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.
It's Only a Paper Moon
Benny Goodman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sailing over a cardboard sea
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me
Yes, it's only a canvas sky
Hanging over a muslin tree
But it wouldn't be make-believe
Without your love
It's a honky tonk parade
Without your love
It's a melody played in a penny arcade
It's a Barnum and Bailey world
Just as phony as it can be
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me
Say, it's only a paper moon
Sailing over a cardboard sea
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me
Yes, it's only a canvas sky
Hanging over a muslin tree
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me
Without your love
It's a honky-tonk parade
Without your love
It's a melody played in a penny arcade
It's a Barnum and Bailey world
Just as phony as it can be
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me
It's phony it's plain to see
How happy I would be
If you believed in me
Benny Goodman's song "It's Only a Paper Moon" incorporates images of the surreal and the fantastical to explore themes of love and the power of belief. The song opens with the refrain "Say, it's only a paper moon, sailing over a cardboard sea / But it wouldn't be make-believe if you believed in me." These lines establish the central metaphor of the song: the idea that the world can be transformed into a more magical and meaningful place through the power of belief. The song goes on to describe other fantastical elements, such as a "canvas sky" and a "muslin tree," and suggests that these elements would be real if one simply believed in their existence.
The remainder of the song describes a world that is essentially empty and meaningless without love. The lines "Without your love, it's a honky-tonk parade / Without your love, it's a melody played in a penny arcade" suggest that the world is nothing more than a cheap performance or a shallow source of entertainment without the presence of love. In this way, the song suggests that belief and love are two important components of a fulfilling life - and that they are intimately connected.
Overall, "It's Only a Paper Moon" is a song about the transformative power of belief, and the way that love makes the world a more meaningful and magical place.
Line by Line Meaning
Say, it's only a paper moon
Let me be clear, what you're seeing is only a representation of reality
Sailing over a cardboard sea
This paper moon is moving along an artificial ocean made of cardboard
But it wouldn't be make-believe
However, this fantasy wouldn't be an illusion
If you believed in me
If you have trust in me as a person, this paper moon could be much more than just a decoration
Yes, it's only a canvas sky
Similarly, what you're seeing up there is simply a representation of the sky
Hanging over a muslin tree
This canvas sky is hanging over a tree made of muslin
Without your love
In the absence of your affection
It's a honky-tonk parade
Everything around me seems like a dishonest, frivolous celebration
It's a melody played in a penny arcade
It's like the background music of a cheap, commercial amusement park
It's a Barnum and Bailey world
In fact, everything is a metaphor for a circus, a spectacle made of trickery and illusion
Just as phony as it can be
Everything is as fake as possible
But it wouldn't be make-believe
However, there's a chance that all of these illusions could turn into truth
If you believed in me
If you trusted me and believed in me, all of this could become genuine
It's phony it's plain to see
It's undoubtedly evident that things aren't genuine
How happy I would be
Considering how things are, I'd be extremely happy
If you believed in me
If only you had faith in me
Lyrics © S.A. MUSIC, SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
Written by: BILLY ROSE, E.Y. HARBURG, HAROLD ARLEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hungry Dragon Vs Frightend Hobbit
I've got this original record in glorious 78 rpm shellac. It's fantastic.
Asko Varjorinne
Good old Benny thank´s to memories!!!🎶🎶💫💫
K Hussein
Awesome!
Rube Waddell
My son used to hate it when he was a little tacker and we were out in public and I would randomly start singing this song.
Mario Malnati
Thank god you made another channel!