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.
Take Another Guess
Benny Goodman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The day you say, "Toodle-ooo, goodbye"
Oh yes?
Take another guess
Oh, you think no one can fill your shoes
And when you're gone, then I'll have the blues
Oh yes?
If you go your way
Then I'll go my way
And if you do as well as I do
Honey, you'll do okay
Oh, you think I'll die of loneliness
And the deep blue sea is my next address
Oh yes?
Take another guess
Don't ya hear me talkin' to ya?
Take another guess
If you think that I'll be blue
Take another guess
If you go your way
Then I'll go my way
And if you do as well as I do
Honey, you'll do okay
Oh, you think I'll die of loneliness
And the deep blue sea is my next address
Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes?
Take another guess
The song "Take Another Guess" by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra is all about a person who is confident in their ability to move on after a breakup. The lyrics are directed towards the ex-lover who believes that the person left behind would be devastated without their presence. The singer repeatedly challenges this notion by telling the ex-lover to take another guess. They refuse to sit around and cry after the breakup and are sure that they will be just fine without their former partner.
The singer also shares that they believe their ex-lover thinks that no one can fill their shoes, but again, they challenge this belief. They are not worried about being lonely, as they believe they will find someone who can do as well as their former partner. The lyrics include the use of sarcasm and a confident tone, showing that the singer is not afraid of the breakup and wants their ex-lover to know this.
Overall, the song celebrates independence and the ability to move on from a relationship. It suggests that it is not necessary to dwell on the past or on a former lover, and that there is a bright future ahead for those who believe in themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
So you think I'll sit around and cry
You believe that I will be sad and weep when you leave
The day you say, "Toodle-ooo, goodbye"
When you say goodbye to me and leave
Oh yes?
Do you really think that's the case?
Take another guess
Think again
Oh, you think no one can fill your shoes
You believe that no one can replace you
And when you're gone, then I'll have the blues
When you leave, I will feel sad and depressed
Oh yes?
Do you really think that's the case?
Take another guess
Think again
If you go your way
If you choose to leave me and go your own path
Then I'll go my way
I will also go my own way
And if you do as well as I do
And if you are as successful as I am
Honey, you'll do okay
You'll be just fine
Oh, you think I'll die of loneliness
You believe I will perish due to loneliness
And the deep blue sea is my next address
You imagine that I will end up in the depths of the ocean
Don't ya hear me talkin' to ya?
Do you not hear what I'm saying to you?
Take another guess
Rethink your assumptions
If you think that I'll be blue
If you believe that I will be sad
Take another guess
Think again
Oh, you think I'll die of loneliness
You believe I will perish due to isolation
And the deep blue sea is my next address
You think I'll be swallowed by the ocean
Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes?
Are you really sure?
Take another guess
Think again
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GEORGE GERSHWIN, IRA GERSHWIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
SheridanJazz
Late 1936. Benny's band was just on the verge of blowing the swing scene wide open. Helen Ward was in the middle of a divorce (so they say), and 18 yr. old Ella got the call. One helluva call, right? A true swing classic.
Don Benham
Nice! Great sound Mark!
Trombonology Erstwhile
I've always preferred this BG take on this cute tune to Chick's, although it's good, too. It's funny that no one thought to consider Ella's contractual obligations to Decca when this Victor session was arranged! I guess all Benny was thinking about was working with an artist he admired.
SwingMan1938
I could see there being some confusion. I mean, at the time, Decca had *Chick Webb* under contract and not Ella specifically because, as a singer with the band, she was, for all intents and purposes, a "sideman" of the band and there's usually no restrictions on sidemen taking jobs, even under their own names, on sessions other than the label whose band you record for. Heck - Victor even took the extra step of not specifically crediting Ella on the record labels.
But Decca had to be a stick-in-the-mud about it and raise a stink. And yet, Decca did no such thing when Benny had all of Walter Page, Freddie Green and Lester Young from Basie's band (still under contract to Decca for another year at the time) sit in on BG's March 9, 1938 session for Victor - even listed every one of the 3 bright and clear on the Victor "Swing Classic" labels on the original 78's at the time.
Oh well - at least the RCA VIctor vaults can still lay claim to the fact that *they've* still got master recordings of Ella in there.....
Trombonology Erstwhile
Yes, it kind of surprised me at first to learn that Ella was considered to be under contract to Decca, too. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that when she became a star in the band, a significant portion of the orchestra's sides were released under her -- and not Chick's -- name? ... Good point, though, about Benny's 3/9/38 session with the Basie guys. Decca, under Jack Kapp, was pretty backward, despite its excellent roster.
Browneye Dotter
Love them both
wolverine3566
I knew I'll like before listening :)!!