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.
Have You Met Miss Jones
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was awake; I wasn't blind
I didn't think; I felt it happened
Now I believe in matter over mind
And now you see we mustn't wait
The nearest moment that we marry is too late
Someone said we shook hands
She was just Miss Jones to me
Oh, then I said, "Miss Jones
You're a girl who understands
And I'm a man who must be free"
And all at once I lost my breath
And all at once was scared to death
And all at once I own the earth and sky
Now I've met Miss Jones
We'll keep on meeting till we die
Yes, miss Jones and I
Have you met Miss Jones?
Someone said as we shook hands
She was just Miss Jones to me
Oh, then I said, "Miss Jones
You're a girl who understands
I'm a man who must be free"
And all at once I lost my breath
And all at once was scared to death
And all at once I own the earth and sky
Oh, now I've met Miss Jones
We'll keep on meeting till we die
Yes, Miss Jones and I
Oh, Miss Jones and I
The lyrics to Louis Armstrong's song "Have You Met Miss Jones" are about a chance encounter with a woman named Miss Jones. The singer describes feeling an instant connection with her and realizing that he believes in "matter over mind," meaning he trusts his feelings over his thoughts. He implores the listener not to wait, saying that the nearest moment they marry is already too late.
As the song continues, the singer describes his conversation with Miss Jones, in which he tells her that he values his freedom as a man. Despite this, he feels a strong attraction to her and is scared about the intensity of his feelings. He claims to own the earth and sky all at once, and decides that he and Miss Jones will continue meeting until they both die.
Overall, the lyrics to "Have You Met Miss Jones" are about the excitement and fear that can come with falling in love unexpectedly. The singer is swept off his feet by Miss Jones and realizes that he values his emotions above all else. The song encourages listeners to embrace their feelings and take chances, arguing that waiting for the right moment may mean missing out on what could be a great connection.
Line by Line Meaning
It happened; I felt it happened
Something significant occurred, I was aware of it at the time.
I was awake; I wasn't blind
I was fully conscious and could see what was happening.
I didn't think; I felt it happened
My feelings overruled my thoughts, and I knew something was happening.
Now I believe in matter over mind
I now trust tangible evidence and actions over speculative thoughts.
And now you see we mustn't wait
It's essential to act quickly in this situation.
The nearest moment that we marry is too late
If we don't act quickly, we may lose the opportunity forever.
Have you met Miss Jones?
Do you know the woman named Miss Jones?
Someone said we shook hands
I met Miss Jones in a formal setting and greeted her with a handshake.
She was just Miss Jones to me
I didn't know her well enough for her to have a more personal title.
Oh, then I said, 'Miss Jones
At a later meeting, I addressed her by name.
You're a girl who understands
I appreciate how intelligent and understanding she is.
And I'm a man who must be free'
I value my independence and don't want to be tied down.
And all at once I lost my breath
I was so taken aback that I momentarily lost control of my physical faculties.
And all at once was scared to death
I was terrified but also excited by the situation.
And all at once I own the earth and sky
I feel empowered, like there's nothing in the world that can stop me.
Now I've met Miss Jones
I've gotten to know Miss Jones better.
We'll keep on meeting till we die
We plan to continue spending time together indefinitely.
Yes, miss Jones and I
She and I will always be close.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LORENZ HART, RICHARD RODGERS
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