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.
Swing Low Sweet Chariot
Benny Goodman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Commin' for to carry me home
There was a band of angels, a-commin after me
Commin' for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Commin' for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
I'm sometimes up, and I'm sometimes down
Comin' for to carry me home
But but I know my soul is heavenly bound
Comin' for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Comin' for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Comin' for to carry me home
If you get there before I do
Comin' for to carry me home
Tell all my friends that I'm a-comin' too
Comin' for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Commin' for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot
Commin' for to carry me home
And now they're commin' for to carry me home
The lyrics to Benny Goodman's song Swing Low Sweet Chariot are a testament to the singer's unyielding faith in the afterlife. The opening line, "I looked over Jordan and what did I see?" implies a moment of introspection during which the singer glimpses the other side. This line is often interpreted as a reference to the biblical story of Moses and the Promised Land - Moses led the Israelites to the edge of the Jordan River and looked over to see the land God promised them. In the song, the singer sees a band of angels coming to carry them home. The chorus of the song, "Swing low, sweet chariot/Coming for to carry me home," reinforces the idea that the singer is excited about the prospect of going to Heaven.
The second verse talks about the singer's ups and downs. The phrase "sometimes up and sometimes down" can be interpreted in many ways, but the overall message is that the singer is ready to leave this earthly realm and ascend to a better place. The line "But I know my soul is heavenly bound" reinforces this idea. The song ends with the singer acknowledging that the angels are coming to take them home.
Line by Line Meaning
I looked over Jordan and what did I see?
I peered over the Jordan river and saw something spectacular
Commin' for to carry me home
A group of beings approached to take me to heaven
There was a band of angels, a-commin after me
It was an angelic band that was coming for me
Swing low, sweet chariot
Oh, the joyous arrival of the vehicles that will take me to my eternal home!
Commin' for to carry me home
They are coming to bring my soul to my everlasting dwelling
I'm sometimes up, and I'm sometimes down
Life is full of ups and downs
But but I know my soul is heavenly bound
But I'm aware that my soul is destined for heaven
If you get there before I do
If you happen to arrive before me
Tell all my friends that I'm a-comin' too
Please inform my loved ones that I'll be joining them shortly
And now they're commin' for to carry me home
I'm so thrilled that the angels are here to take me to my eternal abode!
Lyrics © REGENT MUSIC CORPORATION
Written by: BENNY GOODMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind