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: āYou canāt play nothing on modern trumpet that doesnāt 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.
After You
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How could you tell me that you're goin' away?
Don't say that we must part,
Don't break your baby's heart
You know I've loved you for these many years,
Loved you night and day,
Oh! honey baby, can't you see my tears?
After you've gone and left me cryin'
After you've gone there's no denyin'
You'll feel blue, you'll feel sad
You'll miss the dearest pal you've ever had
There'll come a time, now don't forget it
There'll come a time when you'll regret it
Someday, when you grow lonely
Your heart will break like mine and you'll want me only
After you've gone, after you've gone away
After you've gone and left me cryin'
After you've gone there's no denyin'
You're gonna feel blue, and you're gonna feel sad
You're gonna feel bad
And you'll miss, and you'll miss,
And you'll miss the bestest pal you ever had
There'll come a time, now don't forget it
There'll come a time when you'll regret it
But baby, think what you're doin'
I'm gonna haunt you so, I'm gonna taunt you so
It's gonna drive you to ruin
After you've gone, after you've gone away.
The lyrics of Louis Armstrong's song "After You've Gone" expresses the regret and sadness felt when a loved one leaves. The singer is pleading with their partner not to leave, reminding them of how many years they have been together and how much they love them. The chorus is a warning to the partner that they will feel the pain of the separation, and will eventually regret it.
The lyrics are full of emotion and heartache. The singer sings about their tears, and how much they will miss their partner, who is the dearest pal they have ever had. They warn their partner that they will grow lonely too and their heart will break just as much as the singer's. There is also an element of revenge in the lyrics, with the singer suggesting they will haunt and taunt their partner and drive them to ruin.
The song's meaning is timeless, applicable to many relationships that have ended. Its message of regret and warning against rash decisions is still relevant today. The song's melody is upbeat and catchy, in contrast to its sorrowful lyrics. The song has become a jazz standard, performed by many artists over the years.
Line by Line Meaning
Now won't you listen honey, while I say,
Please, my love, hear me out before you depart.
How could you tell me that you're goin' away?
How could you break my heart by revealing you're leaving me?
Don't say that we must part,
Please reconsider breaking up with me.
Don't break your baby's heart
Don't shatter my heart into pieces.
You know I've loved you for these many years,
I have loved you passionately for years now.
Loved you night and day,
My love for you has never rested, it has been constant.
Oh! honey baby, can't you see my tears?
My tears reveal my deep pain for losing you.
Listen while I say
Please pay attention to my final plea.
After you've gone and left me cryin'
Once you've left, I'll be alone crying.
After you've gone there's no denyin'
I can't deny that you're gone, despite my sorrow.
You'll feel blue, you'll feel sad
You'll experience sadness and regret.
You'll miss the dearest pal you've ever had
You'll reminisce on the wonderful moments we shared.
There'll come a time, now don't forget it
I hope you remember that there's a possibility of regret in the future.
There'll come a time when you'll regret it
You'll eventually feel remorseful for leaving me.
Someday, when you grow lonely
In the future, when you feel lonely and empty.
Your heart will break like mine and you'll want me only
Your heart will be shattered like mine, and you'll wish to reconcile with me.
You're gonna feel blue, and you're gonna feel sad
Your emotions will become melancholic.
You're gonna feel bad
Your conscience will be heavy with guilt.
And you'll miss, and you'll miss,
You'll ache for my presence and companionship.
And you'll miss the bestest pal you ever had
You'll yearn for the loss of your true friend.
But baby, think what you're doin'
Please reconsider your decision before you go.
I'm gonna haunt you so, I'm gonna taunt you so
My absence will be a constant reminder of your mistake.
It's gonna drive you to ruin
The regretful feeling will torment you eventually.
After you've gone, after you've gone away.
Once you've left, I'll be left to endure the pain you've caused.
Lyrics Ā© BMG Rights Management, O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: Henry Creamer, Turner Layton, Ray Sherman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@josephschauster3689
He's got great talent
@malotonga4957
The great sachamo with the horn of the heaven's gate truly a gift I really wish I could've seen. Bless up to everyone.
@alanwitton5039
Fantastic listening
@garytomes3015
Hot band!! Good stuff indeed!
@MostlyBrenda
A show from Berlin, Germany. Taped at various locations, Armstrong performed at McNair Barracks. Too bad that Elvis had left the Army already in 1960.
@DaveLynchJazzGuitar
That was awesome !! Thank you.
@Barracuda48082
A time of simplicity..
@bernardflegar8017
Taped between October 3rd and 5th, 1961 at McNair Barracks, West Berlin.
Trummy Young (tb), Joe Darensbourg (cl), Billy Kyle (p), Irv Manning (b), Danny Barcelona (dr).
@SoFarSoGoodSoWhat14
Imagine having to take a solo right after Louis š
@recordguy4321
the great DANNY BARCELONA on drums