As a youth, Carter lived in Harlem around the corner from Bubber Miley who was Duke Ellington's star trumpeter. Carter was inspired by Miley and bought a trumpet, but when he found he couldn't play like Miley he traded the trumpet in for a saxophone.
Carter began playing professionally at 15. He first recorded in 1928 and formed his first big band the following year. He played with Fletcher Henderson in 1930 and 1931, then briefly led McKinney's Cotton Pickers before returning to lead his own band in 1932. The few recordings his band made between 1933 and 1934 are considered by most jazz scholars to be milestones in early swing arranging. They were sophisticated and very complex arrangements, and a number of them became swing standards which were performed by other bands ("Blue Lou" is a great example of this.) He also arranged for Henderson and Duke Ellington during these years and wrote two hits, "Blues in My Heart" and "When Lights are Low." By the early 1930s he and Johnny Hodges were considered the leading alto players of the day. Carter also quickly became a leading trumpet soloist, having rediscovered the instrument. He recorded extensively on trumpet in the 1930s. Also, in 1933, Carter took part in an amazing series of sessions that featured the British band leader Spike Hughes, who came to New York specifically to organize a series of recordings featuring the best Black musicians available. These 14 sides were only issued in England at that time, though they are available on CD and worthwhile looking for. (The musicians were mainly made up from member of Carter's band and from Luis Russell's.)
In 1935 he moved to Europe, where he became staff arranger for the British Broadcasting Corporation dance orchestra and made several records. He returned to the United States in 1938 and led a big band and sextet before moving to Los Angeles in 1943 to write for movie studios. Carter continued writing and performing into his 90s. He arranged for Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, and Sarah Vaughan, among many others.
His biggest hit was "Cow Cow Boogie", a song he co-wrote with Don Raye and Gene DePaul, which was a hit for Ella Mae Morse in 1942.
In the 1940s and 1950s, Carter was one of the first black men to compose music for films. He was an inspiration and a mentor for Quincy Jones when Jones began writing for television and films in the 1960s. Also in the 1940s, Carter's successful legal battles in order to obtain housing in then-exclusive neighborhoods in the Los Angeles area made him a pioneer in an entirely different area.
He also appears uncredited in the 1952 film, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, as a sax player.
Carter was admired for his ability to write saxophone solis, which are sections of music that the entire section plays as one unit in the manner of a solo.
Carter was a member of the music advisory panel of the National Endowment for the Arts. He was also a member of the Black Film Makers' Hall of Fame and in 1980 received the Golden Score award of the American Society of Music Arrangers. Carter was also a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1996 and received honorary doctorates from Princeton, Harvard, Rutgers, and the New England Conservatory.
He died, aged 95, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles of what is thought to have been bronchitis.
I Can't Believe That You Are in Love With Me
Benny Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And when you smiled at me,
In my heart I felt a thrill you see,
That it was love at sight and
I was right to love you as I do.
Still I never dreamed that you could love me too.
Your eyes of blue, your kisses too,
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
You're telling ev'ry one I know
I'm on your mind each place we go
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
I have always placed you far above me.
I just can't imagine that you love me.
And after all is said and done,
To think that I'm the lucky one.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
Skies are gray. I'm blue each day
When you are not around.
Ev'ry thing goes wrong, my dear I've found
But when you're by my side I fill with pride
For I'm so proud of you
It all seems too good to me to all be true
Your eyes of blue, your kisses too,
I never knew what they could do.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
You're telling ev'ry one I know
I'm on your mind each place we go
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
I have always placed you far above me.
I just can't imagine that you love me.
And after all is said and done,
To think that I'm the lucky one.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
The lyrics of "I Can't Believe That You're in Love With Me" convey the idea of a person feeling overwhelmed by the fact that someone they love reciprocates their feelings. The first stanza talks about how the singer knew they were in love with the person from the moment they smiled at them. However, the surprise element comes in the second half of the stanza when the singer admits that they never thought the other person could love them back. The second stanza talks about how the singer's world seems dreary without the other person and how they feel proud to be with them. The song ends with the singer expressing their disbelief that they are the lucky one being loved by the other person.
The lyrics highlight the feeling of disbelief and overwhelm when someone we love loves us back. The song conveys the message that love can be a beautiful surprise even when we least expect it. The lyrics also show how we often place our loved ones on a pedestal and feel privileged to be loved by them.
Line by Line Meaning
Yesterday you came my way,
When you came into my life, it was like heaven opened up.
And when you smiled at me,
Your smile warmed me up and filled me with joy.
In my heart I felt a thrill you see,
My heart skipped a beat as soon as I saw you. I knew you were the one.
That it was love at sight and
I knew right then and there that I was in love with you.
I was right to love you as I do.
My love for you is completely valid and true.
Still I never dreamed that you could love me too.
I never thought in my wildest dreams that you could ever love me back.
Your eyes of blue, your kisses too,
Your blue eyes and sweet kisses have captivated me.
I never knew what they could do.
I had no idea how much your eyes and kisses could impact me.
You're telling ev'ry one I know
You're spreading the news to everyone we know.
I'm on your mind each place we go
You're always thinking of me, no matter where we are.
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
Our friends and family are shocked that you could fall in love with me.
I have always placed you far above me.
I've always seen you as someone superior to me.
I just can't imagine that you love me.
It's hard for me to believe that you truly love me.
And after all is said and done,
Despite everything, I feel so lucky to have you.
To think that I'm the lucky one.
I can't believe how fortunate I am to have you in my life.
Skies are gray. I'm blue each day
When you're not around, everything seems gloomy and sad.
But when you're by my side I fill with pride
When you're with me, I feel proud and confident.
For I'm so proud of you
I'm amazed and proud of everything you do.
It all seems too good to me to all be true
Sometimes, it feels like our love is too good to be real.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
It's hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that you love me.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: CLARENCE GASKILL, JIMMY MC HUGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind