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 Me
Benny Goodman Lyrics
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You won't believe me that I love you only
I'd rather be lonely than happy with somebody else
You might find the night time the right time for kissing
But night time is my time for just reminiscing
Regretting instead of forgetting with somebody else
There'll be no else unless that someone is you, you, you
I intend to be independently blue
I want your love but I don't want to borrow
I have it today and give back tomorrow
For my love is your love but there's no love for nobody else
The lyrics to Benny Goodman's "Love Me or Leave Me" tell the story of someone who is willing to be alone rather than being with someone else while still loving the person with whom they want to be. The first verse expresses the sentiment that the singer would rather be solitary than to be with someone other than the person that they love, conveying the idea that it is better to be alone than to settle for someone who is not the right match.
The second verse elaborates on this theme, suggesting that while other people might find night-time to be an appropriate time for romantic interludes, for the singer, it is a time for reminiscing and recollecting past regrets. The chorus of the song is repetitive, constantly returning to the idea that the singer wants to be loved by only one person and that their love is not for anyone else. In the bridge, the lyrics again demonstrate an ambivalence about love, with the singer saying that they want love but do not want to depend on others for it. The final line once again reiterates the desire to be with a specific person and no one else.
Line by Line Meaning
Love me or leave me and let me be lonely
Either love me completely or leave me alone to be lonely
You won't believe me that I love you only
You may not believe that my love is only for you
I'd rather be lonely than happy with somebody else
I am willing to sacrifice my happiness to be alone instead of being with someone other than you
You might find the night time the right time for kissing
You may prefer to kiss during the night time
But night time is my time for just reminiscing
I prefer to use the night time to reminisce rather than kiss
Regretting instead of forgetting with somebody else
I would rather regret not being with you than forget you by being with someone else
There'll be no else unless that someone is you, you, you
I will not be with anyone else unless that person is you
I intend to be independently blue
I want to be sad and lonely on my own terms
I want your love but I don't want to borrow
I want your genuine love without pretending or faking it
I have it today and give back tomorrow
I will return your love every day, not just today
For my love is your love but there's no love for nobody else
My love is exclusively for you, and there is no love for anyone else
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GUS KAHN, WALTER DONALDSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind