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.
Give Peace A Chance
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shagism, Dragism, Madism
Ragism, Tagism, This-ism
That-ism, is-m, is-m, is-m
Hare, Hare Krishna
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
Everybody's talking about ministers, sinister
Banisters and canisters, bishops and fishops
Rabbis and Popeyes, bye-bye, bye-byes
Hare, Hare Krishna
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
Everybody's talking about revolution
Evolution, masturbation, flagellation
Regulation, integrations, meditations
United Nations, congratulations
Hare, Hare Krishna
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
Everybody's talking about John and Yoko
Timmy Leary, Rosemary, Tommy Smothers
Bobby Dylan, Tommy Copper, Derek Taylor
Norman Mailer, Allen Ginsberg, Hare Krishna
Hare, Hare Krishna
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
Louis Armstrong And His Friends's song "Give Peace a Chance" is a classic peace anthem that calls for people to set aside their differences and embrace peace. The song's lyrics are a commentary on various "isms" and "revolutions" that were prevalent during the late 1960s, when the song was written. The lyrics also reference various social and political figures of the time, including John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Timothy Leary, and Bobby Dylan.
The first stanza talks about the different philosophical beliefs and lifestyles that people adhere to, like bagism, shagism, dragism, etc. The line "Hare, Hare Krishna" refers to the Hare Krishna movement, which was gaining popularity in the 1960s. The chorus repeats the simple message of the song: "All we are saying is give peace a chance."
The second stanza talks about the different religious figures and leaders who are supposed to guide people towards peace but are failing to do so. The line "Bye-bye, bye-byes" denotes the imperfect nature of human beings who, despite the best intentions, cannot bring lasting peace. The chorus repeats the message of the song by emphasizing that peace is the need of the hour.
The third stanza talks about various movements and practices like revolution, regulation, and integration, which were being adopted for social and political change. However, the song suggests that peace can only be achieved by concentrating on individual and collective practices like meditations and by supporting peace initiatives like the United Nations. The line "Hare, Hare Krishna" reaps up the stanza.
The final stanza mentions several influential figures of the time, including John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Timothy Leary, Rosemary, Tommy Smothers, Bobby Dylan, Allen Ginsberg and Norman Mailer, who were all advocating for peace in their own ways. The chorus is repeated multiple times to emphasize the song's critical message of peace.
Overall, the song is a powerful call to action for peace, delivered with simplicity and a sense of community. It reminds listeners that peace is the responsibility of all individuals, regardless of their beliefs or background.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody's talking about Bagism Shagism, Dragism, Madism Ragism, Tagism, This-ism That-ism, is-m, is-m, is-m Hare, Hare Krishna
People are talking about different cultural and philosophical movements and beliefs, including those related to gender, race, politics, and religion, but all of these concepts are ultimately connected by their common humanity and spirituality.
All we are saying is give peace a chance All we are saying is give peace a chance
Our message is simple and clear: we need to prioritize peace above all else and work together to create a better world for everyone.
Everybody's talking about ministers, sinister Banisters and canisters, bishops and fishops Rabbis and Popeyes, bye-bye, bye-byes Hare, Hare Krishna
People are also talking about religious figures and organizations, as well as the negative actions and structures associated with politics and power, but all of these institutions and individuals should be pursuing peace and compassion for all.
Everybody's talking about revolution Evolution, masturbation, flagellation Regulation, integrations, meditations United Nations, congratulations Hare, Hare Krishna
Different ideas and movements are also being discussed, including those related to change, growth, self-reflection, and global cooperation, but only by prioritizing peace can we truly make progress in these areas.
Everybody's talking about John and Yoko Timmy Leary, Rosemary, Tommy Smothers Bobby Dylan, Tommy Copper, Derek Taylor Norman Mailer, Allen Ginsberg, Hare Krishna Hare, Hare Krishna
Famous individuals and public figures are also being mentioned, including artists, writers, activists, and leaders, but celebrity culture should not distract us from the importance of promoting peace and understanding in our own lives and communities.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anonymous
on What A Wonderful World
What A Wonderful World - Casey Abrams - Lyrics
I see trees of green
Red roses too
I see them bloom
For me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
I see skies of blue
And clouds of white
The bright blessed day
The dark sacred night
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Singing how do you do
They're really singing
I love you
I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They'll learn much more
Than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Musical Interlude
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Singing how do you do
They're really singing
I love you
I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They goin’ learn much more
Than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
I think to myself
What a wonderful world