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.
There
Benny Goodman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Somewhere alone with you
It could be oh, so gay, Junior
You need a laugh
Or two
A certain place I know, Frankie
Where funny people can have fun
Darling
Before you can count up
One, two, three.
For there's a small hotel
With a wishing well
I wish that we were there together
There's a bridal suite
One room bright and neat
Complete for us to
Share together
Looking through the window
You can see a distant steeple
Not a sign of people who
Wants people?
When the steeple bell says,
"Good night, sleep well,"
We'll thank the small hotel
Together
We'll creep into our little shell
And we will thank the small hotel together
The lyrics of the song "There's a small hotel," composed by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, narrate the story of two lovers, Junior and Frankie, who want to escape to a certain place where they can have fun and be alone. The song is playful, and it highlights the couple's desire for privacy and shared intimacy. The opening lines reveal the urgency and eagerness in Junior's voice as he expresses the desire to get away with his beloved.
The lyrics also describe the small hotel where they want to spend time together. A notable feature of this hotel is that it's a place where funny people can have fun. The reference to funny people is a nod to performers, especially since Rodgers and Hart were frequenting the theater scene during that time. The small hotel is also described as having a wishing well, a bridal suite, and one bright and neat room ideal for two people.
The song's lyrics also emphasize the couple's desire for seclusion and the privacy afforded by the small hotel. They relish the opportunity to share their love in the privacy of their little shell, away from the prying eyes of the world. The song's lyrics are joyful and playful, as they express the couple's yearning for love, privacy, and intimacy.
Line by Line Meaning
I'd like to get away, Junior
I desire to escape from the mundane, everyday life, Junior
Somewhere alone with you
To someplace peaceful and isolated, with you beside me
It could be oh, so gay, Junior
It has the potential to be extremely enjoyable and fun, Junior
You need a laugh
You require some amusement to lighten up and be cheerful
Or two
More than just one, some teasing and entertainment is what we need
A certain place I know, Frankie
A specific location that I'm aware of, Frankie
Where funny people can have fun
Where humorous individuals can relax and have a good time
That's where the two will go, Darling
That's where the two of us will venture, Darling
Before you can count up one, two, three
Before you can even finish counting to three quickly
For there's a small hotel
Because there exists a modest hotel
With a wishing well
Containing a fountain that grants wishes
I wish that we were there together
I desire that we are there at that moment, together
There's a bridal suite
There is an extravagant room meant for newlyweds, or couples very much in love
One room bright and neat
A single, tidy room, with lots of natural light
Complete for us to share together
Fully equipped and prepared for us to spend our time together
Looking through the window
Peering outside via the windows
You can see a distant steeple
You can just make out a tall, pointed tower in the distance
Not a sign of people who
No indicators of humans who
Wants people?
Desire some company?
When the steeple bell says, 'Good night, sleep well,'
At the time when the tolling church bell remarks, 'Have a wonderful rest, sleep soundly,'
We'll thank the small hotel
We'll express our gratitude to the small hotel
Together
Both of us, united
We'll creep into our little shell
We shall retire into our own cozy and sequestered space
And we will thank the small hotel together
And we will express our thanks to the small hotel, as a unit
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: LORENZ HART, RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-gi6qf9dn6v
ВІЧНЕ БРАВО КОРОЛЮ СВИНГУ!!! Мав щастя бути на його концерті в києві орієнтовно в 1962 . Маестро мав шалений успіх у киян і концерт тривав до півночі. Для нас це було справжнє свято музики, джазу, свингу і живої зустрічі з королем!
@larrysmith1201
This is the music that my brothers listen to when they came back from World War 2 my mother was 39 years old when I was born and had been kids for 19 years my oldest brother was in the Marine Core a year before I was born and that’s how I was introduced to big band music I was born 1941
@Arpa61
Greet from Warsaw, Poland!
@user-yx6jf2bc4u
Великая музыка! Мне 56 лет и не могу наслушаться! Бени Гудман велик!
@Sarasdad91
Benny Goodman, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and so many others. This music, way before I was born, was the best. And let me not forget Billie Holiday. And please bring back swing music.
@lizp637
As a 52 yr old rock chick, im now enjoying and appreciating the likes of Ella, Billie H, Benny, Glenn and others 😊
@dmswanson5694
You're on the right, kid.
@scottlalexander510
Duke Ellington once asked Count Basie if he thought that a composition he had just written was too difficult to be performed. Count Basie's response? "Take it to Benny Goodman. If he can't sight-read it then it's too difficult." That's how much other musicians and band leaders respected Benny Goodman.
@josedelagascaguerra8656
Excelente toda la vida Benny Goodman y Gene Krupa.
@user-ie4xc5cb4h
キー君楽しくなんかないけど あれ誰が書いたの