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.
Hear me Takin´ to Ya
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm going to ramble back to my used-to-be
Aww, you hear me talkin' to ya
I don't bite my tongue
You wanna be my man?
You gotta fetch it with you when you come
Eve and Adam in a garden takin' a chance
Aww, you hear me talkin' to ya
I don't bite my tongue
You wanna be my man?
You gotta fetch it with ya when you come
I don't care whether they're old or young
When the chips were down, they have trouble along
I guess you hear me talkin' to ya
I don't bite my tongue
You wanna be my man?
You gotta fetch it with ya when you come
Hello sayin' true give me 6 0 9
What takes gettin' in these
His or mine?
Hear me talkin' to ya
I don't bite my tongue
You wanna be my man?
You gotta fetch it with you when you come
The song "Hear Me Talkin' to Ya" by Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five is a bluesy, jazzy number with playful lyrics that showcase Armstrong's signature raspy voice and improvisational style. The song begins by stating that the singer is a "ramblin' man" who will inevitably return to his past lover. This is followed by a challenge to the listener - "You wanna be my man? You gotta fetch it with you when you come." In other words, the singer is not interested in a relationship unless the person is willing to make an effort.
The second verse takes a playful jab at the story of Eve and Adam in the Garden of Eden, with Adam not taking the time to get dressed before partaking in the forbidden fruit. Again, the listener is challenged with the line "You wanna be my man? You gotta fetch it with you when you come." The third verse speaks to the singer's non-discriminatory nature when it comes to age, but makes it clear that everyone has their own struggles. Finally, the song ends with a nonsensical conversation about numbers and what "takes gettin' in these."
Overall, "Hear Me Talkin' to Ya" is a fun and lighthearted song that showcases Armstrong's flair for improvisation and playfulness. The lyrics are not meant to be taken too seriously, but rather to showcase the joy of music and witty banter.
Line by Line Meaning
Ramblin' man makes no change in me
Me being a ramblin' man doesn't affect who I am
I'm going to ramble back to my used-to-be
I'm going to go back to where I used to be
Aww, you hear me talkin' to ya
Listen up, I'm speaking to you
I don't bite my tongue
I always speak my mind
You wanna be my man?
Are you trying to be with me?
You gotta fetch it with you when you come
You have to bring what I'm looking for if you want to be with me
Eve and Adam in a garden takin' a chance
Referring to the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden
Adam didn't take time to get his pants
Adam acted impulsively without thinking things through
I don't care whether they're old or young
It doesn't matter if someone is old or young to me
When the chips were down, they have trouble along
When things get tough, they struggle
I guess you hear me talkin' to ya
I hope you're paying attention to what I'm saying
Hello sayin' true give me 6 0 9
Not clear, could be referring to a phone number or a code
What takes gettin' in these, his or mine?
Referring to clothing, asking if it's his or hers
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LOUIS ARMSTRONG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
amparo ospina
Fabuloso
Thomas Dugdale
Wonderful
Martin Tanksley
3 1/2 stars!!!
Elshad Bagirow
yeah, that`s lovely
snamhadoir72
Not the Hot Five.