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.
Got a Bran
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
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Got a bran' new tie
Got a bran' new twinkle in my eye
Do you know the reason why?
Got a bran' new girl
An' I won't dispute
She's the reason why I got a bran' new tie
When I'm with her
Gotta look my best
Put on my tan shoes
Gray spats, double breasted vest
Gonna wear my stickpin, a Tecla Pearl
With a bran' new tie
An' a bran' new suit
A bran' new girl
Louis Armstrong's "Got a Bran' New Suit" is a joyful and upbeat song about a man who has recently acquired a fresh and stylish appearance. He has a new suit, tie, and a twinkle in his eye, and the reason for this newfound confidence and style is a new woman he has just met. The singer is full of excitement and energy, eager to present himself in the best possible way when he is with his new love. The lyrics speak of getting dressed up in his finest clothes, including a double-breasted vest and gray spats, and even adding a stickpin with a Tecla Pearl to complete the look.
The song is an upbeat commentary on the transformative power of new love, as well as the ways in which romantic relationships can serve as a source of inspiration for personal growth and change. The lyrics suggest that the man's new-found sense of style and confidence is a reflection of his happiness and excitement about the new love in his life, and that this sense of renewal is translating into his personal appearance as well. The song is a testament to the ways in which falling in love can be transformative, both for the individual and for others around them.
In conclusion, "Got a Bran' New Suit" is a charming and uplifting song that celebrates the power of love to transform and inspire change. The lyrics speak to the joy and optimism that comes with new romance, and the excitement that can come with a fresh and stylish appearance. The song is a testament to the ways in which love can inspire growth and positive change, and the role that personal appearance can play in that process.
Line by Line Meaning
Got a bran' new suit
I have recently acquired a new stylish suit
Got a bran' new tie
I now own a new necktie that complements my new suit
Got a bran' new twinkle in my eye
I am filled with excitement and joy
Do you know the reason why?
I want to share the reason for my happiness
Got a bran' new girl
I have found a new romantic partner
An' I won't dispute
I cannot argue that she is the reason for my joy
She's the reason why I got a bran' new tie
I bought the tie to impress my new girlfriend
An' a bran' new suit
And I also bought this suit for the same reason
When I'm with her
In her presence
Gotta look my best
I must dress stylishly
Put on my tan shoes
I will wear my tan-colored shoes with the outfit
Gray spats, double breasted vest
I will also wear gray spats and a double-breasted vest
Gonna wear my stickpin, a Tecla Pearl
I plan to wear my stickpin, which has a Tecla Pearl attached to it
With a bran' new tie
Together with the new tie I bought
An' a bran' new suit
And of course, with the new suit
A bran' new girl
All because of my new romantic interest
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CARLIN AMERICA INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ARTHUR SCHWARTZ, HOWARD DIETZ
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