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 Want to Be Happy
Benny Goodman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trying to work out life's happy plan
Doing unto others as I'd like to have them doing unto me
When I find a very lonely soul
Soon be-kinda-comes my only goal
I feel so much better when I tell them my philosophy
But I won't be happy
Till I make you happy too.
Life's really worth living
When we are mirth giving
Why can't I give some to you
When skies are gray and you say you are blue
I'll send the sun smiling through
I want to be happy
But I won't be happy
Till I make you happy too.
When skies are gray and you say you are blue
I'll send the sun smiling through
I want to be happy
But I won't be happy
Till I make you happy too.
The lyrics of Benny Goodman's "I Want to Be Happy" describe an ordinary man who is attempting to figure out how to lead a happy life. His simple strategy for happiness is doing unto others as he would have them do unto him, therefore he seeks to help lonely souls by sharing his philosophy. The singer claims that sharing his philosophy makes him feel better, implying that helping others brings him happiness.
The chorus of the song repeats the singer's desire to be happy, but he acknowledges that he cannot achieve happiness unless he makes others happy as well. He believes that life is worth living when we bring joy and merriment to others, and this motivates him to want to make others happy.
The final verse of the song is noteworthy, as it suggests that the singer is willing to go the extra mile to cheer someone up. When someone else is feeling down, he is willing to send the sun shining through the gray clouds, thereby highlighting his altruistic nature.
Overall, the lyrics of "I Want to Be Happy" promote a simple message of kindness and generosity, implying that true happiness can be found by making others happy.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm a very ordinary man
I am just an average person, nothing special or extraordinary about me.
Trying to work out life's happy plan
I am attempting to figure out how to lead a happy life.
Doing unto others as I'd like to have them doing unto me
I treat people the way I would want to be treated myself.
When I find a very lonely soul
When I come across someone who seems to be alone and in need of companionship,
Soon be-kinda-comes my only goal
my primary objective becomes to provide them with some form of company or support.
I feel so much better when I tell them my philosophy
I derive great satisfaction from sharing my beliefs and ideas with them.
I want to be happy
I desire to feel content and fulfilled with my life.
But I won't be happy
However, I know that I cannot achieve happiness on my own.
Till I make you happy too.
I must also work to make those around me happy and fulfilled before I can hope to achieve that same feeling.
Life's really worth living
Life has value and meaning, and is worth experiencing fully.
When we are mirth giving
When we are able to bring joy and happiness to others,
Why can't I give some to you
I want to be able to share that feeling of happiness with you as well.
When skies are gray and you say you are blue
When you are feeling sad, unhappy, or in despair,
I'll send the sun smiling through
I will try to bring joy and brightness back into your life and make you happy once again.
I want to be happy
I want to experience true happiness and fulfillment in my life.
But I won't be happy
However, I cannot achieve that happiness alone.
Till I make you happy too.
I must work to make those around me happy as well, before I can be truly happy myself.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Irving Caesar, Vincent Youmans
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
YoxeLouix
Fantástico!!! I love it!
YoxeLouix
Thanks you!
Joyce Chi
love it!
fernando fernandez mendoza oficial
Increible, lo maximo, puros maestros
FernandOrtizdeUrbina
Goodman, Urbie Green (tb), Flip Phillips (tenor sax), Jack Sheldon (tp), John Bunch (piano) with Red Norvo's combo (Jerry Dodgion on alto, Jimmy Wyble on guitar, Red Wooten on bass, John Markham on drums).
Nearenuf Oldaze
Thank you! I appreciate having all the names of these great musicians!
GlennMillerMusic1944
Bit late but am absolutely crazy for this clip thanks for posting in full ❤
Aria Cannavo
Cool 😅if only I could play THAT well!!! 🎉
Marc-Antoine LOPEZ
Magnifique !
Spyder Logan
It's my opinion that Benny Goodman was 2nd only to Louis Armstrong as the Most Influential Jazz Musician of the 20th Century 'Satchmo'..there's a lot of musicians you could name, easy, in the Top 5 and you have your favorites. At this performance he was 51, way past his 'trailblazing' pre-war years. A gigantic radio star in that era and some would say that August 21, 1935, at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles(when the band changed arrangements to Fletcher Henderson's and Spud Murphy's) the dance audience exploded...and the Swing Era was born. He also had, at one time, the first Lead Guitar player, the legendary Charlie Christian too. Benny Goodman, a Giant in the Pantheon of American Popular Music.