Goodman was regarded by some as a demanding taskmaster, by others an arrogant and eccentric martinet. Many musicians spoke of The Ray, Goodman's trademark glare that he bestowed on a musician who failed to perform to his demanding standards. Anita O'Day and Helen Forrest spoke bitterly of their experiences singing with Goodman. "The twenty or so months I spent with Benny felt like twenty years," said Forrest. "When I look back, they seem like a life sentence." He could also be incredibly self-absorbed; it is reported that when eating an egg onto which a ketchup bottle cap had fallen, Goodman simply ate around it. At the same time, there are reports that he privately funded several college educations and was sometimes very generous, though always secretly. When a friend asked him why one time, he reportedly said, "Well, if they knew about it, everyone would come to me with their hand out."
Some suggest that Elvis Presley had the same success with rock and roll that Goodman achieved with jazz and swing. Without Goodman there would not have been a swing era. It is true that many of Goodman's arrangements had been played for years before by Fletcher Henderson's orchestra. While Goodman publicly acknowledged his debt to Henderson, many young white swing fans had never heard Henderson's band. While most consider Goodman a jazz innovator, others maintain his main strength was his perfectionism and drive. Goodman was a non - pariel virtuoso clarinetist and -along with only Artie Shaw, amongst the most technically proficient jazz clarinetists of all time.
Goodman is also responsible for a significant step in racial integration in America. In the early 1930s, black and white jazz musicians could not play together in most clubs or concerts. In the Southern states, racial segregation was enforced by the Jim Crow laws. Benny Goodman broke with tradition by hiring Teddy Wilson to play with him ] in the Autumn of 1936. He then added Lionel Hampton on vibes in December, 1936, and in the early Summer of 1939 he augmented the famous "quartette" with pioneering jazz guitarist Charlie Christian to his band and small ensembles, who played with him until his untimely death from tuberculosis less than three years later. To give an understanding of American history at this time, Goodman's integration of popular music happened ten years before Jackie Robinson entered Major League Baseball. "[Goodman's] popularity was such that he could remain financially viable without touring the South, where he would have been subject to arrest for violating Jim Crow laws." By the mid- Summer of 1941, Benny had hired the incomparably rhythmic and show-man drummer, legendary "Big Sid" Catlett, the (later) famous John Simmons on bass, and still possessed the incomparable Charlie Christian on electric guitar -plus Cootie Williams was in the middle of his one-year contract... This amounted to virtually one-quarter of the orchestra of black heritage, but of course -following Jimmy Munday and Fletcher Henderson (who also joined the band as pianist for 6 months in July, 1939) it was really an orchestrated white extension of black big band jazz -only, curiously -better.
A Tisket A Tasket
Benny Goodman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A green and yellow basket
I bought a basket for my mommie
On the way I dropped it
I dropped it, I dropped it
Yes on the way I dropped it
A little girlie picked it up
And took it to the market
Avenue without a single thing to do
She was peck, peck, peckin' all around
When she spied it on the ground
A-Tisket A-Tasket
She took my yellow basket
And if she doesn't bring it back
I think that I shall die
(Was it red?)
No, no, no, no
(Was it brown?)
No, no, no, no
(Was it blue)
No, no, no, no
Just a little yellow basket
Benny Goodman's upbeat and catchy song "A-Tisket A-Tasket" tells the story of a little girl who lost her basket on the way to buy a basket for her mother. She dropped it while she was walking, and another little girl found it and took it to the market with her. The singer, who is likely the little girl who lost the basket, becomes anxious about not having the basket for her mother and muses over the color of the basket, eventually realizing it was a yellow basket. She frets that if the little girl doesn't bring the basket back, she will die. The song is joyful and fun and emphasizes the importance of possessions, especially when they hold sentimental value.
The message of the song is quite simple but it exemplifies a common human trait of valuing objects that have sentimental value to us. The song can be interpreted as a reflection of our emotional attachment towards things that we perceive to be important or that carry memories with them. The anxiety that the singer experiences reflects the worries and fears that we all have when we lose something that we value. The song's cheerful melody and playful lyrics make it an enduring classic and a beloved part of Goodman's repertoire.
Line by Line Meaning
A-Tisket A-Tasket
A phrase that emphasizes the topic and intention of the song
A green and yellow basket
A description of the basket in question
I bought a basket for my mommie
The singer bought the basket as a gift for their mother
On the way I dropped it
The artist accidentally dropped the basket while en route to their destination
I dropped it, I dropped it
Emphasizing the artist's mistake of dropping the basket
Yes on the way I dropped it
Reiterating that the singer dropped the basket on their journey
A little girlie picked it up
A young girl found the dropped basket
And took it to the market
The girl brought the basket to a nearby market
She was truckin' on down the Avenue without a single thing to do
The girl was casually walking down the street with nothing to occupy her time
She was peck, peck, peckin' all around
The girl was exploring and examining the surrounding area
When she spied it on the ground
The girl noticed the basket on the ground
A-Tisket A-Tasket
The girl picked up the basket for herself
She took my yellow basket
The girl took the singer's yellow basket for herself
And if she doesn't bring it back
The singer hopes the girl will eventually return the basket
I think that I shall die
The singer is overly dramatic and jokingly suggests they'll be heartbroken if they don't get the basket back
(Was it red?)
A hypothetical question asking if the basket was a different color
(No, no, no, no)
A response to the hypothetical question that the basket was not a different color
(Was it brown?)
Another hypothetical question asking if the basket was a different color
(No, no, no, no)
A response to the hypothetical question that the basket was not a different color
(Was it blue)
Yet another hypothetical question asking if the basket was a different color
(No, no, no, no)
A response to the hypothetical question that the basket was not a different color
Just a little yellow basket
The artist reiterates the true color of the lost basket
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ella Fitzgerald, Van Alexander
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind