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.
Frim Fram Sauce
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't want french fried potatoes,
Red ripe tomatoes,
I'm never satisfied.
I want the frim fram sauce with the ausen fay
With chafafa on the side.
I don't want pork chops and bacon,
That won't awaken
My appetite inside.
I want the frim fram sauce with the ausen fay
With chafafa on the side.
A fella really got to eat
And a fella should eat right.
Five will get you ten
I'm gonna feed myself right tonight.
I don't want fish cakes and rye bread,
You heard what I said.
Waiter, please serve mine fried
I want the frim fram sauce with the ausen fay
With chafafa on the side.
~interlude~
A fella really got to eat
And a fella should eat right.
Five will get you ten
I'm gonna feed myself right tonight.
I don't want fish cakes and rye bread,
You heard what I said.
Waiter, please serve mine fried
I want the frim fram sauce with the ausen fay
With chafafa on the side.
(now if you don't have it, just bring me a check for the water!)
Louis Armstrong's song "Frim Fram Sauce" describes the singer's specific and idiosyncratic appetite. He lists several foods he does not desire, such as french fried potatoes, red ripe tomatoes, pork chops, and bacon, insisting that they will not satisfy him. Rather, he craves the "frim fram sauce" with "oss-en-fay with sha-fafa on the side." This dish seems to be a personal invention, and the lyrics are humorous in their specificity and repetition.
The chorus of the song serves as an ode to good, nourishing food. The singer insists that "a girl she should eat right," and that he will "feed myself right tonight." The song plays with the idea of hunger and desire, suggesting that while we may think we want one thing, there is always something else that will satisfy us more. Through its playful lyrics and catchy melody, "Frim Fram Sauce" becomes a celebration of good food and good humor.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want french fried potatoes, red ripe tomatoes
I am not interested in common, basic food items like fries and tomatoes.
I'm never satisfied
I am always craving new and exciting foods.
I want the frim fram sauce
With oss-en-fay with sha-fafa on the side
I desire a specific sauce (probably fancy or exotic) with additional special ingredients on the side.
I don't want pork chops and bacon
That won't awaken my appetite inside
I am not enticed by classic meat dishes, they don't satisfy my taste buds.
Well, you know a girl
She really got to eat
And a girl she should eat right
Five will get you ten
I'm going to feed myself right tonight
Eating is important for women and it is expected for them to consume nourishing food. I am going to indulge in whatever I desire tonight.
I don't want fish cakes and rye bread
You heard what I said
Waiter, please, I want mine fried
I dislike typical food options like fish and bread, so please ensure my food is cooked in a certain manner to meet my preferred taste.
I want the frim fram sauce
With oss-en-fay with sha fafa on the side
I am very adamant about requesting this specific sauce for my meal with additional unique ingredients on the side.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Written by: JOSEPH RICARDEL, REDD EVANS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jmarianosilva
I don't want french fried potatoes, red ripe tomatoes
I'm never satisfied
I want the frim fram sauce
With oss-en-fay with sha fafa on the side
I don't want pork chops and bacon
That won't awaken, my appetite inside
I want the frim fram sauce
With oss-en-fay with sha fafa on the side
Well you know a girl
She really got to eat
And a girl she should eat right
Five will get you ten
I'm going to feed myself right tonight
I don't want fish cakes and rye bread
You heard what I said
Waiter please, I want mine fried
I want the frim fram sauce
With oss-en-fay with sha fafa on the side
@taminabetesda9333
don't want French fried potatoes,
Red ripe tomatoes,
I'm never satisfied.
I want the frim fram sauce with the Ausen fay
With chafafa on the side.
I don't want pork chops and bacon,
That won't awaken
My appetite inside.
I want the frim fram sauce with the Ausen fay
With chafafa on the side.
Now a persons really got to eat
And a person should eat right.
Five will get you ten
I'm gonna feed myself right tonight.
I don't want fish cakes and rye bread,
You heard what I said.
Waiter, please serve mine fried
I want the frim fram sauce with the Ausen fay
With chafafa on the side.
Interlude Now a persons really got to eat
And a person should eat right.
Five will get you ten
I'm gonna feed myself right tonight.
I don't want fish cakes and rye bread,
You heard what I said.
Waiter, please serve mine fried
I want the frim fram sauce with the Ausen fay
With chafafa on the side.
I want the frim fram sauce with the ausen fay
With cha fafa, cha fafa, cha fafa, on the side
P-LEAZZZE!
@electrowavez1680
I don't want french fried potatoes,
Red ripe tomatoes,
I'm never satisfied.
I want the frim fram sauce with the ausen fay
With chafafa on the side.
I don't want pork chops and bacon,
That won't awaken
My appetite inside.
I want the frim fram sauce with the ausen fay
With chafafa on the side.
Now a fella really got to eat
And a fella should eat right.
Five will get you ten
I'm gonna feed myself right tonight.
I don't want fish cakes and rye bread,
You heard what I said.
Waiter, please serve mine fried
I want the frim fram sauce with the ausen fay
With chafafa on the side
@veronikaviol4656
I' m never satisfied
I want the Frim Fram Sauce
With the oss and fay
With shifafa on the side
I don' t want pork chops and bacon
That won' t awaken
My appetite IS HIGH. ***********
I want the Frim Fram Sauce
With the oss and fay
With shifafa on the side
Now you know
Girls. we really got to eat
And you know we should eat right
Five will get you ten
I' m gonna feed myself right tonight
I don' t want fish-cakes and Rye bread
You heard what I said
Waiter, please, I want mine fried
I want the Frim Fram Sauce
With the oss and fay
With shifafa on the side
Ooh, with shifafa, uh, on the side
@execelsior999
I only knew the Nat King Cole version and always liked it. Have just found this wonderful version - you really can not beat the GREAT Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong especially when they are together. Fantastic musicality!
@malvavisco10
Wow, I love this song, can’t believe I’d never heard this version. Just gorgeous! Can’t beat Ella & Louis
@tpledger100
You're listening to the Gold Standard of Jazz Duo's! WOW!
@haneefbowens87
Today is the day that I found out they made a song together! And I've never been more happier! The GOATS of jazz!
@carlrosenzweig1867
They have entire albums together, there's a lot more for you to enjoy.
@saskiavisser1279
Beautiful ❤❤
@michelberdah757
Your voice is so young Ella and Louis the appetite to sing so bright, thanks so much. It brings me light and joy in my heart
@djandersonny
I searched all over the Internets for a recipe for a nice Frim Fram Sauce. This is maybe the most delicious one I could find. Nat King Cole’s might be a tiny bit more authentic, simply because it’s earlier, but it lacks that certain “je ne sais quoi”, that nicely funky aroma, that Pops & Ella work into the mix.
@jtdavis62
Louis's recipe always starts with a little holy trinity (onions, celery, bell pepper).
@thesariahandjamyahchannel518
djandersonny you know it’s not REAL