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 The Talk Of The Town
Benny Goodman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We were more than sweethearts,
It's so hard to understand.
Don't know why it happened,
Don't know how it started,
Why should we be strangers,
After all we planned.
I can't show my face,
Can't go anyplace,
People stop an' stare,
It's so hard to bear,
Everybody knows you left me,
It's the talk of the town
Every time we meet,
My heart skips a beat,
We don't stop to speak,
'Though it's just a week,
Everybody knows you left me,
It's the talk of the town
We send out invitations,
To friends and relations,
Announcing our weddin' day
Friends and our relations,
Gave congratulations,
How can you face them?
What can you say?
Let's make up sweetheart,
We can't stay apart,
Don't let foolish pride,
Keep you from my side,
How can love like ours be ended?
It's the talk of the town
How can you face them?
What can you say?
Let's make up sweetheart,
We can't stay apart,
Don't let foolish pride,
Keep you from my side,
How can love like ours be ended?
It's the talk of the town, hm
It's the talk of the town.
The lyrics to Benny Goodman's song "Talk of the Town" touch upon the aftermath of a relationship falling apart. The singer is grappling with the reality of being in public after a breakup, where everyone seems to know and talk about it. They reflect on their past as “more than lovers” and “more than sweethearts”, wondering how they became strangers despite having made plans together. The chorus, "Everybody knows you left me, it's the talk of the town," showcases the sense of shame and embarrassment both feel about facing the opinions of others on the situation.
As the song progresses, it becomes clear through the lyrics that there is still a love between them. The singer’s heart “skips a beat” whenever they meet and they urge their former partner to reconcile despite “foolish pride.” The song ends on a melancholic note, as the chorus repeats the phrase, “How can love like ours be ended? It's the talk of the town”. The song is a bittersweet exploration of the painful and complicated experience of losing a loved one.
Line by Line Meaning
We were more than lovers,
Our relationship was deeper than just being lovers.
We were more than sweethearts,
Our connection went beyond just being in a romantic relationship.
It's so hard to understand.
The reason why our relationship ended is still unclear to me.
Don't know why it happened,
I don't understand why our relationship fell apart.
Don't know how it started,
I'm not sure how our relationship began to deteriorate.
Why should we be strangers,
I don't see why we should be complete strangers after everything we've been through together.
After all we planned.
We had big plans for our future together.
I can't show my face,
I'm too ashamed to face other people after what's happened between us.
Can't go anyplace,
I can't bring myself to go anywhere.
People stop an' stare,
Everyone seems to notice and judge me for what has happened.
It's so hard to bear,
The burden of this situation is becoming unbearable for me.
Everybody knows you left me,
The news about our breakup has spread to everyone around us.
Every time we meet,
Whenever we bump into each other.
My heart skips a beat,
I still have feelings for you and feel nervous when I see you.
We don't stop to speak,
We avoid talking to each other.
'Though it's just a week,
Despite it not being long since our breakup.
We send out invitations,
We invited people to our wedding.
To friends and relations,
To our loved ones.
Announcing our weddin' day
To share the news of our upcoming marriage.
Gave congratulations,
We received congratulatory messages from people who were happy for us.
How can you face them?
I wonder how you can face the people who congratulated us on our wedding announcement now that we've broken up.
What can you say?
What words can you say to them when they ask what happened between us?
Let's make up sweetheart,
Let's reconcile and try to fix our relationship.
We can't stay apart,
We can't continue living separate lives.
Don't let foolish pride,
Let's put aside our egos and issues.
Keep you from my side,
Don't let our disagreements keep us from being together.
How can love like ours be ended?
How did our love story come to such an abrupt end?
It's the talk of the town
Our situation is the hot topic of discussion and gossip among people.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@waltergray7722
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recording.
@ev4079
Glad you’re still posting!
@alonzochurch3194
The problem (and there is one) isn’t Art
Lund. It’s that Lund and Benny are working in different idioms. Lund doesn’t have an ounce of jazz feeling and the band sounds like it’s 1942 and it’s backing Peggy Lee. Benny sounds great as always, but there is no way this was a hit.
@perfectjazz78
Sounds great to me