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.
After You’ve Gone
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.
Louis Armstrong's "After You’ve Gone" is a classic jazz song that speaks about the heartache of a lover who is being left behind. The song features the singer pleading with their partner not to leave, insisting that they cannot bear to be without them. The opening lines set the tone for the song, with the singer imploring their love to listen while they explain how they feel. The song is a plea to their love, begging them not to break their heart.
The singer expresses their love for their partner, explaining that they have loved them for many years, day and night. The singer's emotion is palpable as they urge their love not to forget them and think about what they are doing. If their love were to go away, the singer is convinced that they would feel lonely and regret the decision.
The chorus of the song is particularly moving, portraying the singer's vulnerability and sadness after their love has gone. They describe the pain they will feel and how much they will miss their partner. The repetition of the words "after you’ve gone" emphasises the sense of loss and how much the singer will miss their partner.
Line by Line Meaning
Now won't you listen honey, while I say,
Please pay attention and listen to me, my dear
How could you tell me that you're goin' away?
I can't believe you would say you're leaving me
Don't say that we must part,
Please don't suggest that we have to break up
Don't break your baby's heart
Please don't hurt me so much by leaving
You know I've loved you for these many years,
I have loved you for a long time
Loved you night and day,
I love you constantly, every moment of every day
Oh! honey baby, can't you see my tears?
I am crying and I hope you notice how much you mean to me
Listen while I say:
Please hear me out
After you've gone and left me cryin'
Once you leave me and I start crying
After you've gone there's no denyin'
It's a fact that once you go away
You'll feel blue, you'll feel sad
You will feel depressed and unhappy
You'll miss the dearest pal you've ever had
You will regret losing the closest friend you've ever had
There'll come a time, now don't forget it
You will realize this one day, please remember
There'll come a time when you'll regret it
You will regret your decision to leave
Someday, when you grow lonely
Eventually, when you feel alone
Your heart will break like mine and you'll want me only
You will feel as heartbroken as I do and wish for my return
You're gonna feel bad
You will experience negative emotions
And you'll miss, and you'll miss,
You will long for
And you'll miss the bestest pal you ever had
You will regret losing the closest friend you've ever had
Baby, think what you're doin'
Please consider the consequences of your actions
I'm gonna haunt you so, I'm gonna taunt you so
You will have lingering thoughts and feelings about me, and it will bother you
It's gonna drive you to ruin
It will cause you to fail and suffer
After you've gone, after you've gone away.
After you leave and are gone
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HENRY CREAMER, TURNER LAYTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bollybop6890
To everyone reading this: you have good music taste
@bjbinmke
Thanks, LitL, right back atcha'. !
@scottleggejr
@Erik Velásquez Have you lost your sense of smell as well? Might want to get a covid test 🤣
@derrickwest2576
Well thank you kindly.
@jl-zn3os
thank
@munip346
Thanks!
@Hollcall
I grew up to Mr. L. Armstrong. My Dads' Favorite artist. Dad always said ; " One of the biggest mistakes of my life, not crossing the street to shake His { Louis' } hand. I was just too nervous. " We lived in Sydney, N.S. Canada . He & His band had performed in Glace Bay the previous evening. Adjacent Town . They were staying in Sydney at the Isle Royale Hotel . Dad was coming out of the Masonic Temple , across the street and spotted Mr. Armstrong coming out of the Hotel . He was such a FAN .!
@clarkelaidlaw1678
Louis was so full of love..you hear it when he plays,sings,talks,laughs.and you see it when he smiles...not to mention that he was a musical genius.
@jwmc41
Yes, the genuine deeply seated emotion in his playing is often overlooked - especially by his imitators. Charlie Parker’s was another player with those instincts.
@MightySpoiler
It is amazing to me that this tune (one of my favorites) is so timeless. Written in 1918, and recorded many times in a variety of styles since then, and it always is fantastic. Of course, it's hard to go wrong with Armstrong and company, but this song seems to bring out the best in everyone. Bravo.