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.
Flat Foot Floogee
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, baby
Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, baby
Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, baby
Whenever your cares are chronic
Just tell the world, "go hang"
You'll find a greater tonic
If you go on swingin' with the gang
Flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Floy, floy, floy, yeah
Send me on out there
Whenever your cares are chronic
Just tell the world, "go hang"
You'll find a greater tonic
If you go on stumblin' with the gang
Hey, hey, hey, yes, yes
The song "Flat Foot Floogie" is an upbeat, jazzy tune that encourages the listener to let loose and forget their troubles. The repeated phrase "flat foot floogie with a floy, floy" is a nonsense phrase that adds to the playful, carefree tone of the song. The use of scat vocalization is common in jazz music and it adds a lively, spontaneous element to the performance.
The first verse encourages the listener to join in the fun – to swing with the gang and let go of any worries. The second verse echoes this sentiment, suggesting that stumbling through life with others is more rewarding than suffering alone. The song's lyrics convey a sense of community and celebration, suggesting that the best way to overcome adversity is through companionship and a positive attitude.
Overall, "Flat Foot Floogie" is a joyful, carefree song that celebrates the power of togetherness and encourages the listener to let go of their cares and join in the fun.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, the flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
The unique dancing style that involves flailing your feet and hands around
Flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Performing the previously mentioned dance style
Flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Continuing to perform the dance style
Floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy
The sound effect used to represent the music playing in the background
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, baby
Expressing excitement and enthusiasm for the experience
Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, baby
Continuing to express excitement and enthusiasm
Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, baby
Continuing to express excitement and enthusiasm
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Continuing to express excitement and enthusiasm
Whenever your cares are chronic
When you're feeling weighed down by your problems
Just tell the world, 'go hang'
Ignore the naysayers and haters in your life
You'll find a greater tonic
You'll feel better if you try something new and exciting
If you go on swingin' with the gang
If you continue to engage in fun and carefree activities with your friends
Flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Continuing to perform the dance style
Flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Continuing to perform the dance style
Floy, floy, floy, yeah
The sound effect used to represent the music playing in the background
Send me on out there
Encouraging someone to join in and participate in the fun and excitement
Whenever your cares are chronic
When you're feeling weighed down by your problems
Just tell the world, 'go hang'
Ignore the naysayers and haters in your life
You'll find a greater tonic
You'll feel better if you try something new and exciting
If you go on stumblin' with the gang
If you continue to engage in fun and carefree activities with your friends
Hey, hey, hey, yes, yes
An expression of excitement and enthusiasm for the experience
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: BUD GREEN, SLAM STEWART, SLIM GAILLARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lanceash
YES! I had a cassette like that. I'm trying to put together a list of all the songs on that cassette, but I can only remember about seven. Do you remember what was on it?
aint misbehavin'
tin roof blues
i's a muggin'
that's a plenty
flat foot floogie
do you know what it means (to miss new orleans)
jeepers creepers
struttin with some barbecue (?)
@sussylh4124
Louis Armstrong And The Mills Brothers:Flat Foot Floogie
This song is by Louis Armstrong and The Mills Brothers and appears on the album Louis Armstrong and the Mills Brothers (1954).
This song is a cover of "The Flat Foot Floogie" by Slim Gaillard.
(The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Floy floy, floy floy, floy floy, floy floy)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, baby
Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, baby
Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, baby
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Whenever your cares are chronic
Just tell the world, "go hang"
You'll find a greater tonic
If you go on swingin' with the gang
Flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Floy, floy, floy, yeah
Send me on out there
Whenever your cares are chronic
Just tell the world, "go hang"
You'll find a greater tonic
If you go on stumblin' with the gang
Hey, hey, hey, yes, yes
@marthalillard3193
I can still see my mom singing this and dancing around the house as she cooked and cleaned !
@d.b.4201
Amen!! Love it!! 👍
@Chungustav
Odd since it about a prostitute with a drippy venereal disease
@amyowens7050
My mom took.
@dabear2438
My Uncle used to sing this to me when I was a little child. He was born in 1929 so 1938 was right in his era. I sure miss him. Rest in peace, Uncle.
@carolsikkema7136
Both my mom and dad would sing this. They were married in 1938. I used to wonder where these lyrics came from! Good to know.
@edwardtrolz
This makes me remember the time when we only had a radio,
@lili1916
Happy meeting between the great Mills Brothers and 'Satchmo' in this! Thanks for sharing!
@christansdad
Had a cassette tape of 20 of Louis' greatest hits as a young teen. This song...and Indiana were my two favorites.
@lanceash
YES! I had a cassette like that. I'm trying to put together a list of all the songs on that cassette, but I can only remember about seven. Do you remember what was on it?
aint misbehavin'
tin roof blues
i's a muggin'
that's a plenty
flat foot floogie
do you know what it means (to miss new orleans)
jeepers creepers
struttin with some barbecue (?)