Thomas Francis Dorsey, Jr. was born in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, and started out only 16 years later in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with big band leader Russ Morgan in the famous pick-up band of the 1920s "The Scranton Sirens".
Tommy and his brother Jimmy worked in several bands, including those of Rudy Vallee, Vincent Lopez, and especially Paul Whiteman, before forming the original Dorsey Brothers Orchestra in 1934. Ongoing acrimony between the brothers, however, led to Tommy Dorsey's walking out to form his own band in 1935, just as the Orchestra was having a hit with "Every Little Moment."
Tommy Dorsey's first band formed out of the remnant of the Joe Haymes band, and his smooth, lyrical trombone style – whether on ballads or on no-holds-barred swingers – became one of the signature sounds of both his band and the Swing Era. The new band hit from almost the moment it signed with RCA Victor with "On Treasure Island", the first of four hits for the new band that year. That led to a run of 137 Billboard chart hits, including his theme song, "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" (which showcases his phenomenal range and masterful mute use, reaching up to the high C #), "Marie", "The Big Apple", "Music, Maestro, Please", "I'll Never Smile Again", "This Love of Mine", "On the Sunny Side of the Street", "T.D.'s Boogie Woogie", "Well, Git 'It", "Opus One", "Manhattan Serenade", and "There Are Such Things" – among many others.
The band featured a number of the best instrumentalists in jazz at the time, including trumpeters Bunny Berigan, Ziggy Elman, George Seaberg, Carl "Doc" Severinsen, and Charlie Shavers, pianist Jess Stacy, trumpeter/arranger/composer Sy Oliver (who wrote "Well, Git 'It" and "Opus One"), clarinetists Buddy DeFranco, Johnny Mince and Peanuts Hucko drummers Buddy Rich, Louis Bellson, Gene Krupa and Dave Tough and singers Jack Leonard, Edythe Wright, Jo Stafford, Dick Haymes and Frank Sinatra. Sinatra achieved his first great success as a vocalist in the Dorsey band and claimed he learned breath control from watching Dorsey play trombone. Dorsey said his trombone style was heavily influenced by that of Jack Teagarden. Another member of the Dorsey band probably spent considerable time observing and listening to Sy Oliver's striking arrangements: trombonist Nelson Riddle, whose later partnership as Sinatra's major arranger and conductor is considered to have revolutionised post-World War II popular music.
Dorsey might have broken up his own band permanently following World War II, as many big bands did due to the shift in music economics following the war, and he did disband the orchestra at the end of 1946. But a top-ten selling album (All-Time Hits) made it possible for Dorsey to re-organise a big band in early 1947.
The biographical film of 1947, "The Fabulous Dorseys" describes sketchy details of how the brothers got their start from-the-bottom-up into the jazz era of one-nighters, the early days of radio in its infancy stages, and the onward march when both brothers ended up with Paul Whiteman before 1935 when The Dorsey Brothers' Orchestra split into two.
The Dorsey brothers themselves later reconciled – Jimmy Dorsey had had to break up his own highly successful big band in 1953, and brother Tommy invited him to join up as a feature attraction – but before long Tommy renamed the band the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra. On December 26, 1953, the brothers appeared with their orchestra on Jackie Gleason's CBS television show, which was preserved on kinescope and later released on home video by Gleason. The brothers took the unit on tour and onto their own television show, Stage Show, from 1954 to 1956, on which they introduced Elvis Presley to national television audiences, among others.
Change Partners
Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You have danced with him since the music began.
Won't you change partners and dance with me?
Must you dance quite so close with your lips touching his face?
Can't you see
I'm longing to be in his place?
Won't you change partners and dance with me?
Ask him to sit this one out.
I'll tell the waiter to tell
him he's wanted on the telephone.
You've been locked in his arms ever since heaven-knows-when.
Won't you change partners and then,
you may never want to change partners again.
The lyrics of "Change Partners" by Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra convey a story of unrequited love and a plea for the singer's desired partner to leave their current dance partner and choose to dance with him instead. The repeated question of whether the woman must always dance with the same fortunate man sets the scene for the singer's longing and jealousy. The suggestion that they have been dancing together since the music began highlights the established connection between them.
The mention of dancing close with lips touching indicates a level of intimacy and romance between the woman and her partner, further intensifying the singer's desire to take his place. The lyrics express his longing to be in the same position, emphasizing his jealousy and longing for her affection. The repetition of the plea to change partners underscores the urgency and desperation of the singer's longing.
The following lines introduce a plan for the singer to have a moment alone with the woman. He asks her to ask her current partner to sit out this dance, creating an opportunity for the two of them to be together. The mention of the waiter delivering a message to her partner amplifies the secrecy and excitement of their plan.
The lyrics also imply that the woman has been locked in the arms of her current partner for an extended period of time, possibly suggesting a long-standing relationship. Despite this, the singer persists in asking for a change of partners, suggesting that he believes there might be a chance for the woman to choose him instead. The final line suggests that if she were to change partners and dance with the singer, she might never want to switch partners again, implying that he could provide her with lasting love and happiness.
Overall, "Change Partners" tells a tale of unrequited love filled with longing, jealousy, and a desperate plea for the desired partner to choose the singer instead.
Line by Line Meaning
Must you dance every dance with the same fortunate man?
Do you feel obliged to consistently dance with the same privileged individual?
You have danced with him since the music began.
You have been dancing with him since the very start of the music.
Won't you change partners and dance with me?
Wouldn't you consider swapping partners and dancing with me instead?
Must you dance quite so close with your lips touching his face?
Is it necessary to dance in such close proximity, with your lips almost touching his face?
Can't you see
I'm longing to be in his place?
Can't you notice that I strongly desire to be in his position?
Won't you change partners and dance with me?
Would you not be willing to switch partners and dance with me instead?
Ask him to sit this one out.
Request him to refrain from participating in this particular dance.
While you're alone,
I'll tell the waiter to tell
him he's wanted on the telephone.
While you are by yourself, I will convey to the waiter that he is being summoned on the telephone.
You've been locked in his arms ever since heaven-knows-when.
You have been embraced in his arms since an indefinite period of time.
Won't you change partners and then,
you may never want to change partners again.
Wouldn't you consider swapping partners and as a result, you might develop a preference to never switch partners again.
Lyrics © IMAGEM U.S. LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: IRVING BERLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Chooch W.
Excellent! Thanks for sharing.
jbiafra08
Is this Frank Sinatra singing?
Geoluce
No, it's Bob Eberlé, recorded in 1939