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 change
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's Give Peace a Chance is a song that is focused on peace and the need for people to come together in harmony. The lyrics of this song have been broken down into separate paragraphs, each discussing different topics. The first paragraph includes words like Bagism, Shagism, Ragism, and other "isms" that refer to various political and social movements. This implies that there are many different groups vying for attention and that divisiveness is not the way to achieve peace. Instead, everyone should focus on this one simple message: Give peace a chance.
In the second paragraph of the song, the lyrics talk about religious leaders and their authorities, referencing ministers, bishops, rabbis and the Pope. This section suggests that even those with powerful positions in society should put aside their personal beliefs and support peace. The inclusion of "Hare Krishna" highlights that this call to action extends beyond just one particular religion, but to all religions in general.
The third paragraph is about the different methods people have tried to bring about change - from revolution to integration, from meditation to international cooperation in the form of the United Nations. The line "Congratulations, Hare Krishna" gives a nod to those who continue to promote peace, despite obstacles or setbacks. This verse encourages the listener to consider various ways to promote peace and harmony.
The fourth and final paragraph focuses on individuals who are known for their activism in promoting peace, such as John and Yoko, Timothy Leary, Bobby Dylan, and others. This verse suggests that even individual actions can help promote peace, and solidarity in shared goals is a powerful way to show support.
Overall, the lyrics of Give Peace a Chance encourage people to set aside their biases and come together for a common goal of peace. The song reflects a sentiment of the time period where there was resistance to the Vietnam War and societal changes, and a desire for a more peaceful world.
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 discussing various ideologies such as Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism, Ragism, Tagism, This-ism, That-ism, and isms that are not named. They are also chanting Hare Krishna.
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
We are only asking for peace to be given an opportunity.
Everybody's talking about ministers, sinister
Banisters and canisters, bishops and fishops
Rabbis and Popeyes, bye-bye, bye-byes
Hare, Hare Krishna
People are discussing ministers, bishops, Rabbis, and even cartoon character Popeyes. They are also saying goodbye. They are also chanting Hare Krishna.
Everybody's talking about revolution
Evolution, masturbation, flagellation
Regulation, integrations, meditations
United Nations, congratulations
Hare, Hare Krishna
People are talking about various topics such as revolution, evolution, masturbation, flagellation, regulation, integration, meditation, United Nations, and congratulations. They are also chanting Hare Krishna.
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
People are discussing various famous individuals such as John and Yoko, Timmy Leary, Rosemary, Tommy Smothers, Bobby Dylan, Tommy Cooper, Derek Taylor, Norman Mailer, Allen Ginsberg. They are also chanting 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
We are repeatedly asking for peace to be given an opportunity.
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