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.
If I Could Be With You
Benny Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Almost completely divine
But his vocabulary
Is killin' this romance of mine
We get into an intimate situation
And then begins this Romeo's conversation
He says, "Murder," he says
He says, "Murder," he says
At a time like this
He says, "Murder," he says
Is that the language of love?
He says, "Solid," he says
Takes me in his arms
And says, "Solid," he says
Meanin' all my charms
He says, "Solid," he says
Is that the language of love?
He says, "Chick, chick, you torture me
Zoot! Are we livin'?"
I'm thinkin' o' leavin' him flat
He says, "Dig, dig, the jumps the old
Ticker is givin'"
Now, he can talk plainer than that
He says, "Murder,"' he says
Ev'ry time we kiss
He says, "Murder," he says
Keep it up like this
And that's, "Murder," he says
In that impossible tone
It will bring on nobody's murder but his own
He says, "Jackson," he says
And my name's Marie
He says, "Jackson," he says
'Shoot the snoot to me'
He says, "Jackson," he says
Is that the language of love?
He says, "Woof, woof," he says
When he likes my hat
He says, "Tsk, tsk," he says
What the heck is that?
He says, "Wooh, wooh," he says
Is that the language of love?
He says, "Hep, hep, with helium
Now babe, we're cookin'"
And other expressions to wit
He says, "We're in da groove
And da groove is good lookin'"
He sounds like his uppers don't fit
He says, "Murder"
He says, "Murder"
And the way he says, "Murder"
In that impossible tone
I've told him over and over and over again
That it'll be nobody else's murder but his own
The lyrics of Benny Carter's "If I Could Be With You" tell the story of a woman who has met a man she thinks is perfect, except for one problem: his strange way of speaking. Every time they kiss or cuddle, he uses odd phrases and expressions like "murder," "solid," and "jumps the old ticker is givin'" that make her cringe with embarrassment. Despite her attempts to talk to him about it, he continues to use these peculiar words, even when he's trying to be romantic. Eventually, she comes to the conclusion that if anyone is going to be "murdered" in this relationship, it will be him.
In many ways, the lyrics are a commentary on language and communication in relationships. The woman in the song is frustrated with her partner's inability to express himself in a way that feels authentic or natural. Instead, he relies on clichés and strange sayings that seem forced and out of place. At the same time, the lyrics also hint at the power dynamics that can exist in intimate relationships, with the woman ultimately deciding that she has had enough of this man's odd behavior.
Overall, Benny Carter's "If I Could Be With You" is a clever and witty song that comments on the quirks and foibles of romantic relationships. Through its playful lyrics and catchy melody, it offers a lighthearted take on the challenges that can arise when two people try to connect and communicate with one another.
Line by Line Meaning
Finally found a fella
Almost completely divine
But his vocabulary
Is killin' this romance of mine
I have found someone who is nearly perfect except for his language which is ruining our relationship
He says, "Murder," he says
Ev'ry time we kiss
He says, "Murder," he says
At a time like this
He says, "Murder," he says
Is that the language of love?
Whenever we kiss, he says 'Murder' which is not romantic at all and he asks if that is the language of love
He says, "Solid," he says
Takes me in his arms
And says, "Solid," he says
Meanin' all my charms
He says, "Solid," he says
Is that the language of love?
He takes me in his arms and says 'Solid' which means that he appreciates my charms and he asks if that is the language of love
He says, "Chick, chick, you torture me
Zoot! Are we livin'?"
I'm thinkin' o' leavin' him flat
He says, "Dig, dig, the jumps the old
Ticker is givin'"
Now, he can talk plainer than that
He uses strange words like 'Chick' and 'Zoot' and says that I am torturing him. I am thinking of leaving him because he talks in a confusing way but then he starts talking more clearly about his heart rate
He says, "Murder,"' he says
Ev'ry time we kiss
He says, "Murder," he says
Keep it up like this
And that's, "Murder," he says
In that impossible tone
It will bring on nobody's murder but his own
He keeps saying 'Murder' whenever we kiss and even encourages me to keep doing it. The way he says it is impossible and it will only lead to his own downfall
He says, "Jackson," he says
And my name's Marie
He says, "Jackson," he says
'Shoot the snoot to me'
He says, "Jackson," he says
Is that the language of love?
He keeps saying 'Jackson' which is not even my name and tells me to 'Shoot the snoot'. He asks if that is the language of love
He says, "Woof, woof," he says
When he likes my hat
He says, "Tsk, tsk," he says
What the heck is that?
He says, "Wooh, wooh," he says
Is that the language of love?
He makes animal noises like 'Woof woof' when he likes my hat and says 'Tsk tsk' when he doesn't understand something. He asks if that is the language of love
He says, "Hep, hep, with helium
Now babe, we're cookin'"
And other expressions to wit
He says, "We're in da groove
And da groove is good lookin'"
He sounds like his uppers don't fit
He uses expressions like 'Hep, hep with helium' and 'Da groove is good lookin'' which makes it seem like he's on drugs. He sounds like he's not right in the head
He says, "Murder"
He says, "Murder"
And the way he says, "Murder"
In that impossible tone
I've told him over and over and over again
That it'll be nobody else's murder but his own
He keeps saying 'Murder' in a strange way and I have told him many times that it will only lead to his own downfall
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