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.
Dinah
Benny Goodman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gave me Dinah;
I'm the proudest one
Beneath the Dixie sun.
News is spreadin'
'Bout our weddin';
I hear church bells ringin',
Dinah,
Is there anyone finer
In the state of Carolina?
If there is and you know her,
Show her!
Dinah,
With her Dixie eyes blazin',
How I love to sit and gaze in
To the eyes of Dinah Lee!
Yet, every night,
My, how I shake with fright,
Because my Dinah might,
Change her mind about me!
But if Dinah,
Ever wandered to China,
I would hop an ocean liner,
Just to be with Dinah Lee!
Dinah,
Is there anyone finer
In the state of Carolina?
If there is and you know her,
Show her!
Dinah,
With her Dixie eyes blazin',
How I love to sit and gaze in
To the eyes of Dinah Lee!
Yet, every night,
My, how I shake with fright,
Because my Dinah might,
Change her mind about me!
But if Dinah,
Ever wandered to China,
I would hop an ocean!,
Just to be with Dinah Lee!
Benny Goodman's song 'Dinah' is an ode to his lover named Dinah, who he got from Carolina, and he claims to be the proudest man in the Dixie sun. The song is a public declaration of his love and commitment to her. The first two lines are remarkable, where he acknowledges that he has been gifted the best and beautiful thing in the form of Dinah. The news about their wedding is spreading, and he is thrilled to hear the church bells ringing. He expresses his feelings in the way he sings this song, which keeps his heart singing all day long.
The chorus of the song is catchy and soulful as he speaks about how there is nobody finer than Dinah in the state of Carolina. He urges anyone who claims there is someone fine to show her. The second verse speaks about Dinah's beautiful eyes, which captures his heart, and he loves gazing into them. However, he is haunted by the thought of her changing her mind about him at night, and it scares him to his core. If Dinah were to leave for China, he would cross oceans to be with her.
Line by Line Meaning
Carolina
The state where the singer met Dinah.
Gave me Dinah;
Metaphorically, Carolina presented the singer with Dinah, or introduced him to her.
I'm the proudest one
Dinah's love makes the singer very proud and happy.
Beneath the Dixie sun.
The artist's joy comes from being in Dixie, the historic homeland of African Americans.
News is spreadin'
People are talking about the artist and Dinah getting married.
'Bout our weddin';
Everyone is discussing the upcoming wedding between the singer and Dinah.
I hear church bells ringin',
The singer hears the bells of the church that will host his wedding with Dinah.
Here's the song my heart keeps singin':
The artist has a special song in his heart that he associates with Dinah.
Dinah,
The name of the artist's lover.
Is there anyone finer
The artist believes there is no one better than Dinah in Carolina.
In the state of Carolina?
The singer believes Dinah is the finest woman in Carolina.
If there is and you know her,
If there is someone finer than Dinah in Carolina, tell the artist.
Show her!
Challenging anyone who thinks there is someone finer to prove it by introducing her.
With her Dixie eyes blazin',
Dinah's eyes shine with the brightness and fire of Dixie, where she is from.
How I love to sit and gaze in
The singer loves to just sit and admire Dinah, looking into her eyes.
To the eyes of Dinah Lee!
The artist loves to look into the eyes of his beloved, Dinah.
Yet, every night,
Despite his love for Dinah, the artist is still unsure of her true feelings.
My, how I shake with fright,
He is scared that Dinah might change her mind about him.
Because my Dinah might,
The singer is worried about the possibility of Dinah leaving him.
Change her mind about me!
He fears that Dinah might start to feel differently about him.
But if Dinah,
Despite his fears, the artist knows that he will always follow Dinah.
Ever wandered to China,
Even if Dinah went to China, the artist would follow her there, no matter the distance or difficulty.
I would hop an ocean liner,
He would take any means necessary to travel and be reunited with her.
Just to be with Dinah Lee!
The artist's love for Dinah is so strong that he would cross any obstacle just to be with her.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harry Akst, Samuel M. Lewis, Joseph Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bobboscarato1313
It was recorded the day I was born 83 years ago!
@Leeeleee17
Beautiful!
@mattinthehat8361
I love the crescendo at 1:37
@raphaelbeck229
I hear a Cuphead's Threatening Zeppelin reference! <3
@bibi1944
I don't I live next door
@Veranek
Well, Cuphead is all about 30's jazz and you are right.
@Krumpulous
That's what the composer for Cuphead was going for, an homage to this era of jazz music and probably Lionel Hampton/Milt Jackson themselves. They are titans in vibraphone jazz history.