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.
Cheek To Cheek
Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra Lyrics
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And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak
And I seem to find the happiness I seek
When we're out together dancing cheek to cheek
Heaven, I'm in heaven
And the cares that hung around me through the week
Seem to vanish like a gambler's lucky streak
When we're out together dancing (swinging) cheek to cheek
And reach the highest peak
But it doesn't thrill (boot) me half as much
As dancing cheek to cheek
Oh I love to go out fishing
In a river or a creek
But I don't enjoy it half as much
As dancing cheek to cheek
(Come on and) Dance with me
I want my arm(s) about you
That (Those) charm(s) about you
Will carry me through...
(Right up) To heaven, I'm in heaven
And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak
And I seem to find the happiness I seek
When we're out together dancing, out together dancing (swinging)
Out together dancing cheek to cheek
The lyrics to Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra's song "Cheek to Cheek" are a celebration of pure bliss and joy experienced when two people are together and dancing cheek to cheek. The singer expresses the feeling of being in heaven, where their heart beats so intensely that it becomes difficult to speak. Being in the presence of their dance partner brings about a profound sense of happiness that they have been seeking. The cares and worries of the week simply fade away, disappearing like a lucky streak for a gambler.
The singer goes on to share that while they enjoy other activities like climbing mountains or going fishing, they don't provide the same level of excitement and fulfillment as dancing cheek to cheek. The act of dancing, with their partner's arms around them, brings about a level of charm that cannot be matched by any other experience. It is this connection and the irresistible allure of dancing together that carries them straight to heaven.
Line by Line Meaning
Heaven, I'm in heaven
I feel an overwhelming sense of joy and contentment
And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak
My heart races with excitement, leaving me speechless
And I seem to find the happiness I seek
I discover the exact happiness I have been longing for
When we're out together dancing cheek to cheek
Our close and intimate dance brings a special kind of bliss
And the cares that hung around me through the week
The worries and burdens I carried all week
Seem to vanish like a gambler's lucky streak
Disappear as if by magic, just like a fortunate gambler's winning streak
When we're out together dancing (swinging) cheek to cheek
When we engage in our lively and spirited dance, cheek to cheek
Oh I love to climb a mountain
I thoroughly enjoy conquering the challenge of climbing a mountain
And reach the highest peak
And reaching the summit, the highest point
But it doesn't thrill (boot) me half as much
But it doesn't excite me nearly as passionately
As dancing cheek to cheek
As our intimate dance where our cheeks touch
Oh I love to go out fishing
I truly enjoy going fishing
In a river or a creek
In either a flowing river or a small creek
But I don't enjoy it half as much
But my enjoyment of it is only a fraction as intense
As dancing cheek to cheek
As our close and intimate dance
(Come on and) Dance with me
Join me in this delightful dance
I want my arm(s) about you
I desire to have my arm(s) wrapped around you
That (Those) charm(s) about you
Because your charm(s) have a captivating effect on me
Will carry me through...
Will guide and support me through any challenges
(Right up) To heaven, I'm in heaven
Straight to a state of bliss, I feel heavenly
Out together dancing, out together dancing (swinging)
Enjoying our dance, swinging together in harmony
Out together dancing cheek to cheek
In this intimate dance, with our cheeks touching
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, MUSIC.INFO FINLAND OY
Written by: Irving Berlin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind