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.
Dream a Little Dream
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Night breezes seem to whisper, I love you
Birds singing in the sycamore tree
Dream a little dream of me
Say nighty-night and kiss me
Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me
While I'm alone and blue as can be
Stars fading but I linger on, dear (oh, how you linger on)
Still craving your kiss (how you crave my kiss)
Now I'm longing to linger 'til dawn, dear
Just saying this (give me a little kiss)
Sweet dreams 'til sunbeams find you
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you
But in your dreams whatever they be
Dream a little dream of me
Stars fading but I linger on, dear
Still craving your kiss
Yeah, I'm longing to linger 'til dawn, dear
Just saying this
Sweet dreams, dreamin', 'til sunbeams find you
Keep dreaming
Gotta keep dreaming, leave your worries behind you
But in your dreams whatever they be
You've gotta make me a promise (oh yes), promise to me
You'll dream, dream a little dream of me
The lyrics to "Dream A Little Dream Of Me" by Louis Armstrong And The All Stars speak to the wistful, romantic desire to be with someone, even when they are not there. The singer asks the listener to dream of them while they are apart, taking comfort in the fact that they are still connected in dreams. The imagery of stars shining brightly above and night breezes whispering "I love you" evoke a sense of magic and sentimentality.
As the song goes on, the singer pleads to be held tightly and told they will be missed. They are alone and blue without their lover and can only find solace in the idea that they will be reunited in dreams. The repetition of the phrase "Dream a little dream of me" acts as a reminder that even when they are physically apart, their love can still exist and flourish in dreams.
The final verse serves as a farewell, the singer longing to linger until dawn, but also acknowledging that the listener has their own dreams to attend to. The wish for sweet dreams that leave all worries behind is a gentle reminder that even in the dream world, everything will be alright.
Line by Line Meaning
Stars shining bright above you
The singer is describing a serene night sky with shining stars.
Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"
The singer is personifying the night breeze as if it is whispering romantic words to someone they love.
Birds singing in the sycamore trees
The singer hears birds singing in the trees around them and is painting a picture of a peaceful environment.
Dream a little dream of me
The artist is asking the person they love to think of them as they fall asleep.
Say nighty-night and kiss me
The artist is asking to be kissed goodnight before they go to sleep.
Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me
The singer wants the person they love to hold them tightly and assure them that they will be missed while they are apart.
While I'm alone and blue as can be
The singer is acknowledging the sadness they feel when they are alone and missing their loved one.
Dream a little dream of me
The artist is asking their loved one to think of them in their dreams to help alleviate their loneliness.
Stars fading but I linger on dear
The artist is describing a fading night sky but they are still longing for their loved one.
Still craving your kiss
The artist is admitting that they are still yearning for the affection of their loved one.
I'm longing to linger till dawn dear
The singer wants to remain with their loved one until the morning light.
Just saying this
The artist's previous statements are a prelude to their declaration.
Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you
The singer is wishing their loved one pleasant dreams until they awaken to the sun's rays.
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you
The singer wants their loved one to have carefree dreams that dispel all of their troubles and fears.
But in your dreams whatever they be
The singer is telling their loved one that whatever they dream about, they want to be a part of it.
Dream a little dream of me
The artist is reiterating their request for their loved one to think of them as they drift off to sleep.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Fabian Andre, Gus Kahn, Wilbur Schwandt
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jasminsoft8563
Stars shining bright above you
Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"
Birds singing in the sycamore tree
Dream a little dream of me
Say "Night-ie night" and kiss me
Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me
While I'm alone and blue as can be
Dream a little dream of me
Stars fading but I linger on, dear
Still craving your kiss
I'm longing to linger till dawn, dear
Just saying this
Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you
But in your dreams whatever they be
Dream a little dream of me
Stars fading but I linger on, dear
Still craving your kiss
I'm longing to linger till dawn, dear
Just saying this
Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you
But in your dreams whatever they be
Dream a little dream of me
Übersetzen in: Deutsch
@flannerymonaghan-morris4825
My mom saw Ella Fitzgerald live at some point in the late 80’s or early 90’s when she was a college student in DC. Ella Fitzgerald is one of my mom’s favorite singers of all time.
Ella was quite elderly and frail at the time physically and she wasn’t as easily able to hit the high notes as she did when she was younger, but still had a marvelous singing voice no less.
She MAY have sung this song as part of her set list, I don’t know. Louis had died in 1971, so if she sang that song she probably sang it alone.
According to her, it was one of the best concerts she had ever been to.
As amazing as that concert must’ve been, I cannot imagine what it must’ve been like to have seen her in her prime. Good god it must have been amazing.
@AndrewAndries-er3bj
2024 March we here ❤
@isabelmartinez9945
me!
@jacknapier3300
🙃@@isabelmartinez9945
@cookiezandcream5434
2024 April here, SIGNING OUT.
@Weesperbuurt
There are more than 388 different recordings of this song. It was written in 1931. Ozzie Nelson and his Orchestra recorded the first version. This rendition with Ella and Louis is from 1950. The Mama and the Papas (with Cass Elliott soloing) came out in 1968. See Second Hand Songs for more info.
@scootermom1791
That's awesome! Thank you for sharing the history behind this song. I love Cass Elliott's rendition, but I love this one as well. I didn't know the Nelson's recorded this first. Hopefully there's a video of them, too. This is my favorite song that Cass Elliot sang: it was so melancholy; so sad!
@atlasmak93
And this is the best one
@cjlowe1978
@@atlasmak93 I concur
@pbenson56fran
Yes, I remembered The Mamas And The Papas singing this. But Doris Day did a wonderful touch to this classics as well. Thank you for your information
@B1GPAPA57
I havent listened to any of the other versions besides the Ella and Louis rendition and yet I am still confident in the fact that its the best