Teenagers and college students invented new dance steps to accompany the new music sensation. Benny's band, along with many others, became hugely successful among listeners from many different backgrounds all over the country.
During this period Benny also became famous for being colorblind when it came to racial segregation and prejudice. While these groups were not the first bands to feature both white and black musicians, Benny's national popularity helped to make racially mixed groups more accepted in the mainstream.
In 1938, at the pinnacle of the Swing Era, the Benny Goodman band, along with musicians from the Count Basie and Duke Ellington bands, made history as the first jazz band ever to play in New York's prestigious Carnegie Hall.
Following the concert at Carnegie Hall, the Benny Goodman band had many different lineup changes. Gene Krupa left the band, among others, and subsequent versions of the band included Cootie Williams and Charlie Christian, as well as Jimmy Maxwell and Mel Powell, among others.
In the 1940s, although the big band days were drawing to a close and new forms of music were emerging, the Goodman band continued to play music in the swing style.
In 1953, Benny's band planned to join Louis Armstrong and his All Stars in a tour together, but the two band leaders argued and the tour never opened at Carnegie Hall, as had been planned. It is not certain whether the tour was canceled due to Benny's illness or the conflict between the band leaders. The rest of the decade marked the spread of Benny's music to new audiences around the world. Benny also toured the world, bringing his music to Asia and Europe. When he traveled to the USSR, one writer observed that "the swing music that had once set the jitterbugs dancing in the Paramount aisles almost blew down the Iron Curtain."
In 1978, the Benny Goodman band appeared at Carnegie Hall again to mark the 30th Anniversary of when they appeared in the venue's first jazz concert.
Ramona
Benny Goodman & His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where the mountains high
Seem to kiss the sky
Someone is out yonder, o'er the hills
Waiting patiently, Waiting just for me
Ramona, I hear the mission bells above
Ramona, they're ringing out our song of love
To always remember the rambling rose you wear in your hair
Ramona, when day is done you'll hear my call
Ramona, we'll meet beside the water fall
I dread the dawn when I awake to find you gone
Ramona I need you my own
Let's wander out yonder o'er the hills
By a babbling brook
Where we'll find a nook
To build our own love nest, o'er the hills
Darling of my heart, Never more to part
Ramona, I hear the mission bells above
Ramona, they're ringing out our song of love
I press you, caress you, and bless the day you taught me to care
To always remember the rambling rose you wear in your hair
Ramona, when day is done you'll hear my call
Ramona, we'll meet beside the water fall
I dread the dawn when I awake to find you gone
Ramona I need you my own
The lyrics to Benny Goodman & His Orchestra's song Ramona speak about a person wandering over the mountains and hills in search of someone who is waiting for them patiently. The song is a declaration of love and affection towards this person named Ramona. The lyrics suggest that the two of them will build a home together and never have to part. The song's narrator expresses his deep love and admiration for Ramona, and how she has taught him to care in a way that he never had before.
The song's lyrics convey a sense of yearning and longing for the one who awaits them. The mention of the mission bells and the babbling brook add to the romantic and idyllic imagery of the song. The singer promises to always remember the rambling rose Ramona wears in her hair and vows to meet her beside the waterfall. The lyrics suggest a deep sense of belonging and devotion towards the song's subject.
Line by Line Meaning
I wander out yonder o'er the hills
I venture into the unknown, beyond the mountains
Where the mountains high
Where the towering peaks stand
Seem to kiss the sky
Appearing to touch the heavens
Someone is out yonder, o'er the hills
Someone is waiting out there, beyond the hills
Waiting patiently, Waiting just for me
Patiently waiting for my return
Ramona, I hear the mission bells above
Ramona, I hear the bells tolling from the mission above
Ramona, they're ringing out our song of love
And they play the tune of our love
I press you, caress you, and bless the day you taught me to care
I hold you tightly, cherish you deeply, and thank you for teaching me love
To always remember the rambling rose you wear in your hair
To always keep in mind the rose you wear in your hair
Ramona, when day is done you'll hear my call
Ramona, when the day is over, you'll hear me calling for you
Ramona, we'll meet beside the water fall
And we'll reunite by the waterfall
I dread the dawn when I awake to find you gone
I fear waking up to an empty space where you used to lay
Ramona I need you my own
Ramona, I need you to be mine
Let's wander out yonder o'er the hills
Let's explore beyond the mountains together
By a babbling brook
By the lively and relaxing stream
Where we'll find a nook
Where we'll discover a quiet and cozy corner
To build our own love nest, o'er the hills
To create our own sanctuary of love, beyond the hills
Darling of my heart, Never more to part
My beloved, let's never be separated again
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: L. WOLFE GILBERT, MABEL WAYNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@fntavora
Mais uma alegre e muito ritmada interpretação deste excelente e inolvidável tema musical!
@Trombonology
I love this swinging treatment. Goodman's band was so terrific at this time; I especially like the McGarity-Cutshall trombone section.
@charlesmiller7283
RAMONA IS ONE OF BENNY GOODMAN'S BEST EFFORTS THANKS TO EDDIE SAUTER
@elinshouse
I like it. Benny Goodman is always good.
@scottyd8900
Incredible....my goodness mr Goodman
@davidfletcher7573
This sounds like the edit produced from multiple takes featured on the Columbia LP "Benny Goodman Plays Eddie Sauter Arrangements." The band had a hell of a time getting this thing recorded, and ultimately was never issued--Benny never approved a take, as there was always a clam or two (I could be wrong here, but I think that's what went down--I'll check the discography). Sauter's charts were real lip-busters for the brass, even with steel-embouchured men like Jimmy Maxwell handling the top.
@JuanCarlos-hv6sd
Genialllll!!!
@manuelarias9998
Anyone knows if this (amazing) playlist is available on Spotify?
@songanddanceman100
I like the alternate take on this Goodman version of this which he probably recorded at the same session. Same arrangement, but as it continues, one of the guy hits a bad note just -@1:59- before the trombone section comes in for their section solo...then someone else hits a bad note and soon the entire band realizes that that take is ruined, but they keep playing in a corny dixieland style just for fun. Finally Goodman cuts it short and they laugh as the guy in the recording booth asks them if they want to hear a playback and everyone hollers "NO!!" Haha!
@callmeBe
What a terrible arrangement! The intro makes no sense and has nothing to do with what happens throughout the work, and the interplay throughout between different instrument groups is elementary and beyond the most predictable, with a lot of holes (lag time) between the sax/brass exchanges (and solo backgrounds). Sauter on his best days was an incredibly unbeatable writer, but definitely wrote a lot of dogs, and this is one of the worst of them. Goodman's group is tight throughout; I just love the blare of the brass section, and the clarinet solo is absolutely blistering. What a great orchestra he had in the early and mid 40's! (Especially when so much talent was sucked up by the war effort). Anyway, and amazing and stellar performance.