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.
A Fine Romance
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A fine romance, my friend this is
We should be like a couple of hot tomatoes
But you're as cold as yesterday's mashed potatoes
A fine romance, you won't nestle
A fine romance, you won't wrestle
I might as well play bridge
I haven't got a chance
This is a fine romance
A fine romance, with no kisses
A fine romance, my friend this is
We two should be like clams in a dish of chowder
But we just fizz like parts of seidlitz powder
Yes, a fine romance, with no glitches
A fine romance, with no beaches
Just as hard to land as the Isle de France
I haven't got a chance
This is a fine romance
A fine romance, my good fellow
You take romance, I'll take jello
You're calmer than the seals
In the arctic ocean
At least they flap their fins
To express emotion
A fine romance with no quarrels
With no insults and all morals
I've never mussed the crease
In your blue serge pants
I never get the chance
This is a fine romance
Yes, a fine romance, my dear judges
Two old fogies who need crutches
True love should have the thrills
That a healthy crime has
Oh we don't have the thrills
That the march of time has
A fine romance, my good woman
My strong aged in the wood, woman
You never give the orchids I sent a glance
No you like cactus plants
This is a fine romance
A fine romance, my dear duchess
Two old fogies who need crutches
True love should have the thrills
That a healthy crime has
You know Louie we don't have half the thrills
That the march of time has
You're telling me
Fine romance, my very good woman
My strong aged in the wood woman
You never give the orchids I sent a glance
No I prefer cactus plants
This is a fine romance
Louis Armstrong’s A Fine Romance is a playful and witty song about a relationship that lacks the passion and excitement associated with romantic relationships. The song is filled with sarcasm and irony as the two characters exchange lines about a love life that is far from what they had hoped for. The lyrics ‘a fine romance, with no kisses’ and ‘we should be like a couple of hot tomatoes’ describe the tension and absence of intimacy between the pair. Similarly, ‘you won't nestle, you won't wrestle’ emphasizes the unromantic nature of their relationship. The lines ‘I might as well play bridge, with my old maid aunt, I haven't got a chance, this is a fine romance’ and ‘just as hard to land as the Isle de France’ illustrate the futility of their attempts to create a fulfilling romantic relationship. The song ends on a humorous note with the characters praising the thrills of a healthy crime.
Overall, A Fine Romance is a satirical jab at the less-than-fine romance between the two characters. The lyrics are filled with comparisons that mock the traditional romantic relationships we see in films and literature. Instead of passion, the relationship is unromantic and passionless like ‘yesterday’s mashed potatoes’ and ‘parts of seidlitz powder’. Similarly, the image of old fogies who need crutches is used to illustrate their inability to be passionate lovers.
Line by Line Meaning
A fine romance, with no kisses
Our relationship lacks passion and intimacy
A fine romance, my friend this is
Our so-called romance is anything but fine
We should be like a couple of hot tomatoes
We should be bursting with passion
But you're as cold as yesterday's mashed potatoes
You are emotionally distant and unresponsive
A fine romance, you won't nestle
You won't cuddle or embrace me
A fine romance, you won't wrestle
You won't engage in any physical or emotional conflict with me
I might as well play bridge
With my old maid aunt
I have no chance of having a romantic relationship with you
I haven't got a chance
This is a fine romance
Our relationship is not what I hoped it would be
We two should be like clams in a dish of chowder
We should be cozy and comfortable together
But we just fizz like parts of seidlitz powder
Our connection lacks spark or energy
Yes, a fine romance, with no glitches
Our relationship is technically functional but lacks true connection
A fine romance, with no beaches
We have nowhere to go and nothing to see or do together
Just as hard to land as the Isle de France
Our relationship feels unattainable or unapproachable
A fine romance, my good fellow
Addressing the listener in a friendly manner
You take romance, I'll take jello
Your idea of romance is different from mine
You're calmer than the seals
In the arctic ocean
You are unresponsive and unemotional
At least they flap their fins
To express emotion
Even animals show more emotion than you
A fine romance with no quarrels
With no insults and all morals
Our relationship is polite and proper but lacks any real emotion
I've never mussed the crease
In your blue serge pants
Our relationship lacks any sort of physical intimacy
I never get the chance
This is a fine romance
Our relationship is stagnant and unchanging
Yes, a fine romance, my dear judges
Addressing the listener(s) as if they were judges in a competition
Two old fogies who need crutches
We are old and out of touch with modern romance
True love should have the thrills
That a healthy crime has
Real love is exciting and adventurous
Oh we don't have the thrills
That the march of time has
Our relationship lacks any sort of excitement or passion
A fine romance, my good woman
Addressing the listener in a respectful manner
My strong aged in the wood, woman
Addressing the listener as if she is a fine wine that has aged well
You never give the orchids I sent a glance
You are unappreciative of my romantic gestures
No you like cactus plants
Your preferences are unconventional and unromantic
This is a fine romance
Our relationship is not what I hoped it would be
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
Written by: JEROME KERN, DOROTHY FIELDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@violinguitarduo2294
A fine romance, with no kisses
A fine romance, my friend this is
We should be like a couple of hot tomatoes
But you're as cold as yesterday's mashed potatoes
A fine romance, you won't nestle
A fine romance, you won't wrestle
I might as well play bridge with my old maid aunt
I haven't got a chance, this is a fine romance
A fine romance, my good fellow
You take romance, I'll take jello
You're calmer than the seals in the Arctic ocean
At least they flap their fins to express emotion
A fine romance with no quarrels
With no insults and all morals
I've never mussed the crease in your blue serge pants
I never get the chance, this is a fine romance
Перевести на русский
@margotblanchette3767
Valentines Day today in NZ. 14. 2. 2021. Our son asked his Dad the question- Well! Did you do a romantic breakfast for Mum ( don't be funny, he ain't no cook. Lol)
This song suddenly came to me to play. Love Ella's take on it. Very appropriate.
Yes! I can vouch for yesterdays mashed potatoes...🤣🤣🤣
@ct70ms65
いい曲だよね～
@stuffnuns
First sung by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and it is a wonderful, funny version. And here, Ella and Louis, they are having such fun. And such complete pro's, I can't help but love it.
@Imani_AM
This will always be my favorite version :) Sammy Davis Jr and Carmen McRae is a close second ♥️
@gerriebuckley4388
stunning.....grew up with this music....
@Quantum_Nebula
Fallout 4 baby! Heck yeah!
@24Tyson
"Little twinkling whirling doodlebells. Ah! Listen! We'll all bend down together and look into the center of the music box till we learn about the secrets—tinklydoodlebell,where." Ed Dunkel was also sitting on the floor; he had my drumsticks; he suddenly began beating a tiny beat to go with the music box, that we barely could hear. Everybody held his breath to listen. "Tick . . . Tack . . . tick-tick . . . tack-tack." Dean cupped a hand over his ear; his mouth hung open; he said, "Ah! Whee!"
On The Road by Jack Kerouac
@sxmebxdy5532
This get me SHMOOVIN
@myphonyaccount
Wow! Expanded version??
@violinguitarduo2294
A fine romance, with no kisses
A fine romance, my friend this is
We should be like a couple of hot tomatoes
But you're as cold as yesterday's mashed potatoes
A fine romance, you won't nestle
A fine romance, you won't wrestle
I might as well play bridge with my old maid aunt
I haven't got a chance, this is a fine romance
A fine romance, my good fellow
You take romance, I'll take jello
You're calmer than the seals in the Arctic ocean
At least they flap their fins to express emotion
A fine romance with no quarrels
With no insults and all morals
I've never mussed the crease in your blue serge pants
I never get the chance, this is a fine romance
Перевести на русский