Repost: Sarah Vaughan sings Tadd Dameron's "If You Could See Me Now", lyric by Carl Sigman.
Sarah Vaughan sings "If You Could See Me Now", by Tadd Dameron. The trumpet intro is Freddie Webster, the seldom recorded trumpet player cited as a major influence by Miles Davis. I made this vinyl rip from a Canadian LP, Metro M-539, titled "Sarah Vaughan - Tenderly", apparently some kind of re-release of the 1948 Musicraft sessions.
Carl Sigman was a major American lyricist, though his lyrics for "Ebb Tide", "Love Story" and "Pennsylvania 6-5000" are seldom heard.
If You Could See Me Now: MP3, head chart.
If You Could See Me Now you'd know how blue I've been.
One look is all you'd need to see the mood I'm in.
Perhaps then you'd realize I'm still in love with you.
If You Could See Me Now you'd find me being grave
and trying awfully hard to make my tears behave
But that's quite impossible - I'm still in love with you.
You happen my way on some memorable day
and the month will be May for awhile.
I'll try to smile but cannot play the part
without my heart behind the smile.
The way I feel for you I never could disguise.
The look of love is written plainly in your eyes.
I think you'd be mine again If You Could See Me Now.
These lyrics are my transcription. The phrase "the look of love is written plainly in your eyes" is odd, because the song is about how the singer's face looks, not the lover to whom she is singing. For more info on songwriters and lyricists check out the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.
posted by Jerry Brabenec @ 11/02/2005 08:49:00 AM
5 Comments:
You'd find me being Brave. (instead of grave)
...know what, I bet you're right. Thanks. - Jerry
Hey Jerry-
David Levin, here (The David Levin Swing Band with Regina Otto). Regina also sings "If You Could See Me Now" in Ab, and my band has recorded it in that key (not seen on my site). What I found most interesting was your comments on the lyric "brave" probably being "grave". Never considered that! But the weird thing about this bluesy, smoke-filled niteclub song is the melody.
If you look at your fake sheet jpeg, you'll see that there are in fact ONE TOO MANY notes for the lyrics in the first measure and repeat sections (A1, A2 and C). Sarah cheated in a sense, by not only starting the lyrics on the seventh ("G" note in the key of Ab), but then changing the arpeggio melody of the rest of the measure. Because there are too many notes for too few lyrics, what IS an singer--and the soloists after her--to do? This presented itself as an "expensive issue" at my band's recording session in Bezerkeley in '94, because I as arranger had not carefully gone thru the song. I just ASSUMED there were the correct number of notes for lyrics!
So, our recording is much different than Sarah's and without the neat orchestral arranging. But this melody/lyric issue is one that Regina and I discussed and that will influence "how" she sings the song in the future. How NOT to try to imitate the very "nasal"-but-sassy Sarah is always a problem with singers who idolize or look up to the greats. But the greats often take great liberties and it is not alwasy wise to emulate them. Regina and I have always tried to stick to the music the way it was written, at least for the firs chorus.
Thanks, David for your input. Readers, check out Mr. Levin's musical enterprises at http://www.davidlevinent.com , including MP3 audio samples. I've listened and certainly must assume Mr. Levin knows whereof he speaks since he produces and books several very fine big bands and small ensembles on both coasts and aboard the ships at sea.
David, if you're ever in need of another bassist, Billy May and Nelson Riddle arrangements are my bread and butter, performing over 15 years in southeast Michigan with David Swain's II-V-I Orchestra.
Back to the subject of "If You Could See Me Now", I'd like to remind everybody they're called FAKE books for a reason. Fake book lead sheets are generally some unknown transcriber's concept of the tune and are frequently inaccurate.
Worse still, I think Mr. Levin would agree that even the commercially published sheet music often represents a watered down unreliable version of a given song. If anybody has a copy of the sheet music to this tune I think we'd all love to see it.
Of course jazz allows for the individual interpretation of each performer.
Tadd Dameron wrote the music and Sarah recorded the song in 1948 with Tadd's big band, presumably when he wrote it, so their version would have to be considered definitive. A cursory glance through Allmusic.com and the Jazz Discography Project seems to indicate nobody else recorded a vocal version at least until 1956, when Herb Jeffries and Audrey Morris both recorded it.
When I get back from walking the dog I'll conclude this post with 2 more lead sheet versions, one of the Bill Evans Trio performance by my friend Tom Loncaric, and the other by David Wild.
Seriously, David, if you need a bassist for a cruise ship I'm there!
Oops, I don't have any more lead sheet versions of this tune to publish. Sorry, I lied.
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