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.
Angel
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
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I have a lovely disposition
That's very strange in me
And life's as sweet as it can be
I've lots of courage and ambition
From every care my mind is free
So I repeat, with your permission
There's been a change in me!
Have you heard I married an angel
I'm sure that the change'll be awf'lly good for me
Have you heard an angel I married
To heaven she's carried this fellow with a kiss
She is sweet and gentle, so it isn't strange
When I'm sentimental, she loves me like an angel
Now you've heard, I married an angel
This beautiful change'll be awf'lly good for me
Have you heard I married an angel
I'm sure that the change'll be awf'lly good for me
Have you heard an angel I married
To heaven she's carried this fellow with a kiss
She is sweet and gentle, so it isn't strange
When I'm sentimental, she loves me like an angel
Now you've heard, I married an angel
In Louis Armstrong's song "Angel," the lyrics convey a significant transformation in the singer's life. He starts by declaring that there has been a change in him, expressing his newfound lovely disposition that surprises even himself. Life has become incredibly sweet, and he feels a surge of courage and ambition. The weight of his worries and concerns has been lifted, leaving his mind free. With the permission of those listening, he proclaims this transformation in himself.
The singer then reveals that he has married an angel, suggesting that this marriage has brought about the positive change he is experiencing. He believes that this change will be incredibly beneficial for him. He marvels at the fact that he is now married to an angel, and he feels as if he has been transported to heaven by her love and affection. The angelic qualities of his spouse manifest in her sweetness, gentleness, and ability to reciprocate his sentimentality. He concludes by affirming that now everyone has heard about his marriage to an angel, and this change will undoubtedly have a positive impact on his life.
Overall, the lyrics of "Angel" depict a joyful and transformative experience in the singer's life, where love and marrying an angel have brought about a profound change in his disposition and outlook on life.
Line by Line Meaning
There's been a change in me!
I have undergone a significant transformation!
I have a lovely disposition
I possess a charming and pleasant temperament
That's very strange in me
This is quite unusual for me
And life's as sweet as it can be
Life is incredibly delightful and enjoyable
I've lots of courage and ambition
I am filled with bravery and determination
From every care my mind is free
My mind is liberated from all worries and concerns
So I repeat, with your permission
Therefore, I affirm once again, if I may
There's been a change in me!
I have indeed undergone a significant transformation!
Have you heard I married an angel
Did you hear the news that I married a heavenly being
I'm sure that the change'll be awf'lly good for me
I am confident that this alteration will greatly benefit me
To heaven she's carried this fellow with a kiss
With a single kiss, she has lifted this man to heavenly heights
She is sweet and gentle, so it isn't strange
Her tender and kind nature makes this unsurprising
When I'm sentimental, she loves me like an angel
During emotional moments, she showers me with angelic love
Now you've heard, I married an angel
Now that you have been informed, I am wedded to a celestial being
This beautiful change'll be awf'lly good for me
This splendid transformation will be incredibly beneficial for me
Have you heard I married an angel
Did you hear the news that I married a heavenly being
I'm sure that the change'll be awf'lly good for me
I am confident that this alteration will greatly benefit me
To heaven she's carried this fellow with a kiss
With a single kiss, she has lifted this man to heavenly heights
She is sweet and gentle, so it isn't strange
Her tender and kind nature makes this unsurprising
When I'm sentimental, she loves me like an angel
During emotional moments, she showers me with angelic love
Now you've heard, I married an angel
Now that you have been informed, I am wedded to a celestial being
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAMES BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anonymous
on What A Wonderful World
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