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.
Georgia on My Mind
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Georgia, Georgia
The whole day through
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind
Georgia on my mind
Georgia, Georgia
A song of you
Comes as sweet and clear as
The moonlight through the pines
Yeah man
Other arms reach out to me
Other eyes smile tenderly
Still in peaceful dreams I see
The road leads back to you, yes
Georgia, Georgia
Georgia, Georgia
No peace I find
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind
The lyrics to Louis Armstrong's "Georgia on My Mind" depict a deep longing for the state of Georgia. The song speaks of an old sweet song that keeps the singer's mind focused on Georgia throughout the day. The secondary verse takes the form of a dialogue, with the singer claiming that other arms reach out to him, and other eyes smile tenderly, yet the road still leads him back to Georgia, reflecting a strong emotional attachment to the place.
The final verse adds a tone of melancholy, with the singer expressing that he finds no peace and that the entire day is spent thinking about Georgia. In contrast to the sweet, clear song of the moonlight through the pines that Georgia represents, the singer's current state represents unrest and discomfort.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah
An enthusiastic start to the song
Georgia, Georgia
Acknowledging the state of Georgia
The whole day through
Throughout the entire day
Just an old sweet song
A nostalgic tune that reminds of Georgia
Keeps Georgia on my mind
Constantly thinking about Georgia
Georgia on my mind
Reiterating that Georgia is on the mind
Georgia, Georgia
Emphasizing the state of Georgia
A song of you
A song that represents Georgia
Comes as sweet and clear as
The song is beautiful and resonates deeply
The moonlight through the pines
Compares the clarity of the song to a serene natural scene
Yeah man
A colloquial expression
Other arms reach out to me
Other people try to offer comfort and love
Other eyes smile tenderly
Others show me kindness and affection
Still in peaceful dreams I see
Even in calm dreams, Georgia is present
The road leads back to you, yes
The path always returns to Georgia
Georgia, Georgia
Underscoring the importance of Georgia
Georgia, Georgia
Repeating the name of the state
No peace I find
Unable to find peace without Georgia
Just an old sweet song
The familiar melody brings comfort
Keeps Georgia on my mind
Continues to keep Georgia at the forefront of thoughts
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Hoagy Carmichael, Stuart Gorell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jmtibau
Georgia
Georgia
The whole day through
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind
I said now, Georgia
Georgia
A song of you
Comes as sweet and clear
As moonlight through the pines
Other arms reach out to me
Other eyes smile tenderly
Still in peaceful dreams I see
The road leads back to you
I said, Georgia
Georgia
No peace I find
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind
Other arms reach out to me
Other eyes smile tenderly
Still in peaceful dreams I see
The road leads back to you
Now ya know it's, Georgia
Georgia, no peace, no peace I find
Just this old, sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind
Just this old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind
@jmtibau
Georgia
Georgia
The whole day through
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind
I said now, Georgia
Georgia
A song of you
Comes as sweet and clear
As moonlight through the pines
Other arms reach out to me
Other eyes smile tenderly
Still in peaceful dreams I see
The road leads back to you
I said, Georgia
Georgia
No peace I find
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind
Other arms reach out to me
Other eyes smile tenderly
Still in peaceful dreams I see
The road leads back to you
Now ya know it's, Georgia
Georgia, no peace, no peace I find
Just this old, sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind
Just this old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind
@mohawkbell
Hey these are the folks that made everyone guide to more, just a version of the blues which lead to jazz, country, rock and roll, R& B I love the songs. I was just a really little when I first heard Louis Armstrong and he still gives me goosebumps to this day. I wanted to play and sing like he did but I do not still my admiration and love for his style, his phrasing was beyond conpare. So you are not a freak to love and listen to this style of music its magic to my ears still.
@erichondzinski7581
Louis Armstrong was one of the final musicians to appreciate song as performance rather than product.
@ezekielfortychurchfortychu8506
Thanks to Buddy Holden..with the difference between jazz and a lot more umph on it.
@101JIMMYJAM
this is the first Louis Armstrong song i heard. when i was little and i listen to it now and i just love it...... his voice is really soothing ....
@lunalunera9128
Esa trompeta..... =D No puedo explicar el sentimiento que produce en mí cada vez que lo escucho, pero cuando alcanza esos tonos agudos me transmite una especie de magia que recorre todo mi ser y me hace inmensamente feliz =D
@fillra
Wow! December 12, 1956, New York, NY Armstrong, Louis (Trumpet, Vocal) Oliver, Sy (Arranger, Conductor) Young, Trummy (Trombone) Hall, Edmond (Clarinet) Dorsey, George (Alto Saxophone, Flute) Jefferson, Hinton (Alto Saxophone) Thompson, Lucky (Tenor Saxophone) McRae, Dave (Baritone Saxophone) Barksdale, Everett (Guitar) Kyle, Billy (Piano) Gersh, Squire (Bass) Deems, Barrett (Drums) "Satchmo: A Musical Autobiography".
@lwwatterson
3 days after I was Born... :)
@alesinayoung362
my favourite versions are by Louis Armstrong and Ray Charles...just pure & heavenly to listen to
@EonityLuna
Current US election mood