Benny Goodman, born Benjamin David Goodman, (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) … Read Full Bio ↴Benny Goodman, born Benjamin David Goodman, (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American jazz musician, known as King of Swing, Patriarch of the Clarinet, The Professor, and Swing's Senior Statesman.

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.

Serenade in Blue
Benny Goodman Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When I hear that Serenade in blue
I'm somewhere in another world, alone with you
Sharing all the joys we used to know
Many moons ago

Once again your face comes back to me
Just like the theme of some forgotten melody
In the album of my memory

Serenade in blue

It seems like only yesterday
The small cafe, a crowded floor
And as we danced the night away
I hear you say forever more
And then the song became a sigh
Forever more became goodbye
Cause you remained in my heart, but

Tell me darling in there still a spark?
Or only lonely ashes of the flame we knew

Should I go on whistling in the dark,
Serenade in blue

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Benny Goodman's song Serenade in Blue are a nostalgic reverie of a lost love. The song depicts the feeling of being transported back to a time when the lover and the singer were each other's world, as the opening lines go "When I hear that Serenade in blue / I'm somewhere in another world, alone with you". The melody of the song itself conveys the feelings of emotional longing, melancholy and nostalgia that the lyrics express. The song revolves around memories of the past when the singer and the beloved were together, and the vivid memories of the moments they shared. The lyrics "Sharing all the joys we used to know / Many moons ago" describe the moments of happiness and togetherness they once shared.

As the song progresses, the lyrics present a sense of regret and sadness as the singer wonders if those moments of love and happiness can ever be rekindled. The lyrics "Tell me darling in there still a spark? / Or only lonely ashes of the flame we knew" depict the confusion and longing for clarity that the singer feels about the current state of their love. The song culminates in the lyrics "Should I go on whistling in the dark, Serenade in blue" which describe the singer's state of mind, wondering if they should continue to hold onto the past and cling onto the hope of love, or move on from the dream and face the reality of the present.

Line by Line Meaning

When I hear that Serenade in blue
Every time I listen to this song, I am transported to another world.

I'm somewhere in another world, alone with you
When I hear this song, I feel like I am back in the past with you, just the way we used to be.

Sharing all the joys we used to know
Reminiscing about how happy we were when we were together.

Many moons ago
A long time has passed since then.

Once again your face comes back to me
My memories of you are vivid and clear every time I hear this music.

Just like the theme of some forgotten melody
The way you appear in my mind is like a tune that I knew but had forgotten with time.

In the album of my memory
Your memory is safe and secure in my mind as though it were a song stored in a music album.

Serenade in blue
The music that brings back all my memories of you.

It seems like only yesterday
It feels like it was just yesterday that we were together.

The small cafe, a crowded floor
I remember the place where we spent a lot of time together in a crowded room.

And as we danced the night away
We spent the night in each other's company, swaying to the rhythm of the music.

I hear you say forever more
You promised to love me forever.

And then the song became a sigh
The music changed into a melancholy tune.

Forever more became goodbye
Your promise to love me forever eventually turned into a goodbye.

Cause you remained in my heart, but
Although we're no longer together, you still hold a special place in my heart.

Tell me darling in there still a spark?
I wonder if there is still a chance for us to rekindle our love?

Or only lonely ashes of the flame we knew
Or is our love lost forever, reduced to mere memories.

Should I go on whistling in the dark,
Should I continue to have hope even when it seems impossible?

Serenade in blue
The music that evokes all these emotions, memories and feelings in me.

Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harry Warren, Mack Gordon

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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