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.
Carry Me Back
Benny Goodman Lyrics
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I let you
We broke the ties that bind
I wanted to forget you
And leave the past behind
Still, the magic of the night I met you
Seems to stay forever in my mind
And high above
The moon was new
And so was love
This eager heart of mine was singing
Lover where can you be
You came at last
Love had its day
That day is past
You've gone away
This aching heart of mine is singing
Lover come back to me
When I remember every little thing
You used to do
I'm so lonely
Every road I walk along
I walk along with you
No wonder I am lonely
The sky is blue
The night is cold
The moon is new
But love is old
And while I'm waiting here
This heart of mine is singing
Lover come back to me
When I remember every little thing
You used to do
I grow lonely
Every road I walk along
I walk along with you
No wonder I am lonely
The sky is blue
The night is cold
The moon is new
But love is old
And while I'm waiting here
This heart of mine is singing
Lover come back to me
The lyrics to Benny Goodman and His Orchestra's song Lover Come Back to Me tell the timeless story of lost love and the longing to be reunited with that special someone. The singer laments that they let their lover go and tried to forget them, but the memories of the night they met and the love they shared continue to haunt them. The imagery of the "blue" sky, "new" moon, and "eager" heart all contribute to the sense of hope and anticipation that the singer feels as they sing, "Lover where can you be?"
Despite finally reuniting with their lover, the singer acknowledges that the love they shared is now in the past and their partner has once again gone away. As they walk along lonely roads and remember every little thing their lover used to do, they long for their return, singing, "Lover come back to me."
Overall, the lyrics to Lover Come Back to Me evoke a sense of nostalgia and heartache while also offering a glimmer of hope for the future. The theme of lost love and the desire for a second chance is one that has resonated with listeners throughout the years and continues to do so to this day.
Line by Line Meaning
You went away
You left me
I let you
I didn't stop you from leaving
We broke the ties that bind
We ended our relationship
I wanted to forget you
I tried to erase you from my memory
And leave the past behind
And move on from what we had
Still, the magic of the night I met you
But I can't forget the special moment we first met
Seems to stay forever in my mind
That moment remains vividly in my memory
The sky was blue
The day was bright and clear
And high above
In the sky far above us
The moon was new
The moon was young and fresh
And so was love
And so was our love
This eager heart of mine was singing
I was excited and hopeful about our future together
Lover where can you be
I'm searching for you and wonder where you are
You came at last
You finally returned to me
Love had its day
Our love had a happy time together
That day is past
But that happy time is over
You've gone away
You left me again
This aching heart of mine is singing
I'm in pain and longing for you
Lover come back to me
I want you to come back to me and our love
When I remember every little thing
When I recall every detail of our time together
You used to do
The things you used to say and do
I'm so lonely
I'm feeling very isolated
Every road I walk along
Every path I take
I walk along with you
I feel like you're with me, even though you're not
No wonder I am lonely
No wonder I feel so alone
The sky is blue
The day is shining again
The night is cold
The night is chilly and dark
The moon is new
The moon is still young, but not our love
But love is old
Our love has been around for a long time
And while I'm waiting here
As I wait for you to return
This heart of mine is singing
My heart is still longing for you
Lover come back to me
Please come back to me, my love
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, TuneCore Inc., CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, O/B/O DistroKid, ONErpm, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN, II, OSCAR II HAMMERSTEIN, SIGMUND ROMBERG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind