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.

Be my love
Louis Armstrong Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Forever my darling our love will be true
Always and forever I'll love only you

Just promise me darling
Your love in return
May this fire in my soul dear
Forever burn

My heart's at your command dear
To keep, love and to hold
Making you happy's my desire
Keeping you is my goal

Forever I'll love you
for the rest of my days
I'll never part from you
or your loving ways

Just promise me darling
Your love in return
May this fire in my soul dear
Forever burn

My heart's at your command dear
To keep, love and to hold
Making you happy's my desire
Loving you is my goal

Forever I'll love you
for the rest of my days
I'll never part from you
or your loving ways

Just promise me darling
Your love in return

May this fire in my soul dear
Forever burn

Overall Meaning

The song "Pledging My Love" is a heartfelt pledge of enduring love from the singer to his or her beloved. The lyrics express a devotion that will last forever, with the singer promising to love and cherish their partner always. The imagery of a fire that burns forever in the soul of the singer for their beloved is a powerful metaphor for the unquenchable passion of true love. The singer's heart and soul are completely devoted to their partner, and they are willing to do anything to make them happy and keep them close.

Louis Armstrong's rendition of this classic love song is especially moving because of his incredible voice and the emotive orchestration behind him. The soaring horns and soft strings create a rich soundscape that perfectly captures the depth of emotion expressed in the lyrics. Armstrong's gravelly voice is both tender and powerful, conveying the heartfelt sincerity of the pledge of love. The song is a timeless classic that has been covered by many artists over the years, but Louis Armstrong's version remains one of the most beloved.

Line by Line Meaning

Forever my darling our love will be true
My love for you will never waiver, my darling. It will always burn like a flame that never goes out.

Always and forever I'll love only you
I'll love you until the end of time, and no one else will ever hold the same special place in my heart as you do.

Just promise me darling Your love in return May this fire in my soul dear Forever burn
Promise me, my love, that you'll love me in return. Let this flame in my heart keep burning forever.

My heart's at your command dear To keep, love and to hold Making you happy's my desire Keeping you is my goal
My heart belongs to you completely, my dearest. I want to make you happy and bring you joy, and my ultimate goal is to always be by your side.

Forever I'll love you for the rest of my days I'll never part from you or your loving ways
I'll love you forever, every single day of my life. I'll never leave you or let go of the love that we share.

Just promise me darling Your love in return May this fire in my soul dear Forever burn
Promise me again, my love, that you'll love me in return. Let this flame in my heart keep burning forever.

My heart's at your command dear To keep, love and to hold Making you happy's my desire Loving you is my goal
Once again, my heart belongs to you completely, my beloved. I'll always strive to make you happy and feel deep love for you every day.

Forever I'll love you for the rest of my days I'll never part from you or your loving ways
I'll reiterate that I'll love you with all my heart until the end of time. You and your love will always be with me.

Just promise me darling Your love in return May this fire in my soul dear Forever burn
For the last time, promise me that you'll love me in return. Let the passion in my heart burn throughout eternity.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Don Robey, Fats Washington

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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