Wilson was born in Austin, Texas in 1912. He studied piano and violin at Tuskegee Institute. After working in the Lawrence "Speed" Webb band, with Louis Armstrong and also "understudying" Earl Hines in Hines's Grand Terrace Cafe Orchestra, Wilson joined Benny Carter's Chocolate Dandies in 1933. In 1935 he joined the Benny Goodman Trio (which consisted of Goodman, Wilson and drummer Gene Krupa, later expanded to the Benny Goodman Quartet with the addition of Lionel Hampton). The trio performed during the big band's intermissions. By joining the trio, Wilson became the first black musician to perform in public with a previously all-white jazz group.
Noted jazz producer and writer John Hammond was instrumental in getting Wilson a contract with Brunswick, starting in 1935, to record hot swing arrangements of the popular songs of the day, with the growing jukebox trade in mind. He recorded fifty hit records with various singers such as Lena Horne and Helen Ward, including many of Billie Holiday's greatest successes. During these years he also took part in many highly regarded sessions with a wide range of important swing musicians, such as Lester Young, Roy Eldridge, Charlie Shavers, Red Norvo, Buck Clayton and Ben Webster.
Wilson formed his own short-lived big band in 1939, then led a sextet at Café Society from 1940 to 1944. He was dubbed the "Marxist Mozart" by Howard "Stretch" Johnson due to his support for left-wing causes (he performed in benefit concerts for The New Masses journal and for Russian War Relief, and chaired the Artists' Committee to elect Benjamin J. Davis).[1] In the 1950s he taught at the Juilliard School. Wilson can be seen appearing as himself in the motion picture The Benny Goodman Story (1955).
Wilson lived quietly in suburban Hillsdale, NJ in the 1960s and 1970s. He performed as a soloist and with pick-up groups until the final years of his life. Teddy Wilson died on July 31, 1986.
He rests at Fairview Cemetery in New Britain, CT
[edit] Discography
Wilson at a Benny Goodman rehearsal, 1950
* Teddy Wilson Featuring Billie Holiday (1949)
* I Got Rhythm (1956)
* Pres and Teddy (1956)
* With Billie in Mind (1972)
* Live at Santa Tecla (1976)
* Teddy Wilson Trio Revisits the Goodman Years (1980)
As sideman:
* Billie Holiday, The Quintessential Billie Holiday, vols. 1 - 9 (1933-1942)
* Benny Goodman, The Complete RCA Victor Small Group Recordings (1935-1939)
* Benny Goodman, The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert (1938)
Died July 31, 1986(1986-07-31) (aged 73)
Hillsdale, New Jersey
Genres Jazz
Associated acts Louis Armstrong
Earl Hines
Billie Holiday
Lester Young
Lena Horne
Benny Goodman
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Teddy Wilson And His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea
I forgive you, 'cause I can't forget you
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea
[Repeat: x2]
I ought to cross you off my list
But when you come a-knocking at my door
And I come running back for more
I should hate you, but I guess I love you
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea
The devil and the deep blue sea
The lyrics of Teddy Wilson and his Orchestra's "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" can be interpreted as a conflicted lover's inner turmoil. The singer is torn between wanting to be free of their lover and the fear of losing them. The metaphor of being caught between the devil and the deep blue sea represents the tough choice the singer has to make.
The opening line "I don't want you, but I'd hate to lose you" perfectly encapsulates this theme. The singer is emotionally conflicted and unsure of what to do. The chorus repeating the same line "You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea" emphasizes the dilemma in which the singer finds themselves. They feel trapped and without any solution to their problem.
The verses demonstrate another facet of the relationship. The singer forgives their lover in spite of being hurt by them. The paradoxical line "I should hate you, but I guess I love you" shows that the singer recognizes how unhealthy the relationship is, yet they can't help but keep coming back. The song's ending with the line "The devil and the deep blue sea" leaves a sense of uncertain resolution since neither option is desirable.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want you, but I'd hate to lose you
I'm conflicted because I don't really want to be with you, but the thought of losing you scares me.
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea
I'm stuck between two bad options with no clear way out.
I forgive you, 'cause I can't forget you
Even though you've done me wrong, I can't help but still have feelings for you.
I ought to cross you off my list
I know I should move on from you and forget about you.
But when you come a-knocking at my door
However, when you come back into my life, things get complicated.
Fate seems to give my heart a twist
It feels like the universe is playing a cruel trick on me and making me fall for you again.
And I come running back for more
Despite my best intentions, I can't resist the draw of being with you again.
I should hate you, but I guess I love you
In my head, I know I should hate you for what you've done, but my heart still loves you.
You've got me in between the devil and the deep blue sea
Once again, I'm stuck in a difficult situation with no clear way out.
The devil and the deep blue sea
This is a saying that means being in a difficult and dangerous situation with no good options.
Lyrics © S.A. MUSIC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HAROLD ARLEN, TED KOEHLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@stefaniarivoira7123
This has been the first tune I ever heard played by Teddy Wilson.i still do consider it one of the most fascinating.....