Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an inventive trumpet and cornet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence in jazz, shifting the focus of the music from collective improvisation to solo performance. With his instantly-recognizable gravelly voice, Armstrong was also an influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes. He was also skilled at scat singing (vocalizing using sounds and syllables instead of actual lyrics).
Renowned for his charismatic stage presence and voice almost as much as for his trumpet-playing, Armstrong's influence extends well beyond jazz music, and by the end of his career in the 1960s, he was widely regarded as a profound influence on popular music in general. Armstrong was one of the first truly popular African-American entertainers to "cross over", whose skin-color was secondary to his music in an America that was severely racially divided. He rarely publicly politicized his race, often to the dismay of fellow African-Americans, but took a well-publicized stand for desegregation during the Little Rock Crisis. His artistry and personality allowed him socially acceptable access to the upper echelons of American society that were highly restricted for a black man.
Armstrong was born and brought up in New Orleans, a culturally diverse town with a unique musical mix of creole, ragtime, marching bands, and blues. Although from an early age he was able to play music professionally, he didn't travel far from New Orleans until 1922, when he went to Chicago to join his mentor, King Oliver. Oliver's band played primitive jazz, a hotter style of ragtime, with looser rhythms and more improvisation, and Armstrong's role was mostly backing. Slow to promote himself, he was eventually persuaded by his wife Lil Hardin to leave Oliver, and In 1924 he went to New York to join the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra. At the time, there were a few other artists using the rhythmic innovations of the New Orleans style, but none did it with the energy and brilliance of Armstrong, and he quickly became a sensation among New York musicians. Back in Chicago in 1925, he made his first recordings with his own group, Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five, and these became not only popular hits but also models for the first generation of jazz musicians, trumpeters or otherwise.
Other hits followed through the twenties and thirties, as well as troubles: crooked managers, lip injuries, mob entanglements, failed big-band ventures. As jazz styles changed, though, musical purists never lost any respect for him -- although they were sometimes irritated by his hammy onstage persona. Around the late forties, with the help of a good manager, Armstrong's business affairs finally stablilized, and he began to be seen as an elder statesman of American popular entertainment, appearing in Hollywood films, touring Asia and Europe, and dislodging The Beatles from the number-one position with Hello Dolly". Today many people may know him as a singer (a good one), but as Miles Davis said: “You can’t play nothing on modern trumpet that doesn’t come from him."
The 62-year-old Armstrong became the oldest act to top the US charts when "Hello Dolly" reached #1 in 1964. Four years later Satchmo also became the oldest artist to record a UK #1, when "What a Wonderful World" hit the top spot.
What A Wonderful World
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
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Red roses too
I see them bloom
For me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
I see skies of blue
And clouds of white
The bright blessed day
The dark sacred night
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Saying, "How do you do?"
They're really saying
I love you
I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They'll learn much more
Than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Yes, I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Ooh, yes
Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" is a tribute to the beauty of life, love, and the natural world. The song is about the joy and wonder that can be found in the simple things in life. Armstrong begins the song by describing the beauty of nature, the trees, and the red roses that are blooming for both him and us. It is an acknowledgment that we are all interconnected and share the same world.
Armstrong then goes on to describe the beauty of the sky and the clouds which are painted in shades of blue and white. The warmth of the sun and the magic of the night are also mentioned. The song has a Theme that nature is full of diversity, complexity, and beauty. The emphasis here is more on the natural environment and our place in it.
The final verse of the song is about the power of human connection and love. Armstrong's debut states that he sees people of all races, faces lit up with the colors of the rainbow. People are connecting with one another, shaking hands, and saying “I Love You”. Armstrong implies that the human family is diverse and vibrant, yet all share a common thread of love and respect.
Overall, "What a Wonderful World" is an uplifting celebration of love, life, and the natural world.
Line by Line Meaning
I see trees of green
I observe the trees that are colored in green
Red roses too
I also see the red color flowers known as roses
I see them bloom
Furthermore, I see these flowers blooming
For me and you
These are not just present for me, they are also present for you
And I think to myself
This makes me think to myself
What a wonderful world
This is such a beautiful world we live in
I see skies of blue
Additionally, I see blue colored skies
And clouds of white
I also observe white clouds floating in the sky
The bright blessed day
This is a bright and blessed day
The dark sacred night
As well as a dark and sacred night
The colors of the rainbow
The magnificent colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
That are looking so beautiful in the sky
Are also on the faces
These bright colors are also reflected on the faces
Of people going by
Of the people who are passing by
I see friends shaking hands
Even friends who shake hands
Saying how do you do
Are actually greeting each other
They're really saying
But in reality, they are expressing
I love you
Their affection towards each other
I hear babies cry
At the same time, I hear babies crying
I watch them grow
I observe them while they are growing up
They'll learn much more
These babies will learn a great deal more
Than I'll ever know
Than what I could possibly comprehend
Yes, I think to myself
Yes indeed, I am convinced
What a wonderful world
That this truly is a marvelous world we inhabit
Ooh, yes
Yes, most definitely
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: George David Weiss, Robert Thiele
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anonymous
What A Wonderful World - Casey Abrams - Lyrics
I see trees of green
Red roses too
I see them bloom
For me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
I see skies of blue
And clouds of white
The bright blessed day
The dark sacred night
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Singing how do you do
They're really singing
I love you
I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They'll learn much more
Than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Musical Interlude
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Singing how do you do
They're really singing
I love you
I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They goin’ learn much more
Than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
I think to myself
What a wonderful world