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 Swing Swing
Benny Goodman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Good old organ grinder Pete
He's the latest rhythm king
With his organ grinder's swing
Dadya, Pa swings it, so does Ma
Dadya, Ma swings it, so does Pa
Dadya, you swing it, so do I
Dadya, I swing it so do you
When he turns that handle down
Music goes around and 'round
Ev'rybody starts to sing
To that organ grinder's swing
Trala, Pa swings it, so does Ma
Trala, Ma swings it, so does Pa
Trala, you swing it, so do I
Trala, I swing it so do you
All the children tag along
Just to listen to his song
Monkey dancing on a string
To the organ grinder's swing
O-hum, Pa swings it, so does Ma
O-hum, Ma swings it, so does Pa
O-hum, you swing it, so do I
O-hum, I swing it so do you
The song "Organ Grinder's Swing" is an upbeat and cheerful tune about an organ grinder named Pete who is known for his infectious rhythm. The lyrics describe how everyone, including children and their parents, is immediately drawn to Pete and his music when he appears on the street. As he turns the handle of his organ, the music goes round and round, and the people cannot resist the urge to dance and sing along with the organ grinder's swing.
The lyrics evoke a sense of joy and community that comes from shared experience in music. Pete's organ is a unifying force that connects all the people who hear it. The phrase "so do I" that repeats throughout the song emphasizes the idea that swinging to the organ grinder's beat is something that everyone can participate in, regardless of age or background. This song can be interpreted as an ode to music's ability to bring people together and unite them in a common cause.
Line by Line Meaning
Who's that coming down the street?
Who is the person approaching on the street?
Good old organ grinder Pete
It's Pete, the familiar organ grinder
He's the latest rhythm king
He is the newest and greatest master of rhythm
With his organ grinder's swing
He has his unique style of playing the organ grinder
Dadya, Pa swings it, so does Ma
Father, mother and the artist all enjoy swinging the handle, similarly
When he turns that handle down
When he rotates the handle of the organ grinder down
Music goes around and 'round
The music travels around and around
Ev'rybody starts to sing
Everyone begins to sing
To that organ grinder's swing
To the rhythm of the organ grinder's playing
Trala, Pa swings it, so does Ma
Father, mother and the artist all joyfully rotate the handle, in a musical and rhythmic pattern
All the children tag along
All the kids follow him
Just to listen to his song
To hear his tunes
Monkey dancing on a string
A monkey is dancing on a string
To the organ grinder's swing
To the rhythm of the organ grinder's playing
O-hum, Pa swings it, so does Ma
Father, mother and the singer all rotate the handle happily, in harmony
O-hum, Ma swings it, so does Pa
Mother and father take turns in rotating the handle, joyfully
O-hum, you swing it, so do I
We both have fun rotating the handle, in the same way
O-hum, I swing it so do you
You and I both have fun rotating the handle, in the same way
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: IRVING MILLS, MITCHELL PARISH, WILL HUDSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@colt4667
I'm only 16 and I like this music.
I'm 14 and I like this music.
I'm 4 and I like this music.
I'm 3 months old and I like this music.
I'm 2 days old and I like this music.
I'm 2 hours old and I like this music.
I'm still a fetus and I like this music.
I'm an embryo and I like this music.
I'm still an egg cell and I like this music.
I'm a strand of DNA and I like this music.
I'm a Carbon atom (not yet part of a DNA strand) and I like this music.
I'm a Neutron (soon to be part of a Carbon atom) and I like this music.
I'm still a Quark and I like this music.
@MeA-aSchwalbe
85 years later and I'm still waiting for them to sing.
@MichaelDelugg
Oh man, they ARE singin’!
@victorm.photovic9983
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@patopotato9988
@@grahamdalbymusic Dang.. had no idea!
@rogal2358
Man, u don't need to wait more, thier instruments are singing
@hmackie6823
good 1
@biskit460
Can you imagine hearing this song for the first time when it came out?
@mabel8179
Yes people would've LOVED it and been so excited! In fact there was a British female musician named Ivy Benson whose family wanted her to be a classical musician but then she heard Benny Goodman and that was IT. She became a bandleader for an all female dance/jazz band.
@evenvega3728
I'd flip out!!
@shannahuffman4655
I would be going crazy .. it's such a cool song