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.
Blue Turning Gray Over You
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your tender kiss,
And the wonderful things we would do.
Now I run my hands
Through silvery strands,
You left me blue turning gray over you.
So good to me,
That's when I was a novelty.
Now, you've new friends in view,
You've found someone new,
And left me blue turning gray over you.
The lyrics of Louis Armstrong's song Blue Turning Grey Over You express feelings of loss and heartbreak. The singer misses the tenderness and intimacy he once shared with his lover, reminiscing about the wonderful things they would do together. However, he now runs his hands through silvery strands, indicating he is aging and feels blue and crestfallen, as his lover has moved on and found someone new. The line "You used to be so good to me" suggests the singer remembers the good times he shared with his lover, but sadly, those days are now gone, and his lover has found new friends and person in her life.
The song's melancholic lyrics and Armstrong's soulful voice convey a sense of desperation and despair that many people can empathize with. The lyrics also highlight the transient nature of love and how easily people can fall out of love with one another. Overall, the song is an emotional plea for an ex-lover to come back.
Line by Line Meaning
Gee, how I miss
I deeply feel and yearn for
Your tender kiss,
the gentle touch of your lips
And the wonderful things we would do.
the happy and pleasant activities we used to engage in together.
Now I run my hands
I touch with my fingers
Through silvery strands,
your gray hair which symbolizes our aging and fading love.
You left me blue turning gray over you.
you made me feel sad and hopeless as I realize our love is losing its vibrancy.
You used to be
in the past, you were
So good to me,
you treated me well
That's when I was a novelty.
at that time, I was special, unique and interesting to you
Now, you've new friends in view,
Currently, you have new companions in your life.
You've found someone new,
you have discovered a new romantic interest.
And left me blue turning gray over you.
your departure has left me feeling down and hopeless about our relationship.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANDY RAZAF, THOMAS 'FATS' WALLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Wolfhoundersful
Now, my, how I miss your tender kiss
And the wonderful things you would do...
I run my hands through silvery strands
Because I'm blue, turning grey over...
You used to be so good to me
That's when I was a novelty...
You have new thrills and view, found someone new
Left me blue, turning grey over you
@vivavivi1000
I have looked for this music more than 20 years and I have found here...... Thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!
@inclinethineearmusic2732
Not possible to have more soul than this.
@cowprint66
Why is this sooooo goood… can’t stop listening…
@emanueledenigris4300
What a class act
@Wolfhoundersful
Now, my, how I miss your tender kiss
And the wonderful things you would do...
I run my hands through silvery strands
Because I'm blue, turning grey over...
You used to be so good to me
That's when I was a novelty...
You have new thrills and view, found someone new
Left me blue, turning grey over you
@henrykujawa4427
It's crazy, but I've got the lyrics for this song STUCK in my head for the last month! Can't stop singing it, with a HUGE smile on my face as I do.
@claeslantz2574
A nice song interpreted by a master musician.
@mrjimmienoone2130
He makes love to the trumpet.
@br1an_b
This gives me chills. This is SO good.
@garryburrows8987
The awesome satchmo 🎺🎵🎶🎼