Louis Armstrong (August 4, 1901 - July 6, 1971) nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, … Read Full Bio ↴Louis Armstrong (August 4, 1901 - July 6, 1971) nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana.
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.

Avalon
Louis Armstrong Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Every morning memories stray
Across the sea where flying fishes play
And as the night is falling
I find that I'm recalling
That blissful all-enthralling day

Just before I sailed away
She said the word I longed to hear her say

I tenderly caressed her
Close to my heart I pressed her
Upon that golden yesterday

I found my love in Avalon
Beside the bay
I left my love in Avalon and sailed away
I dream of her and Avalon
From dusk till dawn

And so I think I'll travel on
To Avalon

Overall Meaning

Louis Armstrong's song "Avalon" is a ballad about a man who has sailed away from his beloved on the shore of Avalon. The lyrics convey a sense of longing and reminiscence for the blissful day he spent with his love. The first verse describes the memories that come to him every morning as he imagines flying fishes playing in the sea. The second verse reflects on the moment he left his love behind, and the words she spoke to him. He tenderly caressed her and held her close to his heart, recalling the golden yesterday they had shared. The chorus expresses his deep longing for Avalon and his love, which he dreams of from dusk till dawn. Despite his travels, he thinks he will always be drawn back to Avalon.

The lyrics of "Avalon" capture the melancholic emotions of a lover who has left his beloved behind. The imagery of flying fishes and the golden yesterday evoke a sense of nostalgia and fond memories. The chorus, with its repetition of Avalon, serves as a reminder of the place that holds his heart and his true love.

Line by Line Meaning

Every morning memories stray
Each morning, as I awaken, my thoughts wander to the past.

Across the sea where flying fishes play
My memories take me across the sea, where I recall the beauty of nature.

And as the night is falling
As the day ends and the night approaches,

I find that I'm recalling
I realize that I'm remembering,

That blissful all-enthralling day
That magical and enchanting day.

Just before I sailed away
Right before I embarked on my journey,

She said the word I longed to hear her say
She spoke the words that I had been desperately waiting to hear.

I tenderly caressed her
I delicately touched her with affection,

Close to my heart I pressed her
I held her tightly and lovingly against my chest,

Upon that golden yesterday
In that cherished past moment.

I found my love in Avalon
I discovered the love of my life in the idyllic location of Avalon.

Beside the bay
Next to the peaceful waters of the bay.

I left my love in Avalon and sailed away
Regrettably, I had to leave my beloved in Avalon as I headed elsewhere on my journey.

I dream of her and Avalon
I frequently have dreams about my love and the place where we met, Avalon.

From dusk till dawn
Throughout the entire night, from sunset to sunrise.

And so I think I'll travel on
Thus, I believe I will continue to journey towards Avalon.

To Avalon
To the wondrous and lovely location of Avalon.

Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Juliet Stephanie Richardson, Stuart David Price

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS