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.
Love Is Just Around the Corner
Benny Goodman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But can't you see, you've captured me.
Being so glamorous, can't you be amorous just with me?
Make it soon, take a look at the moon.
Love is just around the corner, any cozy little corner.
Love is just around the corner when I'm around you.
I'm a sentimental mourner, and I couldn't be forlorner,
Venus de Milo was noted for her charms,
But strictly between us, you're cuter than Venus,
And what's more you got arms.
So cuddle in a corner, any cozy corner,
Love is just around the corner and I'm around you.
The song 'Love Is Just Around the Corner' by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra is a romantic and affectionate song that speaks to the heart of any person in love. The lyrics are a lyrical rhapsody that tells the listener how much the singer is in love with his partner. The singer marvels at the charms of his lover and the power she has to captivate him. He asks her to be amorous with him just as much as she is glamorous.
The singer then expresses his love with a beautiful verse that says that love is just around the corner when he's around her, and he couldn't be any happier. He's a sentimental mourner when she keeps him waiting in a cozy little corner, but he's okay with that. He even compares her to Venus de Milo, who was known for her charms and beauty, but declares that she's cuter than Venus and even has arms to hold him.
In conclusion, 'Love Is Just Around the Corner' is an excellent love song that describes the beauty of love and how it brings people closer together. The song's lyrics cater to anyone who is in love, and the beautiful melody and harmonies make it an all-time classic.
Line by Line Meaning
Beautiful miracle, pardon my lyrical rhapsody,
You are a wonder to behold, excuse my poetic eruption,
But can't you see, you've captured me.
Don't you realize that you've won my heart?
Being so glamorous, can't you be amorous just with me?
Since you are so elegant, can't you show affection exclusively to me?
Make it soon, take a look at the moon.
Hurry up and fall in love with me, the moon is a romantic setting.
Love is just around the corner, any cozy little corner.
Love can be found in any intimate nook or cranny.
Love is just around the corner when I'm around you.
The possibility of love arises when I am with you.
I'm a sentimental mourner, and I couldn't be forlorner,
I am a hopeless romantic, and I could not be more sorrowful,
When you keep me in a corner just waiting for you.
When you keep me waiting for your affection and attention,
Venus de Milo was noted for her charms,
Venus de Milo was famous for her beauty,
But strictly between us, you're cuter than Venus,
But confidentially, I find you more adorable than Venus,
And what's more you got arms.
And, in addition to that, you have arms.
So cuddle in a corner, any cozy corner,
So let's embrace in any comfortable nook or cranny,
Love is just around the corner and I'm around you.
Love is a possibility since I am with you.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: IRWIN LEVINE, SANDY LINZER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind