“In The Wee Small Hours”-70 Years of a Masterpiece Chapter 3-
Repertoire – Mood Indigo
“Mood Indigo” (Barney Bigard, Duke Ellington & Mitchell Parrish, 1930)
Sinatra In The Wee Small Hours… This song was originally titled “Dreamy Blues”, and in Duke Ellington’s own words, it was the first piece he wrote specifically for radio transmission. He composed it in just fifteen minutes while his mother was preparing dinner. Barney Bigard claimed to have learned the melody from his clarinet teacher in New Orleans. The radio broadcast of the piece was so successful that the station received numerous letters praising the melody the next day. As a result, a set of lyrics was written by Mitchell Parrish, though for decades, they were mistakenly credited to Irving Mills.
Nelson Riddle’s jazz arrangement not only pays tribute to the melody’s origins but also evokes the smoky nightclubs where sorrows are drowned in whiskey. Frank seems to be telling us his story from a dimly lit stage—first with resignation, then with despair—about a pain that transcends the blues.
“You ain’t never been blue; no, no, no,
You ain’t never been blue,
Till you’ve had that mood indigo.
That feelin’ goes stealin’ down to my shoes
While I just sit here and sigh, “Go ‘long blues”.
I always get that mood indigo,
Since my baby said goodbye.
And in the evenin’ when the lights are low,
I’m so lonely I could cry.
‘Cause there’s nobody who cares about me,
I’m just a soul that’s bluer than blue can be.
When I get that mood indigo,
I could lay me down and die.
You ain’t never been blue; no, no, no,
You ain’t never been blue,
Till you’ve had that mood indigo.
That feelin’ goes stealin’ down to my shoes
While I just sit here and sigh,
“Go ‘long blues” “
Article written by Mahnuel Muñoz (Al Mal Tiempo, Frank Sinatra Blog) https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574582459302
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