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.

Bessie Couldn
Louis Armstrong Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Bessie couldn't help it
Bessie couldn't help it
Bessie couldn't help it any more
Than you could or I could
Bessie couldn't help it though she tried to be good
Oh, so good

She was pretty as the heaven's above

Oh boy, but how she could love
Bessie had affection that was simply wonderful, terrible
But Bessie couldn't help it any more
Than you could or I could

When she smiled, you were bound to fall, that's all
A boy kissed Bessie in the parlor one night
Why, oh, why did she yell with delight?
'Cause Bessie couldn't help it any more
Than you could or I could

Aww, dumb de dumb, now, people, listen
Bessie couldn't help it any more
Than you could or I could
No, Bessie couldn't help it though she tried to be good
Oh, so good

She was pretty as the heavens above
And, oh boy, how that girl could love
Bessie had affection that was simply wonderful
Bop, bop, be, de, oww
Bessie couldn't help it any more
Than you could or I could

Now when she smiled, you were bound to fall, that's all, boy
Boy kissed Bessie in the street one night
My, oh, my, how she yelled with delight

Bessie couldn't help it any more
Than you could or I could

Overall Meaning

The song “Bessie Couldn’t Help It” by Louis Armstrong is a tribute to Bessie Smith, the legendary blues singer, who was known for her powerful voice and sensual lyrics. The song tells the story of a woman who is not able to control her feelings and desires. Despite her efforts to be good, Bessie cannot help but give in to her passions. She is described as pretty as the heavens above, and when she smiles, people cannot help but fall for her.

The song captures the essence of Bessie Smith’s personality and her music. She was a woman who lived life on her own terms and was not afraid to express her sexuality in her music. In a time when women were expected to be demure and modest, Bessie Smith broke all the rules and became one of the most influential singers of the 1920s and 1930s.

Louis Armstrong’s tribute to Bessie Smith is a reminder of the power of her music and the impact that she had on the blues genre. The song celebrates her life and legacy, and serves as a testament to her importance in American music history.

Line by Line Meaning

Bessie couldn't help it
Bessie had no control over her actions

Bessie couldn't help it any more
Bessie's lack of control persisted

Than you could or I could
Neither the listener nor the singer have more control than Bessie did

Bessie couldn't help it though she tried to be good
Bessie attempted to be good, but her lack of control prevented her

Oh, so good
Despite her lack of control, Bessie was a good person

She was pretty as the heaven's above
Bessie was extremely beautiful

Oh boy, but how she could love
Bessie was capable of loving intensely

Bessie had affection that was simply wonderful, terrible
Bessie's love was both positive and overwhelming

When she smiled, you were bound to fall, that's all
Bessie's smile was irresistible

A boy kissed Bessie in the parlor one night
A boy kissed Bessie in a sitting room on one occasion

Why, oh, why did she yell with delight?
Bessie showed excitement when kissed