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.
Caravan
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The myst'ry of their fading light
That shines upon our caravan
Sleep upon my shoulder as we creep
Across the sand so I may keep
The mem'ry of our caravan
You are so inviting
Resting in my arms
As I thrill to the magic charms
Of you beside me here beneath the blue
My dream of love is coming true
Within our desert caravan
The lyrics of Louis Armstrong & his All Stars's song Caravan describe a dreamy and romantic setting in the desert, where the singer is traveling with his significant other in a caravan under the night sky. The first verse depicts the beauty of the stars and their fading light, creating an atmosphere of mystery and wonder. The second verse talks about the singer's desire to keep the memories of the journey with his partner on the caravan, asking her to sleep on his shoulder as they cross the sandy desert.
The chorus adds to the romantic mood of the song, with the singer expressing his excitement and admiration for his partner, enjoying the moment as he experiences the "magic charms" of being with her. The lyrics suggest that the singer's dream of love is coming true in this caravan trip, emphasizing the importance of the moment and the memories they will share.
Overall, the lyrics of Caravan paint a picture of love and adventure, with the desert setting adding to the exotic and mystical feel of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Night and stars above that shine so bright
We are under the bright stars and night sky
The myst'ry of their fading light
The mystery of stars disappearing before dawn
That shines upon our caravan
Stars lighting up our caravan as we travel through the night
Sleep upon my shoulder as we creep
You are sleeping on my shoulder as we move along slowly and carefully
Across the sand so I may keep
We are crossing the desert sands and I want to keep this moment with me
The mem'ry of our caravan
The memory of our journey through the desert in a caravan with others
This is so exciting
Being with you is exciting
You are so inviting
You are welcoming and attractive
Resting in my arms
You are comfortable and content in my embrace
As I thrill to the magic charms
I am thrilled by your allure and charm
Of you beside me here beneath the blue
You are beside me under the clear blue sky
My dream of love is coming true
My dream of love being fulfilled with you by my side
Within our desert caravan
On our journey through the desert, in the company of others
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RACHEL MARY BERKELEY PORTMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anonymous
on What A Wonderful World
What A Wonderful World - Casey Abrams - Lyrics
I see trees of green
Red roses too
I see them bloom
For me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
I see skies of blue
And clouds of white
The bright blessed day
The dark sacred night
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Singing how do you do
They're really singing
I love you
I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They'll learn much more
Than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Musical Interlude
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Singing how do you do
They're really singing
I love you
I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They goin’ learn much more
Than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
I think to myself
What a wonderful world