Benny Goodman, born Benjamin David Goodman, (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) … Read Full Bio ↴Benny Goodman, born Benjamin David Goodman, (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American jazz musician, known as King of Swing, Patriarch of the Clarinet, The Professor, and Swing's Senior Statesman.

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's a Small Hotel
Benny Goodman Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'd like to get away, Junior
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

That's where the two will go,
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

Overall Meaning

In this song, the singer is expressing a desire to get away from the hustle and bustle of their daily lives with someone they care about. They mention Junior and Frankie, suggesting that these are the people they want to go on this trip with. The singer mentions a certain place they know where funny people can have fun, and they plan to go there before anyone can even count to three.

The small hotel mentioned in the song is a magical place where the singer hopes to spend time with their loved one. They mention a bridal suite that's perfect for them to share together. Looking out of the window, they can see a distant steeple and no signs of other people around, making it an idyllic location for them to escape to. Finally, they express their desire to thank the small hotel together and retreat into their own little shell.

Overall, the lyrics to "There's a Small Hotel" are about the beauty of unplugging and getting away from the world, even if just for a little while. They provide a passionate and romantic description of a special place where two people can go to have fun and be alone together.

Line by Line Meaning

I'd like to get away, Junior
I want to escape from our usual routine, Junior

Somewhere alone with you
I want to be in a private location only with you

It could be oh, so gay, Junior
It will be fun and joyful, Junior

You need a laugh. Or two
You need to relax and have some humorous moments

A certain place I know, Frankie
I know a particular spot, Frankie

Where funny people can have fun
It's a place where amusing individuals can enjoy themselves

That's where the two will go, Darling
That's where we will go together, Darling

Before you can count up. One, two, three
We're going to be there in no time

For there's a small hotel. With a wishing well
Because there's a small hotel there with a wishing well

I wish that we were there together
I hope we're there together

There's a bridal suite
There's a honeymoon suite