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.
Hellza Poppin
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Holy cats, the walls and floors are crumblin'
Hellzapoppin', hellzapoppin', hellzapoppin'
The whole gang's whoopin' up the whoop-de-doo
Me-oh-my, it's gonna be uproarious
We'll fly high, tonight we'll be notorious
Hellzapoppin', hellzapoppin', hellzapoppin'
And you're invited to the party too
We're playin' this one by ear
We're throwin' the book out
It's a bash, the signs are unmistakable
What a smash, we're breakin' all that's breakable
There's no stoppin', hellzapoppin', why not drop in
We won't stop until the night is through
------ instrumental break ------
We won't tire, we'll fly higher
We'll be hotter than floor, a-than a floor on fire ???
Raise your glass, the party will be riotous
What a gas, the cops will never quiet us
There's no toppin', hellzapoppin', hellzapoppin'
We'll be hellzapoppin' till the night is through
Louis Armstrong's song "Hellzapoppin'" is a lively and energetic composition that portrays a wild and raucous party. The opening lines, "Hold your hats, the roof is 'bout to tumble in, Holy cats, the walls and floors are crumblin'" paint a vivid picture of the chaos that is about to ensue. The rest of the song is filled with descriptions of the party, such as "the whole gang's whoopin' up the whoop-de-doo" and "what a smash, we're breakin' all that's breakable." The lyrics convey a sense of excitement and recklessness, as if anything could happen at any moment.
One interesting interpretation of the song is that it may be a metaphor for the social upheaval and cultural change that was happening in the United States in the 1930s, when the song was written. The lyrics describe a gathering of people breaking down walls and floors, throwing out the rulebook and causing a commotion. This could be seen as a reflection of the political and social movements of the time, such as the labor movement and the civil rights movement, that were challenging established power structures and pushing for greater equality and autonomy.
Another interpretation of the song is that it simply celebrates the joy and abandon of a good party. The lyrics are filled with playful language and colorful imagery, such as "raise your glass" and "we'll fly high." The instrumental break in the middle of the song allows the listener to imagine the band playing a lively tune, with everyone dancing and having a good time. Overall, "Hellzapoppin'" is a fun and lively song that can be enjoyed on many levels.
Line by Line Meaning
Hold your hats, the roof is 'bout to tumble in
Brace yourselves, the excitement is about to escalate to new dimensions
Holy cats, the walls and floors are crumblin'
Amazing, the party is so wild that the walls and floors can barely contain it
Hellzapoppin', hellzapoppin', hellzapoppin'
We're having an extremely lively, entertaining party that won't stop
The whole gang's whoopin' up the whoop-de-doo
Everyone is enthusiastically participating in the party and making it boisterous
Me-oh-my, it's gonna be uproarious
Oh my, this is going to be incredibly noisy and energetic
We'll fly high, tonight we'll be notorious
We're going to have an amazing time tonight and become legendary for the party
And you're invited to the party too
You're welcome to join in on the fun as well
Better look out, ain't no cook-out
Be careful, this isn't a casual picnic or barbecue gathering
We're playin' this one by ear
We're improvising and going with the flow of the party
We're throwin' the book out
We're disregarding rules and protocol to have a wild time
It's a bash, the signs are unmistakable
This is a lively, energetic party, and it's clearly evident
What a smash, we're breakin' all that's breakable
We're having so much fun that we're breaking things, both literally and figuratively
There's no stoppin', hellzapoppin', why not drop in
The party is unstoppable, so why not come and join in on the festivities?
We won't stop until the night is through
We're having such a good time that we won't stop until the night is over and the party has come to a close
We won't tire, we'll fly higher
We won't get exhausted, we'll keep up the energy and enthusiasm of the party
We'll be hotter than floor, a-than a floor on fire ???
We'll be more exciting than a floor that's on fire
Raise your glass, the party will be riotous
Enjoy yourself, the party is going to be incredibly boisterous and exciting
What a gas, the cops will never quiet us
This is so much fun, even the police won't be able to stop us
There's no toppin', hellzapoppin', hellzapoppin'
The excitement of the party cannot be surpassed or topped, it's simply too much fun
We'll be hellzapoppin' till the night is through
We'll be having a lively, energetic party until it's time to call it a night
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG Rights Management, CARLIN AMERICA INC
Written by: MARIAN GRUDEFF, RAYMOND JESSEL
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