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.
The More I See You
Benny Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Each time you're near me the thrill is new
And there is nothing that I wouldn't do for
The rare delight of the sight of you for
The more I see you, the more I want you
Somehow this feeling just grows and grows
With every sigh I become more mad about you
Can you imagine how much I love you?
The more I see you as years go by
I know the only one for me can only be you
My arms won't free you, my heart won't try
I know the only one for me can only be you
My arms won't free you, my heart won't try
Benny Cater's song "The More I See You" is a classic love song that describes the indescribable feeling of being in-love. The song is about the joy of being with someone you love and the way in which that love grows stronger with every interaction. The lyrics suggest that falling in love is something that never gets old, and that the mere sight of that person can fill you with joy and excitement.
The opening line, "Each time I look at you is like the first time," sets the tone for the rest of the song. It suggests that even after spending so much time with this person, the singer still feels that same spark of attraction that they felt the first time they met. The line "And there is nothing that I wouldn't do for" emphasizes the singer's total devotion to their beloved. The phrase "rare delight of the sight of you" indicates that seeing the person is a joy that comes around only occasionally, making it all the more special.
As the song continues, the chorus accentuates the theme of deepening love. The more the singer sees their beloved, the more they realize they want to be with them. Every time they long for that person, it sounds like it drives them deeper into love. When the singer sings "Can you imagine how much I love you?" it feels like an expression of such great love that mere words cannot convey.
In the end, the singer makes a clear declaration that this person is the only one for them. Even if they tried, they could never imagine being with anyone else. This idea is emphasized in the closing line "My arms won't free you, my heart won't try" - the singer is committed to this love, and nothing could ever change that.
Line by Line Meaning
Each time I look at you is like the first time
Every time I gaze upon you, it feels as if it's our initial encounter.
Each time you're near me the thrill is new
Just being in your proximity continues to deliver an electric sensation every single time.
And there is nothing that I wouldn't do for
There isn't anything in my power that I wouldn't attempt to make you feel happy.
The rare delight of the sight of you for
The sheer pleasure of just having the opportunity to lay my eyes on you.
The more I see you, the more I want you
As I witness you more often, the intensity of my desire to be close to you increases.
Somehow this feeling just grows and grows
This emotion grows without reason or sign of subsiding.
With every sigh I become more mad about you
With each deep breath, my love for you is inflamed and unrestrainable.
More lost without you and so it goes
Without you, I would be aimlessly wandering in this world without direction.
Can you imagine how much I love you?
Have you ever considered the boundless depth of love that I possess for you?
The more I see you as years go by
Even throughout the years, as I continue to lay my eyes upon you, my love remains ever-growing.
I know the only one for me can only be you
I am fully aware that nobody but you can be the one for me.
My arms won't free you, my heart won't try
I promise to always hold you tightly, and I vow to never let go of you in my heart.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Mack Gordon, Harry Warren
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind