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.
Goodbye To Summer
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
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Too soon the wind will start to whine
Another summer has passed away
Too soon the green will turn to brown
Oh, much too soon the rain will tumble down
Another winter has come to stay
The Autumn leaves may fall
But I can still recall
A summer sky
Goodbye to summer
To all romantic things
The memories that it brings
Will never die
I shall always remember
The night you went away
I shall always remember
The night I had to say
Goodbye to summer
And now goodbye to you
My summer dream is through
And so goodbye
I shall always remember
The night you went away
I shall always remember
The night I had to say
Goodbye to summer
And now goodbye to you
My dream is through
And so goodbye
Goodbye to summer and you
In Louis Armstrong's song "Goodbye To Summer," the lyrics reflect the bittersweet emotions of bidding farewell to the vibrant and carefree days of summer. The song captures the melancholic realization that time passes quickly, as the sun fades away, the wind grows colder, and the green gives way to brown. The arrival of autumn signifies the end of this joyful season, with the falling leaves and imminent arrival of rain. And yet, the memories of summer remain in the singer's mind, refusing to be forgotten.
The chorus, "Goodbye to summer, the Autumn leaves may fall, but I can still recall a summer sky," encapsulates the sentimental longing for the warmth and beauty of summer. The singer acknowledges that although summer has come to an end, the memories it brings are everlasting. It is a farewell to not only summer itself but also to the romantic experiences and emotions that summer evokes. The singer remembers a particular night when someone dear departed, heightening the feelings of nostalgia and loss associated with the song.
Overall, "Goodbye To Summer" portrays the wistful farewell to a cherished season, combining themes of transience and memory. The lyrics serve as a poignant reminder to appreciate and cherish the fleeting moments of joy and the memories they create.
Line by Line Meaning
Too soon the sun will seize to shine
The sun will set sooner than expected, signaling the end of summer.
Too soon the wind will start to whine
The cold wind will soon arrive, bringing the change of seasons.
Another summer has passed away
Yet another summer season has come to an end.
Too soon the green will turn to brown
The vibrant green of summer foliage will fade as autumn approaches.
Oh, much too soon the rain will tumble down
Rainfall, characteristic of winter, will arrive earlier than desired.
Another winter has come to stay
Winter has arrived and will remain for a significant period.
Goodbye to summer
Farewell to the joyful and warm season of summer.
The Autumn leaves may fall
During autumn, leaves will naturally detach from trees and descend.
But I can still recall
However, I can vividly remember the memories and experiences of summer.
A summer sky
The clear and radiant sky that symbolizes summer.
To all romantic things
In addition, farewell to all the romantic experiences and moments associated with summer.
The memories that it brings
The memories evoked by summer will forever be cherished.
Will never die
These memories will always remain alive and significant.
I shall always remember
I will forever keep in my thoughts and heart.
The night you went away
The night when you departed from my life.
And now goodbye to you
And now, farewell to you as well.
My summer dream is through
My dreams and aspirations for the summer have come to an end.
And so goodbye
Consequently, I bid farewell.
Goodbye to summer and you
Farewell to both the summer season and you, the person associated with it.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HARRY PHILLIPS, SUZANNE BOTTERELL
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