knew. In the end, the singer is left questioning whether the Serenade in Blue will continue to be a beacon of hope or if it will just sound like a whistle in the dark.
Line by Line Meaning
When I hear that Serenade in blue
Whenever I listen to Serenade in Blue
I'm somewhere in another world, alone with you
I get lost in my thoughts and feel like I am in a different world, with just you and me
Sharing all the joys we used to know
We share the happy memories of the past
Many moons ago
It was a long time ago
Once again your face comes back to me
I am reminded of your face once again
Just like the theme of some forgotten melody
It feels like an old and forgotten melody
In the album of my memory
It is a memory that is safely stored in my mind
Serenade in blue
The melody that I cannot forget
It seems like only yesterday
It feels like it was just recently that we were together
The small cafe, a crowded floor
I remember the busy café where we danced
And as we danced the night away
As we continued to dance throughout the night
I hear you say forever more
I remember you saying that you will love me forever
And then the song became a sigh
But then our love slowly faded away
Forever more became goodbye
The promise of 'forever' became a painful goodbye
Cause you remained in my heart, but
Even though we are no longer together, you still hold a special place in my heart
Tell me darling in there still a spark?
I wonder if there is still some love left between us
Or only lonely ashes of the flame we knew
Or is our love completely gone and turned into sadness
Should I go on whistling in the dark,
Should I keep holding on to the hope that our love will reignite
Serenade in blue
As I listen to Serenade in Blue and reflect on our past love
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harry Warren, Mack Gordon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind