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.
You Turned the Tables on Me
Benny Goodman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Benny Goodman
I used to be the apple of your eye
I had yo with me every day,
But now whenever you are passing by
You're always looking the other way
It's little things like this
You turned the tables on me
And now I'm falling for you;
You turned the tables on me
I can't believe that it's true
I always thought when you brought
The lovely present you bought
Why hadn't you brought me more,
But now if you'd come
I'd welcome anything
From the five and ten cent store,
You used to call me the top
You put me up on a throne
You let me fall with a drop
And now I'm out on my own.
But after thinking it over and over,
I got what was coming to me
Just like the sting of a bee
You turned the tables on me.
In Benny Goodman's song "You Turned the Tables On Me," the singer used to be the center of the attention of the person they are singing to. This person used to bring them lovely presents, call them "the top" and put them on a pedestal. However, something has changed, and now the singer feels that this person is avoiding them, looking the other way when they pass by. The singer realizes that their dynamic has shifted, and they are now falling for this person. The singer acknowledges that they had it coming as they were too comfortable with being the center of attention and now feels the sting of rejection. The song expresses the feeling of surprise when someone who previously had a subdued attitude, turning the tables and now pursuing the person they once ignored.
The lyrics may also reflect the gender dynamics in romantic relationships, where men usually are the ones being pursued, but in this case, the tables turned, and now the man is being the pursuer while the woman is adopting a more withdrawn stance. The song portrays the power dynamics in love and how they can change unexpectedly.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to be the apple of your eye
In the past, I was the most important person in your life
I had you with me every day
We used to spend a lot of time together in the past
But now whenever you are passing by
When you walk by me in the present
You're always looking the other way
You ignore me and refuse to acknowledge me
It's little things like this
It's small actions like this
That prompt me to say:
Inspires me to express my feelings
You turned the tables on me
You've reversed our roles, and now you have control
And now I'm falling for you
As a result, I am developing romantic feelings for you
I can't believe that it's true
I am surprised by my change of heart
I always thought when you brought
I used to believe that when you gave me a present
The lovely present you bought
A beautiful or meaningful gift
Why hadn't you brought me more,
I questioned why you didn't give me more presents
But now if you'd come
But now if you were to give me a present
I'd welcome anything
I would appreciate any gift
From the five and ten cent store,
Even something from a cheap, humble store would bring me joy
You used to call me the top
You used to think I was the best at everything
You put me up on a throne
You put me on a pedestal
You let me fall with a drop
However, you caused my downfall or failure
And now I'm out on my own.
As a result, I'm now independent and without your support
But after thinking it over and over,
After much contemplation
I got what was coming to me
I deserved the negative consequences
Just like the sting of a bee
Similar to how a bee sting hurts
You turned the tables on me.
You turned the situation around in your favor and took control.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Louis Alter, Sidney D. Mitchell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@maryhirose524
Gosh, I wish this were still the popular music and people actually knew how to dance.
@michellepost5232
I first heard this song at age 13, 1974, and have loved it ever since. 1940s songs was awesome!!
@jodyhakala247
Wow, there’s a lot of great things going on in your era in your time. Music was so wonderful. There was a lot of things that were negative for women and I’m glad a lot of that changed but the music and dancing style of clothing was my favorite.
@paulviardot4400
Helen ward est redoutable dans cette version et l'orchestre de Benny Goodman vient couronner le talent immense de cette incomparable chanteuse .Bravo Madame! Bravo MR Goodman et à votre band composè de musiciens bourrés de talent et c'est peu dire !
@i.sh.7012
Brilliant!
@gloriachinea5180
Good Sounds Interesting Love I Love Music 🎶🎶🎶
@jodyhakala247
Helen wars break, singer performer you can just tell by the way she’s singing her charisma. I heard this on XM radio station number 71 and Javadi can’t see her name in the fridge only see Benny Goodman.
@maddisonnsw5745
Myself and Shaun both like this song 🎵
@hotjazzbaby
Great! 💕
@gregorykayne6054
So swank!