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.
Caberet
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
but come, hear the music play!
life is a cabaret, old chum!
come to the cabaret!
put down your knitting, your book and your broom
it is time for a holiday
life is a cabaret, old chum!
come to the cabaret!
come hear the band
come blow that horn
start celebrating
right this way your table´s waiting
what good´s permmiting some prophet of doom?
to wipe every smile away
life is a cabaret, old chum!
so come to the cabaret!
i used to have this girlfriend known as elsie
with whom i shared for sordid rooms in chelsea
she wasn´t what you call a blushing flower
as a matter of fact she rented by the hours
the day she died the neighbours
came to snicker her
well, that is what comes from
too much pills and liquor
but when i saw her laid down like a queen
she was the happiest corpes i´d ever seen
i think of elsie till this very day
i remember how she´d turned to me and say
what good is sitting all alone in your room?
come hear the music play
life is a cabaret, old chum!
come to the cabaret!
and as for me
and as for me
i made my mind up back in chelsea
when i go i am going like elsie
star by admitting
from cradle to doom
it isn´t that long a stay
life is a cabaret, old chum!
it´s only a cabaret, old chum!
and i love a cabaret!
The lyrics of Louis Armstrong's song "Cabaret" are a call to embrace the joys of life, even in the face of difficulties and challenges. The opening lines, "What good is sitting, alone in your room? / But come, hear the music play," suggest that isolation and introspection can only take one so far. The singer urges the listener to put down their distractions and enjoy the music, insisting that "life is a cabaret." The idea of life as a cabaret suggests that it is a place of celebration, frivolity, and even excess, where one can forget their cares and indulge in pleasure.
The singer's own experience is recounted in the second half of the song. He describes his former girlfriend Elsie, who was not exactly a model citizen, but who lived life on her own terms. Even in death, he suggests, Elsie found happiness. This anecdote serves as a further example of the message of the song, which is that life is short and should be enjoyed to the fullest, without wasting time on sorrow and regret.
Line by Line Meaning
What good is sitting, alone in your room?
Why waste your time being alone in your room?
but come, hear the music play!
Instead, come enjoy the music that's playing outside.
life is a cabaret, old chum!
Life is meant to be enjoyed to the fullest.
come to the cabaret!
Come join in on the fun and excitement.
put down your knitting, your book and your broom
Take a break from your everyday chores and responsibilities.
it is time for a holiday
It's time to take a break and have some fun.
come taste the wine
Take a sip and enjoy the finer things in life.
come hear the band
Listen to the music and let yourself get carried away.
come blow that horn
Join in and participate in the fun.
start celebrating
Get in the spirit and start having a good time.
right this way your table´s waiting
Come on in and take a seat, the entertainment is ready for you.
what good´s permmiting some prophet of doom?
Why let negative people ruin your fun?
to wipe every smile away
To take away your happiness and joys.
life is a cabaret, old chum!
Enjoy life to the fullest and don't let anyone bring you down.
so come to the cabaret!
Join in on the celebration and don't miss out!
i used to have this girlfriend known as elsie
I once had a girlfriend named Elsie.
with whom i shared for sordid rooms in chelsea
We shared some not-so-great rooms in Chelsea.
she wasn´t what you call a blushing flower
She wasn't known for being shy or demure.
as a matter of fact she rented by the hours
In fact, she worked as a prostitute.
the day she died the neighbours
When she passed away, the neighbors came to gossip.
came to snicker her
They came to make fun of her and her choices in life.
well, that is what comes from
This is the result of
too much pills and liquor
Overdosing on illegal substances and alcohol.
but when i saw her laid down like a queen
However, when I saw her at her funeral, she looked majestic and at peace.
she was the happiest corpes i´d ever seen
Despite her troubled life, she looked content and happy in death.
i think of elsie till this very day
I still think of Elsie and remember her fondly.
i remember how she´d turned to me and say
I recall how she would say to me
what good is sitting all alone in your room?
Why waste your time being by yourself when life has so much to offer?
and as for me
Speaking for myself
i made my mind up back in chelsea
I've made a decision a long time ago while still living in Chelsea.
when i go i am going like elsie
When it's my time to go, I want to go content and at peace.
star by admitting
It all starts with acknowledging
from cradle to doom
From birth to death.
it isn´t that long a stay
Life is short, so make the most of it while you can.
life is a cabaret, old chum!
Enjoy life while you can, my friend!
it´s only a cabaret, old chum!
Life is just a celebration, my friend!
and i love a cabaret!
And I, for one, love to celebrate and enjoy life this way!
Writer(s): John Kander, Fred Ebb
Contributed by Molly S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@dougobrien4877
No stage gimmicks, no auto tune, just simple class.
@TonyGPizza
Can anyone hear this man and not smile?
@VGHCX
I sang this song at my 40th high school reunion. I received a standing ovation. I practiced for 5 months to get it down.
@dougobrien4877
Simply wonderful
@ruddle17
Beethoven was the most important musician of the 19th century. Louis Armstrong was the most important musician of the 20th century.
@theblueriverjazzbandmusic2540
Yes! And folks that disagree, are entitled to their opinions, but I always say “do your homework” and you’ll discover!
@johnsmith100
Not Justin Bieber?
@obscureshowtunes
He was phenomenal. THEY BROKE THE MOLD!
@josephschauster3689
Great trumpet player and singer
@johnastrup1549
Louis the man