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.
Don'Be That Way
Benny Goodman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No one ever knows
Just like that, it only took a minute
And I belong to you
You can never tell
That's how fast I fell
I just thought that there was nothing in it
Now I thought that I was clever
You couldn't take me by surprise
But I found I'd be in love forever
The moment I looked in your eyes
That's the way it goes
No one ever knows
Here's my heart and you deserve to win it
For that's the way it goes.
The song "That's The Way It Goes" by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra talks about how unexpected falling in love can be. The lyrics suggest that love happens when we least expect it, and it's never possible to predict when the right person will come along. The song opens with the line "That's the way it goes," emphasizing the idea that love is just one of life's unpredictable events. The line "No one ever knows" also highlights this idea, as it suggests that love is a mystery that we can never truly understand.
The song then goes on to describe how quickly falling in love can happen. The line "Just like that, it only took a minute" suggests that love can hit us suddenly and without warning. The singer admits that they "thought that there was nothing in it," but quickly realizes that they were wrong. This emphasizes the idea that love can be unexpected, and we may not even realize we're falling until it's too late.
The lyrics also touch on the idea that love can make us feel vulnerable. The line "Now I thought that I was clever" suggests that the singer thought they were in control of the situation, but then realized that they were completely at the mercy of their emotions. The line "You couldn't take me by surprise" suggests that the singer believed they were immune to love's charms, but then found out they were wrong. This highlights the idea that love can make us feel powerless, even if we think we're in control.
Line by Line Meaning
That's the way it goes
Life is unpredictable and can take unexpected turns
No one ever knows
We cannot anticipate the outcomes of life with certainty
Just like that, it only took a minute
Love can happen unexpectedly and quickly
And I belong to you
The singer has fallen in love with the person listening to the song
You can never tell
You can't predict when true love will come your way
That's how fast I fell
The singer fell in love with the listener incredibly quickly
I just thought that there was nothing in it
The singer didn't expect to fall in love
But that is far from true
The singer realizes that there was more to the relationship than they initially thought
Now I thought that I was clever
The singer believed themselves to be smart and in control of their emotions
You couldn't take me by surprise
The listener didn't expect to catch the singer's heart
But I found I'd be in love forever
The singer realized that their love was strong and true
The moment I looked in your eyes
The singer fell in love with the listener when they saw them
Here's my heart and you deserve to win it
The singer is offering their heart to the person they love
For that's the way it goes.
Love can be unpredictable and lead us down unexpected paths
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DON PARKER, MORRIS LEVY, RAOUL CITA, RAOUL J CITA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@streetofdreams4538
Love it, both words & music!
"April skies are in your eyes
But darling, don't be blue
Don't cry,
Oh honey please
Don't be that way
Clouds in the sky
Should never make you feel that way
The rain
Will bring the violets of May
Tears are in vain
So honey please don't be that way
As long as we
See it through
You'll have me
I'll have you
Sweetheart
Tomorrow is another day
Don't break my heart
Oh honey, please don't be that way"
@johnireland6301
Benny Goodman was pure perfection. A master of the craft and very much appreciated by so many
@brigidpower22
Heard him play this number at the Royal Albert Hall and it blew me away. Wonderful melodic music.
@JamesS001
Hello Brigid, how are things going with you?
@garywest8705
When music was pleasing and satisfying to listen to. I long for those days. Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Jimmy Dorsey, and many other greats.
@streetofdreams4538
Love it, both words & music!
"April skies are in your eyes
But darling, don't be blue
Don't cry,
Oh honey please
Don't be that way
Clouds in the sky
Should never make you feel that way
The rain
Will bring the violets of May
Tears are in vain
So honey please don't be that way
As long as we
See it through
You'll have me
I'll have you
Sweetheart
Tomorrow is another day
Don't break my heart
Oh honey, please don't be that way"
@donnyrichard4644
Just scintillating music. This is from my era and love it. 85 years young.
@DavedinomanThomas
donny richard
I am right behind you. Nothing beats the Big Band Sound. I am swinging as I write this.....lol
@chetpomeroy1399
Now in my late-50's--it's strange to me that I didn't develop an appreciation for this high-quality music decades ago! In those days, I even lived near a radio station that broadcast the swing/big-band format! Let me tell you, these artists had CLASS, which is sorely lacking on the airwaves today!
@davidmaslow399
Cool!
@loraealmgren5718
Yes, don’t count some of us out we’re
We not that far behind you!