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.
Baby Don
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know I'll soon discover
One day by and by
That you loved another
No matter what you say
I'm gonna leave you right away
So now, baby, baby, don't you cry
Mmm, you know you can't deny
I did my best to please you
But you were so unkind
But still I try to need you
True love that was sincere
You didn't really care
So now, baby, baby, don't you cry
And I remember, sweetheart
That it was you and I
Who said that we must part, uh huh
And the time has
Come to say goodbye
So why do you cry, sweetheart
Hey, hey, baby, don't you cry
Because I'm interfering
You ought to be satisfied
You know I'm gonna keep on caring
Why should you feel blue
I'll tell you, I'm gonna
Be the one to lose
Baby, baby, don't you cry
Whoa, baby, don't you cry
Because of any hearing
You ought to be satisfied because
I'm gonna keep on caring
Why should you feel blue
You know I'll be the one to lose
So now, baby, baby, don't you cry
The lyrics to Louis Armstrong's song "Baby Don't You Cry" revolve around a failed relationship where the singer's lover has been unfaithful. The singer acknowledges that he will eventually discover that she loved someone else, and he tells her not to cry about it. He reveals that he has done everything in his power to make the relationship work, but she was unkind and did not care about their true love. The singer remembers the time they agreed to part ways, and he urges her not to cry because he will always care for her.
The song's lyrics showcase the singer's deep emotions and sincerity towards his lover, despite her betrayal of his love. He reassures her that he will continue to care for her, but he is going to leave her right away. The lyrics emphasize the theme of heartbreak and the pain of a failed relationship. The singer's voice is full of sadness and longing, making the listener feel the same emotions.
Overall, the lyrics to "Baby Don't You Cry" portray the singer's heartbreak over a failed relationship, but also his ability to move on and care for the person who hurt him.
Line by Line Meaning
I say, baby, don't you cry
I'm asking you not to cry
You know I'll soon discover
I will eventually find out
One day by and by
At some point in the future
That you loved another
That you were in love with someone else
No matter what you say
Regardless of what you tell me
I'm gonna leave you right away
I will depart immediately
So now, baby, baby, don't you cry
Again, asking you not to cry
Mmm, you know you can't deny
You cannot refuse to acknowledge
I did my best to please you
I tried to make you happy
But you were so unkind
However, you were cruel
But still I try to need you
Despite this, I still have affection for you
True love that was sincere
The love I had for you was genuine
You didn't really care
But you didn't reciprocate those feelings
So now, baby, baby, don't you cry
Asking you once again not to cry
And I remember, sweetheart
Recalling fondly, my dear
That it was you and I
We both agreed
Who said that we must part, uh huh
That we had to break up with each other
And the time has
Now the moment has arrived
Come to say goodbye
To bid farewell
So why do you cry, sweetheart
So why are you shedding tears, my love
Hey, hey, baby, don't you cry
Once again, imploring you not to cry
Because I'm interfering
Because I am involved
You ought to be satisfied
You should be content
You know I'm gonna keep on caring
You can count on me to always care for you
Why should you feel blue
Why should you be sad
I'll tell you, I'm gonna
I'll tell you why, I am going to
Be the one to lose
Because I will be the one to suffer
Baby, baby, don't you cry
Once more, asking you not to cry
Whoa, baby, don't you cry
Yet again, begging you not to cry
Because of any hearing
Because of what others might say
You ought to be satisfied because
You should be happy because
I'm gonna keep on caring
I will continue to care for you
Why should you feel blue
There is no reason for you to feel sad
You know I'll be the one to lose
Because I will suffer the most
So now, baby, baby, don't you cry
Final request to stop crying
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: GARY JOHNSON, LISA KEITH CARLSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jazzwatch64
Wonder WHY Decca ddin't release this one???? 3 1/2 stars...