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 Get a Kick out of You
Benny Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But practically everything leaves me totally cold
The only exception I know is the case
When I'm out on a quiet spree
Fighting vainly the old ennui
And I suddenly turn and see
Your fabulous face
Mere alcohol doesn't thrill me at all
So, tell me, why should it be true
That I get a kick out of you?
Some get a kick from cocaine
I'm sure that if I took even one sniff
That would bore me terrifically too
Yet I get a kick out of you
I get a kick every time I see
You're standing there before me
I get a kick though it's clear to see
You obviously do not adore me
I get no kick in a plane
Flying too high with some gal in the sky
Is my idea of nothing to do
But I get a kick out of you
Benny Carter's song, I Get a Kick out of You, is a love song, but not in the traditional sense. The song describes the singer's disdain for most things in life, but the one thing that gives him pleasure is seeing his lover's face. The lyrics, "My story is much too sad to be told, but practically everything leaves me totally cold" suggest that the singer has a difficult past, and he is unable to find joy in most of life's offerings. However, when he's out, feeling bored and fighting off the dullness of life, he suddenly sees his lover's face, which gives him an emotional kick.
The singer then goes on to compare his feelings towards his lover with his lack of interest in champagne and alcohol, and even cocaine. Despite not being interested in these substances, he finds himself getting a "kick" from being in his lover's presence. He acknowledges that his lover may not feel the same way, "You obviously do not adore me," yet he still feels a sense of pleasure when he sees this person.
The song is a testament to the power of love and how it can provide happiness and a sense of purpose, even when everything else in life feels cold and unfulfilling.
Line by Line Meaning
My story is much too sad to be told
My life experiences are too painful and difficult to share with others.
But practically everything leaves me totally cold
I'm indifferent to most things and don't get excited easily.
The only exception I know is the case
The only situation where I feel differently is when
When I'm out on a quiet spree
I'm on my own and free from distractions.
Fighting vainly the old ennui
I struggle to overcome feelings of boredom and dissatisfaction.
And I suddenly turn and see
And then I unexpectedly notice
Your fabulous face
Your beautiful and attractive appearance.
I get no kick from champagne
I am not excited by luxury or indulgence,
Mere alcohol doesn't thrill me at all
Even drinking doesn't give me the same pleasure.
So, tell me, why should it be true
So I wonder why it's different
That I get a kick out of you?
That being around you brings me joy?
Some get a kick from cocaine
Some people enjoy the high from drugs like cocaine,
I'm sure that if I took even one sniff
But I am certain that if I tried it,
That would bore me terrifically too
It would fail to excite me just like everything else.
Yet I get a kick out of you
Yet being with you still brings me joy.
I get a kick every time I see
I feel excited and happy every time I catch a glimpse
You're standing there before me
Of you standing in front of me.
I get a kick though it's clear to see
I still feel joy even though it's obvious and apparent
You obviously do not adore me
That you don't have the same feelings for me.
I get no kick in a plane
I don't find pleasure in luxury travel or exotic adventures,
Flying too high with some gal in the sky
Even if I'm with an attractive companion on a plane,
Is my idea of nothing to do
It fails to stimulate my interest or excitement.
But I get a kick out of you
But being with you still brings me joy.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind