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.
Sent for You Yesterday and Here You Come Today
Benny Goodman Lyrics
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Don't the moon look lonesome shining through the tree
Don't your arms look lonesome when your baby's packed to leave
Sent for you yesterday, here you come today, today,
Sent for you yesterday, here you come today
If you can't do better, might as well just stay away
The lyrics of Benny Goodman and His Orchestra's "Sent For You Yesterday" are a lamentation of a lover who is about to be abandoned by his beloved. The opening line "Don't the moon look lonesome shining through the tree" sets a mood of sadness and loneliness. The moon is a common symbol of love and romance, and shining through the tree represents a sense of distance and disconnection. The second line "Don't your arms look lonesome when your baby's packed to leave" hits at the core of the theme of the song. The lover is helpless, as he watches his partner packing to leave him. His reference to "your arms" is a metaphor for the emptiness he feels within, as he faces the prospect of losing the love of his life.
The chorus of the song is a call out to the lover who has arrived late. "Sent for you yesterday, here you come today", represents the lover's disappointment with his partner's lack of punctuality. The last line of the chorus, "If you can't do better, might as well just stay away" is a warning for the lover to improve his behavior or leave. Overall, the song Sent For You Yesterday is a poignant exploration of love, loss, and the pain of separation.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't the moon look lonesome shining through the tree
The moon appears to be lonesome when it is visible through the trees.
Don't your arms look lonesome when your baby's packed to leave
Your arms appear to be lonesome when your loved one is leaving and you are left behind.
Sent for you yesterday, here you come today, today,
I requested your presence earlier, and you have arrived now, in the present day.
Sent for you yesterday, here you come today
I requested your presence earlier, and you have arrived now.
If you can't do better, might as well just stay away
If you are incapable of performing better, it is better for you to not come at all.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COUNT BASIE, EDDIE DURHAM, JAMES RUSHING, JAMES ANDREW RUSHING, WILLIAM COUNT BASIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind