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.
Cheesecake
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cheesecake, munchin′ on a cheesecake, munchin' on a cheesecake. (Cheesecake!)
Cheesecake, gobble-gobble cheesecake, gobble-gobble cheesecake. (Cheesecake!)
Cheesecake, gobble-gobble cheesecake, gobble-gobble cheesecake. (Cheesecake!)
Oh, cheesecake, munchin' on a cheesecake, munchin′ on a cheesecake. (Cheesecake!)
Cheesecake, munchin′ on a cheesecake, munchin' on a cheesecake. (Cheesecake!)
Cheesecake, gobble-gobble cheesecake, gobble-gobble cheesecake. (Cheesecake!)
My baby she′s crazy over cheesecake all the time,
So I bring her cheesecake and she treats me mighty fine!
Oh, cheesecake, munchin' on a cheesecake, munchin′ on a cheesecake. (Cheesecake!)
Cheesecake, munchin' on a cheesecake, munchin′ on a cheesecake. (Cheesecake!)
Cheesecake, gobble-gobble cheesecake, gobble-gobble cheesecake. (Cheesecake!)
Cheesecake, gobble-gobble cheesecake, gobble-gobble cheesecake. (Cheesecake!)
Yes, my girl she's crazy over cheesecake all the time,
So I bring her cheesecake and roopy-dot-n-doot-n-dottly-dootle-yah!
Cheesecake, munchin' on a cheesecake, munchin′ on a cheesecake. (Cheesecake!)
Oh, cheesecake, munchin′ on a cheesecake, munchin' on a cheesecake. (Cheesecake!)
Cheesecake, gobble-gobble cheesecake, gobble-gobble cheesecake. (Cheesecake!)
Mm, cheesecake, gobble-gobble cheesecake, crazy over cheesecake. (Cheesecake!)
Louis Armstrong's "Cheesecake" is a lighthearted, upbeat song that celebrates the pleasures of eating cheesecake. The song features simple, repetitive lyrics that are easy to sing along to. Throughout the song, Armstrong sings about "munchin' on a cheesecake" and "gobble-gobble cheesecake," emphasizing the joy and satisfaction that comes from eating this delicious dessert.
At its core, "Cheesecake" is a simple love song: Armstrong sings about how his "baby" is "crazy over cheesecake all the time," and how he brings her cheesecake to show his affection. The lyrics are playful and fun, emphasizing the joy that comes from indulging in a favorite treat. The song is also notable for its use of scat singing: Armstrong improvises a series of nonsense syllables in the song's bridge, adding to the playfulness and free-spirited nature of the song.
Overall, "Cheesecake" is a lighthearted celebration of one of life's simple pleasures. Its catchy melody and playful lyrics make it a fun and upbeat song that's perfect for singing along.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, cheesecake, munchin′ on a cheesecake, munchin' on a cheesecake. (Cheesecake!)
A person is enjoying eating a cheesecake.
Cheesecake, gobble-gobble cheesecake, gobble-gobble cheesecake. (Cheesecake!)
A person is ravenously eating cheesecake and enjoying it.
My baby she's crazy over cheesecake all the time,
The person's significant other loves cheesecake.
So I bring her cheesecake and she treats me mighty fine!
The person's significant other treats them well when they bring them cheesecake.
So I bring her cheesecake and roopy-dot-n-doot-n-dottly-dootle-yah!
The person continues to bring their significant other cheesecake and is happy to do so.
Mm, cheesecake, gobble-gobble cheesecake, crazy over cheesecake. (Cheesecake!)
The person loves cheesecake and is happy to eat it.
Writer(s): D. Gordon
Contributed by Brooklyn F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@MugsyNJ2
Definitely one of the top 5 cheesecake songs of all time.
@nickdavis8881
Please share the other 4
@MugsyNJ2
It's a joke, Nick.
@yohanbrad4095
Lol damn was looking forward to the 4
@paulcowham2095
Love it - the song and cheesecake 🙂. My two young children also love this, what a great way to introduce jazz and great music to youngsters!
@joeyjohnson9586
Yes. Just......... Yes. 🙌🙌🙌🙌
@SiDaugherty
What a classic. True Louis at his best. He had fun.
@jaelie8398
Si Daugherty
And he made it fun for everyone
@jennifersironen9393
The song has been stuck in my head for days, it's so cute!
@yvesfrancoisritmo
I remember this as a 5 or 6 year old - we used to watch the Crosby show and always wantef to hear Louis even then. Yesva ding for the kids - snd tge young at heart
I also love Tyree Glenn Buster Bailey and Marty Napoleon on thos as well