Benny Goodman, born Benjamin David Goodman, (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) … Read Full Bio ↴Benny Goodman, born Benjamin David Goodman, (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American jazz musician, known as King of Swing, Patriarch of the Clarinet, The Professor, and Swing's Senior Statesman.

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.

I Didn't Know What Time It Was
Benny Goodman Lyrics

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Once I was young
Yesterday, perhaps
Danced with Jim and Paul
And kissed some other chaps.
Once I was young,
But never was naive.
I thought I had a trick or two
Up my imaginary sleeve.

[Chorus:]
I didn't know what time it was,
Then I met you.
Oh, what a lovely time it was,
How sublime it was too!
I didn't know what time it was,
You held my hand.
Warm like the month of May it was,
And I'll say it was grand.
Grand to be alive, to be young,
To be mad, to be yours alone!
Grand to see your face, feel your touch,
Hear your voice say I'm all your own.
I didn't know what time it was,
Life was no prize.
I wanted love and here it was
Shining out of your eyes.
I'm wise,
And I know what time it is now

Once I was old
Twenty years or so
Rather well preserved,
The wrinkles didn't show.
Once I ws old,
But not too old for fun.
I used to hunt for little girls
Up my imaginary gun.
But now I aim for only one!

[Chorus]

Overall Meaning

In Benny Goodman's song I Didn't Know What Time It Was, the singer reflects on their youth and how they thought they knew everything, but upon meeting the person they're singing to they realized they didn't know anything. The first verse speaks to how the singer has had experiences in their youth, like dancing and kissing, but thought they had it all figured out. They thought they had tricks up their sleeves and were not naive. However, upon meeting the person they're singing to, they've had a paradigm shift. The chorus echoes this realization because they had never experienced love before and it was a wonderful and sublime experience. They also mention the person's touch, voice, and face being all they needed to feel complete. The final verse speaks to how even when the singer got older and tried to chase after younger women, there was still only one person they truly had their sights set on.

This song is a reflection on how love can change us and make us realize how little we knew before we truly fell in love. The singer's realization that they didn't know what time it was refers to the idea that they were living their life unaware of the love that they were missing out on. This song speaks to how we can be so sure of ourselves, but then upon meeting the right person, all of our prior beliefs can be shattered by that connection. The singer realizes that life was no prize before they met the person they're singing to, but after meeting them, they have a newfound awareness of the power and beauty of love.

Line by Line Meaning

Once I was young
When I was younger

Yesterday, perhaps
It could have been recently or a long time ago

Danced with Jim and Paul
I used to dance with men named Jim and Paul

And kissed some other chaps.
I kissed other men too

Once I was young,
When I was younger

But never was naive.
I was always smart and aware

I thought I had a trick or two
I believed I was clever enough

Up my imaginary sleeve.
To have something left to reveal

I didn't know what time it was,
I didn't know what love was

Then I met you.
Until I met you

Oh, what a lovely time it was,
I had an incredible time

How sublime it was too!
It was enchanting

You held my hand.
You took my hand

Warm like the month of May it was,
It was very warm and pleasant

And I'll say it was grand.
It was wonderful

Grand to be alive, to be young,
It's great to be alive and young

To be mad, to be yours alone!
Crazy about you and only you

Grand to see your face, feel your touch,
It's amazing to see your face and feel your touch

Hear your voice say I'm all your own.
When you tell me that I belong to you

I didn't know what time it was,
I didn't know what love was

Life was no prize.
Life wasn't good

I wanted love and here it was
I wanted love and I found it

Shining out of your eyes.
I saw it in your eyes

I'm wise,
I'm now wise

And I know what time it is now
I know what love is now

Once I was old
When I was older

Twenty years or so
Around twenty years

Rather well preserved,
I was still looking good

The wrinkles didn't show.
My wrinkles were hidden

Once I ws old,
When I was older

But not too old for fun.
Still young enough for fun

I used to hunt for little girls
I used to look for young girls

Up my imaginary gun.
Like I was hunting with a gun

But now I aim for only one!
But now I only have one target

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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