His parents were Ukrainian Jews who immigrated from Kyiv city, Ukraine in 1903. The family later moved to New York City for better jobs. Stan worked hard in school receiving straight "A's" on average and finished 6th grade close to the top of his class. Stan's major interest was in musical instruments, and he felt a need to play every instrument in his sight. He played a number of instruments before his father bought him his first saxophone at the age of 13. Even though his father also got him a clarinet, Stan instantly fell in love with the saxophone and began practicing 8 hours a day. In 1941, he was accepted into the All City High School Orchestra of New York City. This gave Stan a chance to receive a private, free tutor from the New York Philharmonic, Simon Kovar - a bassoon player. He also began to spend more time playing the saxophone. He eventually dropped out of school in order to pursue his musical career, but was later sent back to the classroom by the school system’s truancy officers.
In 1943, he was accepted into Jack Teagarden's band, and because of his youth he became Teagarden's ward. Getz also played along with Nat King Cole and Lionel Hampton. After playing for Stan Kenton, Jimmy Dorsey, and Benny Goodman, Getz was a soloist with Woody Herman from 1947 to 1949 in 'The Second Herd' and he first gained wide attention as one of the band's saxophonists, who were known collectively as 'The Four Brothers', the others being Serge Chaloff, Zoot Sims and Herbie Steward. With Herman, he had a hit with "Early Autumn" and after Getz left 'The Second Herd' he was able to launch his solo career. He would be the leader on almost all of his recording sessions after 1950.
During the early '50s, Getz broke away from the Lester Young style to form his own musical identity and he was soon among the most popular of all jazzmen. He discovered Horace Silver in 1950 and used him in his quartet for several months. After touring Sweden in 1951, he formed an exciting quintet that co-featured guitarist Jimmy Raney; their interplay on up-tempo tunes and tonal blend on ballads was quite memorable. Getz's playing helped Johnny Smith have a hit in "Moonlight in Vermont," during 1953-1954 Bob Brookmeyer made his group a quintet and, despite some drug problems during the decade, Getz was a constant poll winner. After spending 1958-1960 in Europe, the tenorman returned to the U.S. and recorded his personal favorite album, Focus, with arranger Eddie Sauter's Orchestra.
Getz became a central figure in introducing bossa nova music to the U.S. audience. Teaming with guitarist Charlie Byrd, who had just returned from a U.S. State Department tour of Brazil, Getz recorded Jazz Samba in 1962 and it became a hit. The title track was an adaptation of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "One Note Samba". Getz won the Grammy for Best Jazz Performance of 1963 for "Desafinado". As a follow-up, Getz recorded Jazz Samba Encore! with one of the originators of bossa nova, Brazilian guitarist Luiz Bonfa.
He then recorded the album Getz/Gilberto with Tom Jobim, João Gilberto and his wife, Astrud Gilberto. Their "The Girl from Ipanema" won a Grammy Award. The piece became one of the most well-known latin jazz cuts of all time. Getz/Gilberto won two Grammys (Best Album and Best Single), besting The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night, a victory for Bossa Nova and Brazilian jazz. A live album, Getz/Gilberto Vol. 2, followed, as did Getz Au Go Go, a recording made live at the Cafe Au Go Go. Unfortunately, Getz' affair with Astrud Gilberto brought an end to his musical partnership with her and her husband and he began to move away from bossa-nova and back to cool jazz. Even while still working with the Gilbertos, he recorded Nobody Else But Me an album of straightforward jazz with a new quartet including vibraphonist Gary Burton, but Verve Records, wishing to continue building the Getz brand with bossa-nova, refused to release it. It eventually came out 30 years later, after Getz had died.
In 1972, Getz recorded in the fusion idiom with Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke. This group, without Getz, went on to become the famous Return to Forever, and many of the pieces including "La Fiesta" remained in their repertoire. In this period Getz experimented with an Echoplex on his saxophone, for which critics vilified him. He eventually discarded fusion and "electric jazz", returning to acoustic jazz, while at the same time gradually de-emphasizing the Bossa Nova, opting for more esoteric and less-mainstream jazz. He had a cameo in the movie The Exterminator (1980).
Towards the end of his life the now drug-free Getz had another creative peak with a group including the pianist Kenny Barron, whom Getz described as "my musical other half".
In 1986, he was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame.
Getz married Beverly Byrne, a vocalist with the Gene Krupa band, on 7 November 1946; they had three children together: Steven, David, and Beverly (who married Michael McGovern).
Getz became involved with drugs and alcohol while a teenager. In 1954, he was arrested for attempting to rob a pharmacy to get a morphine fix. As he was being processed in the prison ward of Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, Beverly gave birth to their third child one floor below.
Getz tried to escape his narcotics addiction by moving to Copenhagen. He married Swedish aristocrat Monica Silfverskiöld on 3 November 1956 and had two children with her: Pamela and Nicolas. In 1957 Swedish girlfriend Inga Torgnér gave birth to a son Peter. Stan divorced Monica in 1987.
Zoot Sims, who had known Getz since their time with Herman, once described him as 'a nice bunch of guys', as a consequence of the wide behavioural range of which Getz was capable. In the final stages of his life Getz was able to end his addictions.
Getz died of liver cancer in 1991. His body was cremated and the ashes scattered at sea, off the coast of Malibu, California.
In 1998 the 'Stan Getz Media Center and Library' at the Berklee College of Music was dedicated through a donation from the Herb Alpert Foundation.
You Go To My Head
Stan Getz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you linger like a haunting refrain
And I find you spinning round in my brain
Like the bubbles in a glass of champagne
You go to my head
Like a sip of sparkling burgundy brew
And I find the very mention of you
The thrill of the thought
That you might give a thought to my plea, cast a spell over me
Still I say to myself get a hold of yourself
Can't you see that it never can be?
You go to my head
With a smile that makes my temperature rise
Like a summer with a thousand July's
You intoxicate my soul with your eyes
Though I'm certain that this heart of mine
Hasn't a ghost of a chance in this crazy romance
You go to my head
You go to my head
In the song “You Go to My Head,” Stan Getz expresses his infatuation for someone who has taken over his thoughts, just like a love song that lingers in someone’s head even after it’s played. Getz compares this person to a glass of champagne, saying that they are like bubbles – they are both light, effervescent, and leave an aftertaste. In the second verse, Getz compares this person to a sip of “sparkling burgundy brew” – something that is rich and savory. Interestingly, he says that simply hearing this person’s name is like the “kicker” in a julep – an alcoholic beverage that usually contains mint and sugar, a reference to how the mere presence of this person can change a situation.
As the song progresses, Getz yearns for this person’s attention, and the thought that they might give him a chance makes him feel euphoric. He acknowledges that it is a crazy romance, and that his heart may not have any chance with this person, but that doesn’t stop them from being on his mind. He emphasizes this point, saying that this person “intoxicates” his soul with their eyes. The song ends, as it began, with him acknowledging that this person has a hold on him, and that they go to his head.
Overall, the song highlights the power of infatuation and how it can consume someone’s mind, even if it may not be reciprocated. Getz uses metaphorical language that speaks to the senses of taste, sound, and sight to convey his feelings for this person, making it a captivating and poetic love song.
Line by Line Meaning
You go to my head
You occupy my thoughts and emotions completely
And you linger like a haunting refrain
Your memory stays in my mind like a melody that continues to play long after the music has stopped
And I find you spinning round in my brain
I cannot stop thinking about you; your presence is constantly on my mind
Like the bubbles in a glass of champagne
Your influence on me is intoxicating and delightful, much like the bubbles in a glass of champagne
Like a sip of sparkling burgundy brew
The impact of a simple thought of you can bring me immense joy and pleasure, much like the sip of a delightful drink
And I find the very mention of you
The mere mention of your name invokes powerful feelings and emotions within me
Like the kicker in a julep or two
Your effect on me is similar to the sweet punch in a refreshing mint julep
The thrill of the thought
The excitement and anticipation of the possibility that you may consider my request consumes me
That you might give a thought to my plea, cast a spell over me
The idea that you would even consider my request has a powerful impact on me, causing me to feel as though I am under your spell
Still I say to myself get a hold of yourself
Although I am consumed by my feelings for you, I remind myself to remain rational and level-headed
Can't you see that it never can be?
Despite my desires, I know that our relationship is not possible or feasible
With a smile that makes my temperature rise
Your smile has a powerful affect on me, causing me to feel heated and passionate
Like a summer with a thousand July's
Your presence makes me feel as though I am experiencing a thousand eternally hot and passionate summers all at once
You intoxicate my soul with your eyes
Your gaze has a completely consuming and intoxicating effect on my very being
Though I'm certain that this heart of mine
Despite feeling such intense emotions towards you
Hasn't a ghost of a chance in this crazy romance
I am aware that our relationship is not feasible or realistic, and has no chance of becoming a real romance
You go to my head
You are constantly on my mind, driving my thoughts and emotions
You go to my head
Your presence has a completely consuming influence on every aspect of my life
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network
Written by: J Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind