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 Surrender Dear
Benny Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sworn enemy of love
Kept my lips from saying
Things I was thinking of.
But now my pride you've humbled,
I've cast it to the winds,
Broken, beaten, sick at heart
My confession begins.
We've played the game of stay away
But it cost more that I can pay.
Without you I can't make my way,
I surrender, dear.
I may seem proud, I may act gay,
It's just a pose, I'm not that way,
'Cause deep down in my heart I say
I surrender, dear.
Little mean things we were doing
Must have been part of the game,
Lending a spice to the wooing,
But I don't care who's to blame.
When stars appear and shadows fall,
Why then you'll hear My poor heart call,
To you my love, my life, my all
I surrender, dear.
We've played the game of stay away
But it cost more that I can pay.
Without you I can't make my way,
I surrender, dear.
I may seem proud, I may act gay,
It's just a pose, I'm not that way,
'Cause deep down in my heart I say
I surrender, dear.
Little mean things we were doing
Must have been part of the game,
Lending a spice to the wooing,
But I don't care who's to blame.
When stars appear And shadows fall,
Why then you'll hear My poor heart call,
To you my love, my life, my all
The song "I Surrender Dear" by Benny Carter talks about the internal struggle of admitting one's love for another person. The first stanza talks about how the singer's pride had kept him from confessing his feelings. He refers to his pride as a "splendid liar" and a "sworn enemy of love." However, the second stanza shows that he is finally giving in and confessing to his love interest. He admits that without them, he cannot make it on his own. He also mentions the little mean things they did to each other in the past but says that they were just part of the game of wooing. The last stanza talks about how, despite all of the obstacles, his heart still calls out to the one he loves.
The lyrics of the song beautifully capture the complex emotions that go along with confessing one's love. It shows the struggle of wanting someone but not wanting to admit it due to pride or fear of rejection. However, the chorus, "I surrender, dear" shows that in the end, love wins out over pride.
Line by Line Meaning
Pride, sad, splendid liar,
Despite appearing powerful and grand, my pride is actually a deceitful and miserable thing.
Sworn enemy of love
My pride prevents me from expressing my true feelings for someone I love.
Kept my lips from saying
I have held back from speaking my mind and expressing my love.
Things I was thinking of.
I have kept my feelings to myself, unsaid and bottled up inside.
But now my pride you've humbled,
You have made me realize the foolishness of my pride, and brought me down to earth.
I've cast it to the winds,
I have let go of my pride, and opened myself up to vulnerability and honesty.
Broken, beaten, sick at heart
I am filled with sadness and regret, feeling defeated and brokenhearted.
My confession begins.
I am finally ready to speak the truth and confess my long-hidden feelings.
We've played the game of stay away
We have been keeping our distance from each other, perhaps out of fear or uncertainty.
But it cost more that I can pay.
This game has come at a great cost to us, and I can no longer bear it.
Without you I can't make my way,
I need you in my life more than anything else.
I surrender, dear.
I am giving up the fight and submitting to my feelings for you.
I may seem proud, I may act gay,
I might appear confident and carefree on the surface, but that is just a front.
It's just a pose, I'm not that way,
In reality, I am not as self-assured or lighthearted as I seem.
'Cause deep down in my heart I say
My true feelings for you are buried deep within my heart.
Little mean things we were doing
Perhaps we were toying with each other, playing games and being hurtful at times.
Must have been part of the game,
This back-and-forth was all a part of the complicated dance we have been doing.
Lending a spice to the wooing,
These little acts of cruelty or teasing may have added some excitement and passion to our courtship.
But I don't care who's to blame.
Ultimately, I don't want to lay blame or focus on any negative aspects of the past.
When stars appear and shadows fall,
In those quiet and intimate moments, I cannot help but think of you.
Why then you'll hear My poor heart call,
My heart aches for you, and it shows in every beat.
To you my love, my life, my all
You are my everything, my love and my entire world.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Integrity Music
Written by: GORDON CLIFFORD, HARRY BARRIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind