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.
Fantastic That
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Played on a million velvet violins
My head goes reelin' and around it spins
Fantastic, fantastic that's you, yes
You whisper darlin' and before my eyes
A blaze of fireworks light up the skies
My heart grows wings then away it flies
You perform miracles
Whenever you hold me near
Tender, warm miracles
That make me surrender dear, yes
And when you kiss me heaven opens wide
And there you are inviting me inside
No wonder angels up there have staring eyes
Fantastic, fantastic that's you
Yes, and when you kiss me heaven opens wide
And there you are inviting me inside
No wonder angels up there have staring eyes
Fantastic, fantastic that's you
The lyrics to the song "Fantastic That's You" by Louis Armstrong are about the overwhelming feeling of love and admiration for the person being addressed in the song. The opening line "You look at me and then a song begins" conveys the idea that the mere presence of this person evokes such strong emotions that it is like a beautiful piece of music is being played. The use of the imagery of "a million velvet violins" emphasizes the ethereal, almost supernatural quality of this feeling.
The song also touches on the idea that this person has the ability to perform miracles with their love. The lines, "You perform miracles / Whenever you hold me near / Tender, warm miracles / That make me surrender dear, yes" express the idea that the love and affection of this person have transformative power. The final lines of the song "No wonder angels up there have staring eyes" reinforce the divine quality of this love.
Overall, "Fantastic That's You" is a song that celebrates the magical and transformative qualities of love. As with many of Armstrong's songs, the lyrics are simple and direct, yet convey a depth of feeling that resonates with listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
You look at me and then a song begins
Your mere presence is music to my ears
Played on a million velvet violins
The beauty of your presence is overwhelming like an orchestra of stringed instruments.
My head goes reelin' and around it spins
Your presence makes me feel dizzy and lost in admiration.
Fantastic, fantastic that's you, yes
You are truly incredible, and I cannot find the right words to express my admiration.
You whisper darlin' and before my eyes
Your words of affection move me and make me feel special.
A blaze of fireworks light up the skies
You generate passion in me that is powerful and intense like a firework display.
My heart grows wings then away it flies
My heart is filled with joy and it feels free when I am with you.
You perform miracles
Your presence and the things you do for me are extraordinary.
Whenever you hold me near
I feel comfort and safety in your embrace.
Tender, warm miracles
Your actions towards me are kind, gentle and filled with warmth.
That make me surrender dear, yes
Your love is so powerful that I am willing to surrender my heart to you completely.
And when you kiss me heaven opens wide
Your love makes me feel like I have reached heaven.
And there you are inviting me inside
You make me feel welcomed and embraced in your love.
No wonder angels up there have staring eyes
Your love is so pure and genuine it must be a wonder for even the angels in heaven.
Fantastic, fantastic that's you
You truly are an incredible person and bring out the best in me.
Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GEORGE CATES, GEORGE DOUGLAS, MORT GREENE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Elena Löcker
You look at me and then a song begins
Played on a million velvet violins
My head goes reelin' and around it spins
Fantastic, fantastic that's you, yes
You whisper darlin' and before my eyes
A blaze of fireworks light up the skies
My heart grows wings then away it flies
Fantastic, fantastic that's you
You perform miracles
Whenever you hold me near
Tender, warm miracles
That make me surrender dear, yes
And when you kiss me heaven opens wide
And there you are inviting me inside
No wonder angels up there have staring eyes
Fantastic, fantastic that's you
Yes, and when you kiss me heaven opens wide
And there you are inviting me inside
No wonder angels up there have staring eyes
Fantastic, fantastic that's you
n00se
You look at me and then a song begins
Played on a million velvet violins
My head goes reelin' and around it spins
Fantastic, fantastic that's you, yes
You whisper darlin' and before my eyes
A blaze of fireworks light up the skies
My heart grows wings then away it flies
Fantastic, fantastic that's you
You perform miracles
Whenever you hold me near
Tender, warm miracles
That make me surrender dear, yes
[2x:]
And when you kiss me heaven opens wide
And there you are inviting me inside
No wonder angels up there have staring eyes
Fantastic, fantastic that's you
Elena Löcker
You look at me and then a song begins
Played on a million velvet violins
My head goes reelin' and around it spins
Fantastic, fantastic that's you, yes
You whisper darlin' and before my eyes
A blaze of fireworks light up the skies
My heart grows wings then away it flies
Fantastic, fantastic that's you
You perform miracles
Whenever you hold me near
Tender, warm miracles
That make me surrender dear, yes
And when you kiss me heaven opens wide
And there you are inviting me inside
No wonder angels up there have staring eyes
Fantastic, fantastic that's you
Yes, and when you kiss me heaven opens wide
And there you are inviting me inside
No wonder angels up there have staring eyes
Fantastic, fantastic that's you
Hamid Azizov
Рахмат, thank you lot
Georgiy Yachshenko
Волшебно !
n00se
You look at me and then a song begins
Played on a million velvet violins
My head goes reelin' and around it spins
Fantastic, fantastic that's you, yes
You whisper darlin' and before my eyes
A blaze of fireworks light up the skies
My heart grows wings then away it flies
Fantastic, fantastic that's you
You perform miracles
Whenever you hold me near
Tender, warm miracles
That make me surrender dear, yes
[2x:]
And when you kiss me heaven opens wide
And there you are inviting me inside
No wonder angels up there have staring eyes
Fantastic, fantastic that's you
gx51fko
Brilliant song !!!!
Sean White Buffalo
It feels so good ❤️
R Cs
Beautiful..😘💕I love it 💋🌺💞
Robie *
Is like nostalgic song..I love it 😘✌️👑 Rob - New York 👑😘💕
Subversive Insubordination
Please, bring back the times..
Olivia Langsy
Boston Legal Alan Shore and Denny Crane dance on the series finale of the show brought me here.