Benny Goodman led his first band in 1934. The music they played had its ro… Read Full Bio ↴Benny Goodman led his first band in 1934. The music they played had its roots in the Southern jazz forms of ragtime and Dixieland, while its structure adhered more to arranged music than its more improvisational jazz counterparts. On August 21, 1935, Benny's band played the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles. The gig was sensational and marked the beginning of the years that Benny would reign as King: the Swing Era.

See also http://www.last.fm/music/Benny+Goodman+&+His+Orchestra

I Hear a Rhapsody
Benny Goodman and His Orchestra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

And when I hear you call
So softly to me
I don't hear a call at all
I hear a rhapsody

And when your sparkling eyes
Are smiling at me
Then soft through the starlit skies

I hear a rhapsody

My days are so blue
When you're away
My heart longs for you
So won't you stay

My darling hold me tight
And whisper to me

Then soft through a starry night
I'll hear a rhapsody

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Benny Goodman and His Orchestra's song "I Hear a Rhapsody" describe the power of love and the effect it has on the singer. The first verse notes that when the person he loves calls out to him, the sound he hears is less of a call and more of an enrapturing melody, a "rhapsody." He's so swept up in her call that he doesn't even register it as a spoken word.

Line by Line Meaning

And when I hear you call
When I hear you say my name

So softly to me
Speaking to me in such a gentle voice

I don't hear a call at all
It is not just a call, it is much more to me

I hear a rhapsody
I hear an ecstatic expression of feeling and enthusiasm

And when your sparkling eyes
When your eyes shine with happiness

Are smiling at me
When you show your happiness towards me

Then soft through the starlit skies
As if there is a musical expression in the atmosphere

I hear a rhapsody
I hear an ecstatic expression of feeling and enthusiasm

My days are so blue
My days are very sad and gloomy

When you're away
When you are not with me

My heart longs for you
I have a strong and persistent desire for you

So won't you stay
Please don't leave, stay with me

My darling hold me tight
Hug me tightly my love

And whisper to me
Speak to me in a soft and romantic voice

Then soft through a starry night
As if there is a musical expression in the atmosphere, through a night illuminated with stars

I'll hear a rhapsody
I will hear an ecstatic expression of feeling and enthusiasm

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ralph Barendse, Sander Van Der Waal, Dick Gasparre, GEORGE FRAGOS, Jack Baker

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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01Busy as a Bee (I'm Buzz, Buzz, Buzzin')3:14

02What's the Matter With Me?3:05

03What'll They Think of Next?3:13

04How High the Moon2:59

05Let's All Sing Together

06The Fable of the Rose3:09

07Shake Down The Stars2:49

08Be Sure2:51

09Yours Is My Heart Alone2:58

10The Sky Fell Down

11It Never Entered My Mind2:59

12Once More2:22

13Buds Won't Bud3:02

14Devil May Care2:44

15I'm Nobody's Baby2:42

16I Can't Love You Any More (Any More Than I Do)2:45

17Ev'ry Sunday Afternoon3:21

18The Moon Won't Talk3:18

19Mister Meadowlark3:08

20I Can't Love You Any More (Any More Then I Do)2:45

21I Can't Resist You3:18

22Dreaming Out Loud3:05

23Li'l Boy Love2:59

24Nobody

25The Man I Love4:09

26Taking a Chance On Love3:10

27Cabin in the Sky3:16

28Hard to Get3:15

29These Things You Left Me3:07

30More Than You Know4:23

31Yes, My Darling Daughter2:50

32I'm Always Chasing Raingbows2:55

33I Left My Heart in Your Hand

34I Hear a Rhapsody

Benny Goodman and His Orchestra

35It's Always You3:10

36Corn Silk3:10

37Birds of a Feather3:00

38You're Dangerous2:25

39The Mem'ry of a Rose3:15

40This Is New3:50

41Perfidia (Tonight)3:19

46You Lucky People, You3:11

47Oh! Look At Me Now2:53

48My Sister and I3:25

49Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy)3:01

50Good Evenin', Good Lookin'!3:10

51I Found a Million Dollar Baby (In a Five and Ten Cent Store)3:15

52When The Sun Comes Out2:52

53(When Your Heart's on Fire) Smoke Gets in Your Eyes3:16

54Soft As Spring3:07

55Down, Down, Down (What a Song)2:24

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Comments from YouTube:

@PiotrBarcz

26w↑3

One of the most beautiful voices of that era, Helen Forrest was something else!

@DreamingCasually213

5y↑3

This is great. The intro reminds me a little of a Bea Wain song.

@davidhess6593

48w↑1

Very nice, but Helen was with Artie Shaw or Harry James in 1940.

@PiotrBarcz

26w

She switched bands a lot it seems, maybe she did a one shot recording session with the orchestra and then went back to working with Shaw or James.

@davidhess6593

26w↑2

@@PiotrBarcz No, she sang with Goodman for quite a while, but she wasn't sleeping with him like she was with Shaw and James. The affair with the latter caused some serious problems with Betty Grable and Harry was forced to let Helen go. To say that Helen was promiscuous is an understatement, possibly because she grew up up in a house of ill repute.🙂 Later on she said that Harry James was the love of her life.