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.
Lets Dance
Benny Goodman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let's dance to the song they're playin' on the radio
Let's sway while colour lights up your face
Let's sway sway through the crowd to an empty space
If you say run, I'll run with you
If you say hide, we'll hide
Would break my heart in two
If you should fall
Into my arms
And tremble like a flower
Let's dance for fear your grace should fall
Let's dance for fear tonight is all
Let's sway you could look into my eyes
Let's sway under the moonlight, this serious moonlight
If you say run, I'll run with you
If you say hide, we'll hide
Because my love for you
Would break my heart in two
If you should fall
Into my arms
And tremble like a flower
Let's dance put on your red shoes and dance the blues
Let's dance to the song they're playin' on the radio
Let's sway you could look into my eyes
Let's sway under the moonlight, this serious moonlight
In the song "Let's Dance," Benny Goodman invites his lover to dance with him. He starts by telling her to put on her red shoe and dance the blues. The song is about escaping from reality, forgetting the world's troubles, and immersing themselves in the music. Goodman encourages his lover to sway to the rhythm of the music and to let the colors of the lights on her face make her feel alive.
The chorus of the song is symbolic. When he says, "If you say run, I'll run with you. If you say hide, we'll hide," he is stating that he will always be there for her no matter what. Goodman emphasizes his love for his partner and how he cannot imagine life without her. He compares her fragility and delicacy to that of a flower, and he assures her that he will be her support system.
The second verse of the song emphasizes the importance of treasuring every moment. Goodman suggests that they dance for fear of losing their grace and for fear that the night is all they have. He wants them to feel each other's presence as they sway under the moonlit sky. Goodman ends the song by repeating the chorus, "Let's dance, put on your red shoes and dance the blues" as a way of reinforcing the idea that dancing is an escape from reality.
Line by Line Meaning
Let's dance put on your red shoes and dance the blues
Let's forget our worries and dance the night away with our red shoes on
Let's dance to the song they're playin' on the radio
Let's move our feet to the rhythm of the music playing on the radio
Let's sway while colour lights up your face
Let's move our bodies slowly and enjoy the colorful lights that illuminate your face
Let's sway sway through the crowd to an empty space
Let's dance our way through the crowd until we find an empty space where we can move freely
If you say run, I'll run with you
I'll follow you wherever you go, even if it means running away
If you say hide, we'll hide
I'll join you in hiding from whatever we need to escape from
Because my love for you
My feelings for you
Would break my heart in two
It would hurt me deeply to see you in pain
If you should fall
If you stumble or need support
Into my arms
I'll be there to catch you
And tremble like a flower
Your body will be delicate, vulnerable, and soft like a flower's petals
Let's dance for fear your grace should fall
Let's dance so that you don't lose your elegance and poise
Let's dance for fear tonight is all
Let's dance as if tonight is our last night because we don't know what the future holds
Let's sway you could look into my eyes
Let's move together and gaze into each other's eyes
Let's sway under the moonlight, this serious moonlight
Let's sway in the presence of the solemn and romantic moonlight
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOSEF BONIME, GREGORY STONE, FANNY BALDRIGE MAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sleyton8427
I played clarinet in my jr. high orchestra seated next to my buddy funny man/actor John Ritter. R.I.P. my friend.
@dbeaus
High on top of the beautiful Edgewater Hotel overlooking north Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Ill, Lucky Strike is proud to bring you Benny Goodman and his orchestra. Let your mind drift and you feel the breeze coming in off the Lake. I wasn't there but sometimes I wish I was. And yes, the hotel was painted pink. Raised in Chicago in the 50's I was into rock but I was one of the few young guys who listened to Benny, Artie, Glenn Miller and the rest. Obviously I still enjoy and always will. Sorry Artie, you will always be second.
@gregb6469
Benny Goodman is my all-time favorite musician, and this is my favorite BG number.
@Jon-oh1zm
This song still sounds great today. I used to listen to my parents old records when I was a kid back in the 70s and this was a favorite
@davidhowell6778
Man, ole' Benny and his clarinet truly was a marriage made in Heaven.
@khussein6409
Awesome!
@spencerbergquist781
I play mine on my 1925 Colombia Grafonola. Love Benny, have a few others as well.. Enjoyed the post. A Good day to all.
@elliotsoldies9585
"You're listening to Benny Goodman and his orchestra on the Columbia Broadcast System"
@jason60chev
WOnder why Benny didn't record this earlier? Am, as I write, litening to Wever's Invitation to the Dance. Amazing how an arranger could listen to this and pick out a certain theme to write a jazz chart.
@general5104
E X C E L L E N T MUSIC !!!