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.
Send in the Clowns
Benny Goodman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Are we a pair?
Me here at last on the ground,
you in mid-air.
Where are the clowns?
Isn't it bliss?
Don't you approve?
one who can't move.
Where are the clowns?
There ought to be clowns.
Just when I'd stopped
opening doors,
finally knowing
the one that I wanted was yours,
Making my entrance again,
with my usual flair,
Sure of my lines,
no one is there.
Don't you love farce?
My fault, I fear.
I thought that you'd want what I want
sorry, my dear.
And where are the clowns?
Quick, send in the clowns.
Don't bother, they're here.
Isn't it rich?
Isn't it queer?
Losing my timing this late
in my career?
And where are the clowns?
There ought to be clowns.
Well, maybe next year
Benny Goodman's Send in the Clowns is a tale of lost love and lost lives. Right from the opening verse of the song- "Isn't it rich? Are we a pair? Me here at last on the ground, you in mid-air. Where are the clowns?" goodman tries to capture the tension and conflict between two people in a relationship that is not working out as expected. The song's main theme is about the disappointment that comes with missed opportunities in love and life. The line, "There ought to be clowns," expresses the sentiment that something ridiculous or foolish could help to lighten the emotional weight of such situations.
The second verse, "Just when I'd stopped opening doors, finally knowing the one that I wanted was yours, making my entrance again, with my usual flair, sure of my lines, no one is there," describes a character who has stopped seeking love after experiencing so much rejection. However, after discovering the one they thought they wanted, they attempt to make a grand entrance, only to find that the person they had their heart set on is no longer there. The verse comes off as almost sarcastic and suggests that it's easy to believe that love is going to work out, but we never know how it will play out.
Overall, Send in the Clowns is a bittersweet song about missed opportunities and lost love. It is a reminder that life is unpredictable and that love, like everything else, comes with no guarantees.
Line by Line Meaning
Isn't it rich?
How ironic and ridiculous is this situation?
Are we a pair?
Are we really compatible or should we just move on?
Me here at last on the ground,
I finally understand and face reality.
you in mid-air.
You are still living in your own delusions and not facing the truth.
Where are the clowns?
Where are the ones who can make us laugh and ease the tension?
Isn't it bliss?
How wonderful would it be if things could just work out smoothly?
Don't you approve?
Aren't you happy for me, or do you have other plans in mind?
One who keeps tearing around,
Someone who is always on the move and never settles down.
one who can't move.
And someone who is stuck and can't move forward in life.
Where are the clowns?
We need someone to add some lightness and joy to this situation.
There ought to be clowns.
We should have someone to make us laugh and entertain us right now.
Just when I'd stopped
Just when I thought I have moved on from this situation and closed the door.
opening doors,
Trying new opportunities and possibilities.
finally knowing
Finally realizing and understanding.
the one that I wanted was yours,
That the person I was hoping to be with was actually interested in you.
Making my entrance again,
Trying to rekindle our relationship or make amends.
with my usual flair,
In my usual charming and confident manner.
Sure of my lines,
Confident about what I was going to say or do.
no one is there.
But no one shows up to meet me or respond to my attempts.
Don't you love farce?
Don't you enjoy this absurd and comical situation?
My fault, I fear.
I admit that it was my own mistake and miscalculation.
I thought that you'd want what I want
I assumed that you would share the same desires and goals as me.
sorry, my dear.
I apologize for my misguided intentions.
And where are the clowns?
Where can we find someone to make light of this awkward moment?
Quick, send in the clowns.
Hurry up and bring in someone to ease the tension and cheer us up.
Don't bother, they're here.
Actually, we are the clowns ourselves in this ridiculous situation.
Isn't it rich?
How ironic and ridiculous is this situation, once again?
Isn't it queer?
How strange and unusual is it that we can't even find a way to fix this mess?
Losing my timing this late
I'm losing my sense of timing and opportunity at this stage in my life..
in my career?
During a time when everything should be coming together for me.
And where are the clowns?
Why can't I find anyone to lighten up this dark time for me?
There ought to be clowns.
Surely, there should be someone who can make me laugh and bring me joy.
Well, maybe next year
Perhaps in the future, things will turn out better and I will find the happiness I seek.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEPHEN SONDHEIM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@CalgarianMike
I was waiting for Sideshow Mel to join :-/
@philnewton3096
Thats in Dflat concert ![c# enharmonic]
How come ?
Is it an A clarinet hes on?
If so then would C# be easy?
@15emac
give the man a break!!ONE squeek in how many bazillion performances!!c'mon man!!also he NEVER played safe-always played on the edge-never mailed it in & played it down the middle.....guy was pushing 70 & still doing it at carnegie hall!
@johnmiddleton1073
That was not a squeak but rather feedback on the sound system.