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.
Hello My Baby
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A glass of plain water for me
Banana split for my baby
A glass of plain water for me
Dispenser Man, if you please
Serve my chick a mess of calories
Banana split for my baby
A glass of plain water for me
Flip back the lid
Scoop everything in sight
Make it a rainbow of red, brown and white
Chocolate chip and everything that's nice
Tutti frutti once and spumoni twice
Banana split for my baby
And a glass of plain water for me
Spray the whipped cream for at least an hour
Pile it as high as the Eiffel Tower
Load it with nuts, about sixteen tons
Top it with a pizza just for fun
Banana split for my baby
And a glass of plain water for me
Banana split for my baby
A glass of plain water for me
Banana split for my baby
A glass of plain water for me
Stack her up with crazy goo
That's the stuff she likes to wade right through
Banana split for my baby
A glass of plain water for me
Now add the cherries
The kind she loves to munch
Skip one banana
Use the whole darn bunch
Drown it with fudge
Six or seven cans
Give her two spoons
She'll eat it with both hands
Banana split for my baby
And a glass of plain water for me
Separate checks, it must be
Charge the split to her
The water to me
Oh the banana split's for my baby
And the glass of plain water's for me
Ain't got no money
The glass of plain water's for me
Louis Armstrong’s song “Hello My Baby” is an up-tempo, playful tune about wanting to treat his special someone to a banana split. Throughout the song, the singer expresses a desire to buy his lady love a delicious banana split, loaded with lots of toppings, while he himself will have a simple glass of water. He implores the dispenser man to serve his girlfriend a “mess of calories”. The song’s refrain, “banana split for my baby, a glass of plain water for me”, is catchy and endearing in its playful tone, and Armstrong delivers the song with his characteristic enthusiasm and personality.
The lyrics detail the process of creating the perfect banana split, with the singer suggesting different toppings and flavors that his girlfriend might enjoy. He encourages the dispenser man to make it “a rainbow of red, brown and white”, loading it up with chocolate chips, whipped cream, nuts, and other confections. The final verse of the song adds a humorous twist with the singer jokingly suggesting that they should charge his girlfriend for the expensive banana split, while he himself will settle for the glass of plain water due to his lack of money.
Despite its playful tone, “Hello My Baby” is a classic example of Armstrong’s ability to infuse his music with humor, joy, and a sense of fun. The song is a lighthearted celebration of indulgence and desire, with the singer clearly delighting in the thought of treating his girlfriend to something special. With its catchy lyrics and upbeat tempo, “Hello My Baby” is a classic jazz tune that has stood the test of time.
Line by Line Meaning
Banana split for my baby
I want to give my girl a treat, a banana split sundae.
A glass of plain water for me
I don't want anything fancy, just a simple glass of water would be great.
Banana split for my baby
I really think my girlfriend deserves to have a banana split.
A glass of plain water for me
I don't want anything too indulgent or sweet.
Dispenser Man, if you please
Can you please make sure to give her a lot of toppings and a big sundae?
Serve my chick a mess of calories
Make sure this sundae is loaded with calories, she deserves it!
Flip back the lid
Open that sundae container up and let's get started!
Scoop everything in sight
Put as much ice cream and toppings as possible, no holding back!
Make it a rainbow of red, brown and white
Add lots of different colorful ingredients to create a beautiful sundae.
Chocolate chip and everything that's nice
Include all of her favorite toppings for this special sundae.
Tutti frutti once and spumoni twice
Mix up the flavors and make it really exciting for her.
Spray the whipped cream for at least an hour
Make sure that sundae is piled high with whipped cream!
Pile it as high as the Eiffel Tower
Keep piling it on, we really want to impress her.
Load it with nuts, about sixteen tons
Add lots of different nuts, give her plenty of choices.
Top it with a pizza just for fun
Let's get really creative and add something unexpected like a pizza on top.
Stack her up with crazy goo
Add syrup and sauce until it looks over-the-top and delicious.
That's the stuff she likes to wade right through
My girlfriend loves to dig into her food, so let's make sure it's piled high.
Now add the cherries
Of course, we can't forget the classic sundae topping - the cherry!
The kind she loves to munch
Make sure they are good quality, she loves to pick them off the top.
Skip one banana
We don't need to add too much banana, we already have a lot of ingredients.
Use the whole darn bunch
Actually, let's go for it and add the whole banana bunch!
Drown it with fudge
Add lots of chocolate fudge on top, this is a special occasion.
Six or seven cans
We need a really big amount of fudge, let's not hold back.
Give her two spoons
I want to enjoy this sundae with her too, so let's grab two spoons.
She'll eat it with both hands
I know she's going to love this sundae, she'll dive right in with both hands!
Separate checks, it must be
We need to pay separately for the sundae and my glass of water.
Charge the split to her
Make sure the sundae is paid for by my girlfriend.
The water to me
I'll be paying for my own glass of water.
Oh the banana split's for my baby
This special sundae is all for my girlfriend, it's her treat.
And the glass of plain water's for me
I'm happy just to have a simple glass of water, I don't need anything too indulgent.
Ain't got no money
We might be a bit short on cash right now.
The glass of plain water's for me
But at least I can afford to pay for my own drink!
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Louis Prima, Stan Irwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kkkm797
Hello, Dolly
This is Louis, Dolly
It's so nice to have you back where you belong
You're lookin' swell, Dolly
I can tell, Dolly
You're still glowin'...you're still crowin'
You're still goin' strong
I feel the room swayin'
While the band's playin'
One of our old favourite songs from way back when
So take her wrap, fellas find her an empty lap, fellas
Dolly'll never go away again
Hello, Dolly
Well, hello, Dolly
It's so nice to have you back where you belong
You're lookin' swell, Dolly
I can tell, Dolly
You're still glowin'...you're still crowin'
You're still goin' strong
I feel the room swayin'
While the band keeps on playin'
One of our old favourite songs from way back when
So...golly, gee, fellas
Have a little faith in me, fellas
Dolly'll never go away
I said she'll never go away
Dolly'll never go away again
@volkerlumpe1668
Just wonderful!
Even today after almost 60 years later, Louis is able to bring you back to a good, smilin' mood within seconds!
I have beein listeni' and watchin' this live act at least a 300 times over the last 30 years!
He is one of the greatest of all times!
R.I.P., Louis!
Also... I love the man on the clarinet very much (...he is so relaxed!) ... and of course the big magic man on the trombone!
What a great show!
Thanks 4 da music, Mr. Armstrong!
Just love it!😍
(Greetings vom Germany to all of you!)
@gregorykobb2420
People will still be listening to Louis Armstrong one hundred years from now
@David.L291
absolutely as longs the human race doesn't destroy itself
@dhritimansharma660
I watch to laugh. I wonder how madness is welcome in USA. Funny country 😂
@magnusqwerty
300 years from now.
@gregorykobb2420
@@magnusqwerty Yes
@lynharrod5087
Is there anyone, anywhere????? ..... In 2020 that can even TRY to copy him?????? smile
@belalkhobieh2472
if you are in 2024 so put a like you are not alone
@artariusmason1624
Anybody here in 2024
@sttefref86
Old is gold
@AntonioPerez-nr9yx
Yes,My friend....