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.
S Wonderful
Benny Goodman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Jack has found his Jill
Don't know what you've done
But I'm all a-thrill
How could words express
Your divine appeal?
You can never guess
All the love I feel
For me no other girls exist
'S wonderful! 'S marvelous!
(That) You should care for me!
'S awful nice! 'S paradise!
'S what I love to see!
You've made my life so glamorous
You can't blame me for feeling amorous
'S wonderful! 'S marvelous!
That you should care for me!
In "S Wonderful", Benny Goodman sings about the euphoric feeling of falling in love with someone special. In the beginning of the song, he sings "Life has just begun, Jack has found his Jill," referring to how he has found his perfect match. The singer expresses how he is "all a-thrill" about this person and that words cannot express their "divine appeal." He is amazed by how much he loves this person and there is nothing he can do to stop it. He insists that there is no one else but this person for him.
The chorus brings the theme of the song to the forefront. The singer sings about how wonderful and marvelous it is that this person cares for them. They express how happy they are in their relationship by saying "it's awful nice" and that being with this person is like being in paradise. The lyrics are a testament to how amazing it feels to be in love and to have someone care for you so deeply. The song is a tribute to the beauty of love and how it can transform a person's life.
Line by Line Meaning
Life has just begun
My life has taken a new turn.
Jack has found his Jill
Just like a storybook romance, I have found my perfect match.
Don't know what you've done
I cannot comprehend what magical thing you have done to me.
But I'm all a-thrill
My feelings are beyond words, and I am ecstatic at the thought of you.
How could words express
I cannot put into words the inexplicable charm you possess.
Your divine appeal?
The irresistible pull you have over me is inexplicable.
You can never guess
You cannot even imagine the depth of my love for you.
All the love I feel
My heart is filled with love and affection for you.
From now on, Lady darling, I insist
I pledge to love and cherish you forever, my darling.
For me no other girls exist
You are the only woman I see, and my heart belongs to you alone.
'S wonderful! 'S marvelous!
This feeling of love and adoration is indescribable and remarkable!
(That) You should care for me!
I am incredibly grateful and humbled that you have chosen to love me.
'S awful nice! 'S paradise!
Being loved by you is a privilege and a heavenly experience.
'S what I love to see!
This is the kind of love that I have always hoped and dreamt of.
You've made my life so glamorous
Your love has transformed my mundane existence into a glamorous one.
You can't blame me for feeling amorous
It's only natural that I feel aroused by your love and affection.
'S wonderful! 'S marvelous!
I cannot stress enough how amazing it is to be loved by you.
That you should care for me!
The fact that you love me is a great source of joy and wonder for me.
Lyrics © DistroKid, Strictly Songs SPRL, Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing, Unison Rights S.L., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ira Gershwin, George Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind