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.
Blues In The Night
Benny Goodman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I was in knee pants,
My mama done tol' me, Son!
A woman'll sweet talk
And give ya the big eye;
But when the sweet talkin's done,
A woman's a two face
A worrisome thing
The blues in the night
Now the rain's a-fallin',
Hear the train a-callin'
Whoo-ee (my mama done tol' me)
Hear that lonesome whistle
Blowin' `cross the trestle,
Whoo-ee (my mama done tol' me)
A whoo-ee-duh-whoo-ee, ol' clickety clack's
A-echoin' back the blues in the night
The evenin' breeze'll start the trees to cryin'
And the moon'll hide its light
When you get the blues in the night
Take my word, the mockin' bird'll
Sing the saddest kind o' song
He knows things are wrong and he's right
From Natchez to Mobile,
From Memphis to St. Jo,
Wherever the four winds blow,
I been in some big towns,
An' heard me some big talk,
But there is one thing I know
A woman's a two face,
A worrisome thing
Who'll leave ya t'sing the blues in the night.
My mama was right,
There's blues in the night.
Benny Goodman's song "Blues in the Night" is a mournful melody about deception in relationships. The lyrics begin with a reminiscence of the singer’s childhood when his mother advised him about women. She warned him that women can charm men into thinking that they are sincere, when actually they have two faces. They can be insincere, which can be distressful, and leave one to feel melancholic as the "blues in the night" kick in. The second verse details an instance of the helplessness of the singer as the rain begins to fall and the train whistle blows eerily. This further accentuates the sadness and misery that comes along with the ‘blues in the night’. The third verse develops the theme of deception with the image of a mockingbird singing a sorrowful song to express the wronging that has occurred.
The lyrics suggest that the blues is an excellent antidote to the false assurances of a deceitful woman. It seems that the song is about warning other people to be careful when dealing with women, to avoid getting their hopes up, as they could end up blue with disappointment. The tune is melancholic, and the lyrics are haunting, conveying overwhelming sadness, pain, and disappointment that come with betrayal, especially in romantic affairs.
Line by Line Meaning
My mama done tol' me,
My mother told me,
When I was in knee pants,
When I was a child,
My mama done tol' me, Son!
My mother specifically told her son,
A woman'll sweet talk
Women will speak kindly and flatteringly to you
And give ya the big eye;
And give you a seductive look;
But when the sweet talkin's done,
But after the seductive words have left her lips,
A woman's a two face
Women have two sides to them,
A worrisome thing
This duality can be troubling,
Who'll leave ya t'sing
And might leave you singing,
The blues in the night
A song of sorrow and regret
Now the rain's a-fallin',
Now there is rain falling,
Hear the train a-callin'
Hear the train whistle blow,
Whoo-ee (my mama done tol' me)
In other words, 'I told you so'
Hear that lonesome whistle
Hear that forlorn sound of the whistle
Blowin' 'cross the trestle,
Blowing across the bridge,
Whoo-ee (my mama done tol' me)
In other words, 'I told you so'
A whoo-ee-duh-whoo-ee, ol' clickety clack's
The sound of the train is echoing back, sounding like 'whoo-ee-duh-whoo-e.' The sound of the train on the tracks is also prominent,
A-echoin' back the blues in the night
Echoing the sorrowful song of regret
The evenin' breeze'll start the trees to cryin'
The evening breeze will make the trees rustle mournfully
And the moon'll hide its light
The moon will hide behind the clouds
When you get the blues in the night
All of these things add to the sadness one feels when they have the 'blues in the night.'
Take my word, the mockin' bird'll
Take my word for it, even the mockingbird will
Sing the saddest kind o' song
Sing a sad and mournful song
He knows things are wrong and he's right
Even the bird knows something is wrong and is singing about it
From Natchez to Mobile,
From Natchez to Mobile cities,
From Memphis to St. Jo,
From Memphis to St. Joseph
Wherever the four winds blow,
Wherever the wind will take him, he has heard things.
I been in some big towns,
I have traveled to some significant places.
An' heard me some big talk,
And heard some fancy language,
But there is one thing I know
But one essential thing is consistent,
A woman's a two face,
Women can have two different personalities,
A worrisome thing
This can be a source of concern,
Who'll leave ya t'sing the blues in the night.
Because it may make you feel regretful and set you singing 'the blues in the night'
My mama was right,
As it turns out, my mother was correct,
There's blues in the night.
The night has a melancholy aura.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@scottfree4100
My mama done tol' me
When I was in pigtails
My mama done tol' me
A man's gonna sweet-talk and give you the big eyes
But when the sweet-talking's done
A man is a two-face, a worrisome thing
Who'll leave you to sing the blues in the night
Now the rain's a-fallin'
Hear the train a-callin, "whoo-ee!"
My mama done tol' me
Hear that lonesome whistle blowin' 'cross the trestle, "whoo-ee!"
My mama done tol' me
A-whooee-ah-whooee ol' clickety-clack's
A-echoin' back the blues in the night
The evenin' breeze'll start the trees to cryin'
And the moon'll hide it's light
When you get the blues in the night
Take my word, the mockingbird'll sing the saddest kind of song
He knows things are wrong, and he's right
From Natchez to mobile
From Memphis to St. Joe
Wherever the four winds blow
I been in some big towns
And heard me some big talk
But there is one thing I know
A man's a two-face, a worrisome thing
Who'll leave you to sing the blues in the night
The evenin' breeze'll start the trees to cryin'
And the moon'll hide it's light
When you get the blues in the night
Take my word, the mockingbird'll sing the saddest kind of song
He knows things are wrong, and he's right
From Natchez to mobile
From Memphis to St. Joe
Wherever the four winds blow
I been in some big towns
And heard me some big talk
But there is one thing I know
A man's a two-face, a worrisome thing
Who'll leave ya to sing the blues in the night
Yes, the lonely, lonely blues in the night
@cookieceo3938
This music just feels so good. That bluesy beat. makes your body just sway and move so easy. Great musicians and great vocals.
@chriscorman734
Benny definitely loved the blues. Fletcher Henderson had a great affect on him and Peggy my gosh that voice haven sent
@josephw2905
21 years old here Peggy was! Thank you Benny for introducing her to us, promoting here and launching her career
@SuperHartline
The music accompaniment by Benny Goodman fell out of heaven. And Peggy was equal to it as always.
@Seabasstien
Peggy Lee was awesome, she had great rhythm and feeling.
@karajokoo
Heavenly tune by Peggy Lee & Goodman's orchestra.
@edwarddejong8025
A great version. 1941 was so strong musically.
@scottfree4100
My mama done tol' me
When I was in pigtails
My mama done tol' me
A man's gonna sweet-talk and give you the big eyes
But when the sweet-talking's done
A man is a two-face, a worrisome thing
Who'll leave you to sing the blues in the night
Now the rain's a-fallin'
Hear the train a-callin, "whoo-ee!"
My mama done tol' me
Hear that lonesome whistle blowin' 'cross the trestle, "whoo-ee!"
My mama done tol' me
A-whooee-ah-whooee ol' clickety-clack's
A-echoin' back the blues in the night
The evenin' breeze'll start the trees to cryin'
And the moon'll hide it's light
When you get the blues in the night
Take my word, the mockingbird'll sing the saddest kind of song
He knows things are wrong, and he's right
From Natchez to mobile
From Memphis to St. Joe
Wherever the four winds blow
I been in some big towns
And heard me some big talk
But there is one thing I know
A man's a two-face, a worrisome thing
Who'll leave you to sing the blues in the night
The evenin' breeze'll start the trees to cryin'
And the moon'll hide it's light
When you get the blues in the night
Take my word, the mockingbird'll sing the saddest kind of song
He knows things are wrong, and he's right
From Natchez to mobile
From Memphis to St. Joe
Wherever the four winds blow
I been in some big towns
And heard me some big talk
But there is one thing I know
A man's a two-face, a worrisome thing
Who'll leave ya to sing the blues in the night
Yes, the lonely, lonely blues in the night
@Voxpopoli8753
Discovered Peggy Lee earlier this year 2021.....( slow learner)....my fav ..."Is this as good as it gets"...bought her Greatest Hits on EBAY....
@stanpommer3417
Ah, the good old days with Peggy Lee. I feel good.