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.
Blues for Yesterday
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
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I've got the Blues for yesterday, it keeps on hauntin' me
I got the Blues deep down, the days that used to be
I like to sit by the fire side, dreamin' of the days gone past
I like to sit by the fire side, dreamin' of the days gone past
Wonderin' why those happy hours, were never meant to last
Mem'ries in Saint Louis, it comes back in my dreams
I got a whole gang o' mem'ries, of every town it seems
Now me and my mem'ries, are all so far apart
So a bad man's got my woman, and the blues got my heart
I've got the Blues for yesterday, it keeps on hauntin' me
I got the Blues deep down, the days that used to be
The lyrics in Louis Armstrong's Blues for Yesterday capture the feeling of nostalgia and longing for the past. The singer is haunted by memories of earlier times and the happiness that has since faded away. The phrase "I got the Blues deep down" evokes a sense of melancholy that is palpable throughout the song.
The second stanza in the song emphasizes the singer's desire to return to the past. The reference to sitting by the fire side and dreaming of days gone by implies a longing for simpler times when they were happy. The singer wonders why those "happy hours were never meant to last," showcasing the frustration one feels when something good comes to an end.
The third stanza emphasizes the power of memories. The singer has memories in Chicago, New Orleans, and St. Louis, from every town it seems. These memories are all of happy times that serve as a stark contrast to the loneliness and heartache that the singer currently feels.
Lastly, the final stanza consolidates the loneliness the singer experiences. The singer's memories are all they have to cling onto but even they are too far apart to relive. The blues represent the singer's deep-seated feelings of loss and the hurt that continues to haunt him.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got the Blues for yesterday, it keeps on hauntin' me
I am feeling nostalgic and my past is constantly on my mind.
I got the Blues deep down, the days that used to be
My soul aches for the past and the memories of happy times.
I like to sit by the fire side, dreamin' of the days gone past
I enjoy reminiscing about the memories of happier times and sitting by the warmth of the fireplace.
Wonderin' why those happy hours, were never meant to last
I am pondering the fleeting nature of happiness and why it never seems to last long enough.
I got a memr'y in Chicago, a mem'ry in New Orleans
I have fond memories in different cities, including Chicago and New Orleans.
Mem'ries in Saint Louis, it comes back in my dreams
My memories of Saint Louis are especially vivid and come back to me frequently in my dreams.
I got a whole gang o' mem'ries, of every town it seems
I have many memories from different towns and cities.
Now me and my mem'ries, are all so far apart
I am separated from my memories and the times of happiness seem distant and unattainable.
So a bad man's got my woman, and the blues got my heart
My woman has been taken by a bad man, and I am left with the sadness and pain of the blues.
I've got the Blues for yesterday, it keeps on hauntin' me
I am still feeling the nostalgia and pain of my past, and it continues to affect me.
I got the Blues deep down, the days that used to be
My sadness over the past is affecting me on a deep, emotional level.
Contributed by Madelyn W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jonathan Stout
Louis Armstrong(tp,vo) Vic Dickenson(tb) Barney Bigard(cl) Leonard Feather(p) Allen Reuss(g) Red Callender(b) Zutty Singleton(d) Los Angeles, October 6, 1946