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.
Blueberry Hill
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On Blueberry Hill when I found you
The moon stood still on Blueberry Hill
And lingered until my dreams came true
The wind in the willow played
Love's sweet melody
But all of those vows we made
Though we're apart, you're part of me still
For you were my thrill on Blueberry Hill
(I found my thrill) Come climb the hill with me, baby
(On Blueberry Hill) We'll see what we shall see
(On Blueberry Hill) I'll bring my horn with me
(When I found you) I'll be wit' you where berries are blue
(The moon stood still) Each afternoon we'll go
(On Blueberry Hill) Higher than the moon we'll go
(And lingered until) Then, to a weddin' in June we'll go
(My dreams came true) Ba-ba-da-de-buzz-buzz va-de-n-da-day
The wind in the willow played (do you really love me)
Love's sweet melody (as I love you?)
But all of those vows we made (will you still remember)
Were never to be (when the night is through?)
Though we're apart, you're part of me still
For you were my thrill on Blueberry Hill
Louis Armstrong's song "Blueberry Hill" is a tribute to the excitement, romance, and happiness of finding love. The lyrics describe a place, Blueberry Hill, where the singer discovered the thrill of falling in love. The first verse in the song implies that he has found his happiness after a long search, stating that he found the "thrill" on Blueberry Hill. The second verse conveys the beauty of the location, with the wind in the willow playing "love's sweet melody." The singer then laments that despite the promises and vows made, they couldn't keep them, and they went their separate ways.
The central theme of the song is the enduring connection between the singer and the person he fell in love with on Blueberry Hill. Even though they are apart, the singer feels that his loved one is still with him. The lyrics capture the wistfulness of nostalgia and the joy of past memories. The song's narrative structure conveys the singer's hope that he can recapture that thrill of love and return to Blueberry Hill, where their dreams came true.
Line by Line Meaning
I found my thrill on Blueberry Hill
I discovered a source of excitement and joy on Blueberry Hill
On Blueberry Hill when I found you
It was on Blueberry Hill that I discovered you
The moon stood still on Blueberry Hill
The moon appeared immobile and unchanging while I was on Blueberry Hill
And lingered until my dreams came true
It persisted, existing in a state of stillness, until my deepest aspirations were fulfilled
The wind in the willow played
The gentle breeze among the willow trees produced a soft and pleasing melody
Love's sweet melody
The song was reminiscent of the beauty and sweetness of love
But all of those vows we made
Though we made commitments to each other
Were never to be
They were never fulfilled or realized
Though we're apart, you're part of me still
Even though we are physically distant, you remain an integral part of who I am
For you were my thrill on Blueberry Hill
You were the source of my excitement and joy while I was on Blueberry Hill
Come climb the hill with me, baby
Join me in ascending the hill together, my dear
We'll see what we shall see
We will discover what is in store for us as we journey upwards
I'll bring my horn with me
I will bring my trumpet along for the ride
I'll be wit' you where berries are blue
I will be by your side wherever the blueberries grow
Each afternoon we'll go
We will visit the hill every afternoon
Higher than the moon we'll go
We will ascend to heights surpassing that of the moon
Then, to a weddin' in June we'll go
Lastly, we will go together to a wedding that is scheduled for June
Ba-ba-da-de-buzz-buzz va-de-n-da-day
This is an expressive and nonsensical vocalization meant to convey a lighthearted mood
Do you really love me?
Do you truly have affection for me?
As I love you?
In the same way that I care for you?
Will you still remember
Will you continue to cherish the memories we have shared?
When the night is through?
Once our time together has come to an end?
Lyrics © TuneCore Inc., BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Cloud9, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Al Lewis, Larry Stock, Vincent Rose
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@andreaskapsomenos5470
I found my thrill
On Blueberry Hill
On Blueberry Hill
When I found you
The moon stood still
On Blueberry Hill
And lingered until
My dream came true
The wind in the willow played
Love's sweet melody
But all of those vows you made
Were never to be
Though we're apart
You're part of me still
For you were my thrill
On Blueberry Hill
The wind in the willow…
@hunter9181
I'm 23 and if I'm gonna marry anyone they best like this song, my 70+ year old dad told me about this song and I'm forever Grateful, brings a tear to my eye, this song will remind me of my dad who was shooting pool at 16 playing blueberry hill. It was old in his day 😂 and even older in mine!
@seventhofnine680
If someone paved Louis' voice, that highway would last forever! So awesome
@j-pduyck597
Come on. How good is this! Consider yourself lucky to have the chance to listen to this
@robertoduarte1207
He's not dead , God just wanted to hear him live
@eddyeffy
Roberto Duarte I love this, my God!. ♥️♥️♥️♥️
@ranajeetidutta
The best compliment I heard for a musician. You're right💖
@friedlemons5201
Why won't He return him then? It's been a long time
@cedricclark8563
Roberto Duarte old satchmo cause heaven is heaven but What a Wonderful World
@ankewunder7092
So was von YO!!!
@LordWout
how can you not love Louis Armstrong