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.
I'll Be Seeing You
Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In all the old, familiar places
That this heart of mine embraces
All day through
In that small cafe
The park across the way
The children's carousel
The wishing well
I'll be seeing you
In every lovely, summer's day
And everything that's bright and gay
I'll always think of you that way
I'll find you in the morning sun
And when the night is new
I'll be looking at the moon
But I'll be seeing you
The song "I'll Be Seeing You" by Tommy Dorsey is a beautiful ballad that represents the longing that someone feels after a separation. The lyrics depict the singer reminiscing about old memories and how they will keep seeing the person they've lost everywhere they go, no matter what they do. The lyrics "all the old, familiar places that this heart of mine embraces" indicate how the person is struggling to escape the memories of their love and is constantly reminded of them.
The second verse of the song points out specific places where the person will see their love, such as a small cafe, the park, the children's carousel, the chestnut tree, and the wishing well. These places were likely special to the couple, and now the singer cannot go to these places without being reminded of their lost love. The chorus repeats the sentiment of seeing the person everywhere, not just in physical locations but also in memories, such as "every lovely, summer's day" and "everything that's bright and gay."
The final lines of the song show that the singer will always remember their love, even at different times of the day, such as in the morning sun and when the night is new. The line "But I'll be seeing you" highlights the fact that the person is constantly present in their minds and will always be a part of their life, even if they are physically separate.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll be seeing you
I will always think about you and remember you.
In all the old, familiar places
I will see your presence in all the places we visited together.
That this heart of mine embraces
I will cherish these memories in my heart forever.
All day through
I will think of you throughout the day.
In that small cafe
I will picture you in that cozy little cafe we used to visit.
The park across the way
I will glance at the park across the street and remember strolling with you.
The children's carousel
I will envision the smile on your face when we took a ride on the carousel.
The chestnut tree
I will recall the chestnut tree we always admired and how it bloomed when we first met.
The wishing well
I will revisit the moment when we made a wish and threw a coin in the well.
In every lovely, summer's day
I will see your presence in every beautiful summer day.
And everything that's bright and gay
I will think of you when I notice anything that brings joy and happiness.
I'll always think of you that way
I will always remember you as the source of my happiness.
I'll find you in the morning sun
I will feel your presence when the sun rises.
And when the night is new
I will see your face when the night falls.
I'll be looking at the moon
I will gaze at the moon and visualize the moments spent with you.
But I'll be seeing you
Even though you are gone, I will continue to keep your memories alive and close to me.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Irving Kahal, Sammy Fain
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tombunton8848
My Dad and Mother's favorite song. I always wondered what their memories were when this song was played over the radio and they would stare at each other. I was born in 1948 and even at a very young age, I knew it was special to them. This is a goodbye song from World War II and thank God they made it through and my Dad came home or I would not be here.
@Its0slimey7862
I'm only 14 and yet this music is better than any of this new stuff, reminds me of the mighty eighth Air Force Museum near where I live
@nicolasberrocal6914
Please play this music to your sons/daughters so we can pass such beauty from generation to generation.
@navymusician822
Absolutely
@JTFSIX
My daughter is 11 and I play this type of music for her
@proudguy
We don't have those anymore. Immigrants instead of children, and they don't care for our culture.
@departmentofmanagmentfortb8058
Please Do
@scotnick59
It IS gorgeous stuff, right enough
@george6113
SO BEAUTIFUL I PLAYED THIS STUFF IN LOCAL BANDS. AT 96 I STILL LOVE IT
@gregorykayne6054
Thank you for playing it.