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.
Back 'O Town Blues
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Livin' way back o' town
Yeah she treated me right
Never let me down
But I wasn't satisfied
I had to run around
Now she's gone and left me
Oh I've searched this world all over
Wonderin' where she could be
I would ask that she forgive me
And maybe she'll come back to me
(But I doubt it)
I'm lonesome an blue
And I've learned a thing or two
Oh fellas here's a tip
I'm gonna pass on down to you
Never mistreat your woman
Cause it's gonna bounce right back on you
The lyrics of "Back O'Town Blues" by Louis Armstrong and His All-Stars tell the story of a man who was not satisfied with the love of a faithful woman who lived in the outskirts of town. Despite her steadfast love, he runs around with other women, leading to her leaving him. The man then searches the world over, looking for her and hoping she will forgive him and return to him, but he doubts that will happen. The song is a warning to other men not to mistreat their women because the consequences will come back to haunt them.
The lyrics of the song touch on a common theme in blues music, the troubles that arise from romantic relationships. The singer's regret for not appreciating the woman who loved him and his realization that he needs her now that she's gone is a classic trope of the blues. Armstrong's poignant delivery of the lyrics serves to emphasize the emotional depth of the song, making it relatable to anyone who has ever lost a love due to their own mistakes.
Line by Line Meaning
I had a woman
I used to be in a relationship
Livin' way back o' town
She lived far from the town or the city
Yeah she treated me right
She treated me well and with respect
Never let me down
She was always there for me, never disappointed me
But I wasn't satisfied
But I wasn't happy, I wanted something more
I had to run around
I had to cheat on her and see other women
Now she's gone and left me
Now she's gone and I feel alone
I'm worried as can be
I'm full of worries and anxiety
Oh I've searched this world all over
I've looked for her everywhere
Wonderin' where she could be
Wondering where she might be living now
I would ask that she forgive me
I would like to apologize to her and ask for her forgiveness
And maybe she'll come back to me
I hope she will forgive me and come back to me
(But I doubt it)
(But I don't really believe that will happen)
I'm lonesome an blue
I feel lonely and sad
And I've learned a thing or two
And I've learned some valuable lessons
Oh fellas here's a tip
Here's a piece of advice for you, guys
I'm gonna pass on down to you
I'm going to share it with you
Never mistreat your woman
Don't be unfair, abusive, or unfaithful to your woman
Cause it's gonna bounce right back on you
Because it will have negative consequences for you
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: L M BOWEN, HERBIE HERBEDEAUX
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