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.
Yesterdays
Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'd listened to the radio
Waitin' for my favorite songs
Waiting they played I'd sing along
Those were such happy times
And not so long ago
How I wondered where they'd gone
But they're back again
Just like a long lost friend
All the songs I loved so well
(*) every sha-la-la-la
Every wo-wo-wo
Still shines
Every shing-a-ling-a-ling
That they're starting to sing's
So fine
When they get to the part
Where he's breakin' her heart
It can really make me cry
Just like before
It's yesterday once more
Lookin' back on how it was
In years gone by
And the good times that I had
Makes today seem rather sad
So much has changed
It was songs of love that
I would sing to then
And I'd memorize each word
Those old melodies
Still sound so good to me
As they melt the years away
Repeat (*)
All my best memories
Come back clearly to me
Some can even make me cry
Just like before
It's yesterday once more
The lyrics to "Yesterdays" by Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra reminisce about the power of music to evoke nostalgic feelings and transport the listener back to happier times. The singer reflects on their youth, when they would eagerly listen to the radio and sing along to their favorite songs. These moments brought them joy and created lasting memories. As time passed, the singer wondered where those happy times had gone, but suddenly, the songs and melodies return, acting as a reunion with an old friend. The sha-la-la-la's and wo-wo-wo's and the shing-a-ling-a-ling's that were part of those songs still have a radiant shine and fine quality. The emotions stir deeply when the songs reach the parts where heartbreak is described, and the lyrics have the ability to make the singer cry, just as they did before. Looking back at the past, the singer acknowledges that things have changed and the present doesn't quite measure up to those good old days. The songs of love that they used to sing along to, memorizing every word, still sound incredibly good and have the power to melt away the years, bringing back all the best memories.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was young
During my youthful years
I'd listened to the radio
I would tune in to the radio
Waitin' for my favorite songs
Anticipating the arrival of my beloved songs
Waiting they played I'd sing along
Singing along as the songs played
It made me smile
Caused a joyful expression on my face
Those were such happy times
Those moments were filled with immense joy
And not so long ago
And not too far in the past
How I wondered where they'd gone
I pondered about their disappearance
But they're back again
Yet, they have returned once more
Just like a long lost friend
Similar to a friend from a distant past
All the songs I loved so well
All the songs I cherished deeply
Every sha-la-la-la
Each instance of sha-la-la-la
Every wo-wo-wo
Every occurrence of wo-wo-wo
Still shines
Continues to radiate with brilliance
Every shing-a-ling-a-ling
Every shing-a-ling-a-ling sound
That they're starting to sing's
The beginning of their melodic tune
So fine
Remarkably splendid
When they get to the part
Once they reach the section
Where he's breakin' her heart
When he causes her heartache
It can really make me cry
It can genuinely bring tears to my eyes
Just like before
Similar to previous occurrences
It's yesterday once more
It invokes a sense of the past
Lookin' back on how it was
Reflecting on the past and how it used to be
In years gone by
During the years that have passed
And the good times that I had
And the pleasurable moments I experienced
Makes today seem rather sad
Causes today to appear somewhat bleak
So much has changed
A substantial amount has been altered
It was songs of love that
It involved romantic songs that
I would sing to then
I used to sing passionately
And I'd memorize each word
And I would learn every word by heart
Those old melodies
Those timeless melodies
Still sound so good to me
Still bring immense pleasure to my ears
As they melt the years away
As they dissolve the passage of time
All my best memories
All my most cherished recollections
Come back clearly to me
Return vividly within my mind
Some can even make me cry
Certain memories can even evoke tears
Just like before
Similar to prior instances
It's yesterday once more
It transports me back to a previous time
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JIM MUNDY, PEGGY WHITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind