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.
Hey Look Me Over
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
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Lend me an ear
Fresh out of clover
Mortgage up to here
But don't pass the plate folks
Don't pass the cup
I figure whenever you're down and out
The only way is up
And I'll be up like a rose bud
High on the vine
Don't thumb your nose
But take a tip from mine
I'm a little bit short of the elbow room
But let me get me some
And look out world
Here I come
Yes, hey look me over
Lend me an ear
Fresh out of clover
Mortgage up to here
But don't pass the plate folks
Don't pass the cup
I figure whenever you're down and out
The only way is up
And I'll be up like a rose bud
High on the vine
Don't thumb your nose
But take a tip from mine
I'm a little bit short of the elbow room
But let me get me some
And look out, world
Here, I, come...
Louis Armstrong's song "Hey Look Me Over" is a playful tune that calls for attention and recognition. The lyrics express the idea of being at a low point in life, but striving for a better future. Armstrong starts the song by singing, "Hey look me over, lend me an ear, fresh out of clover, mortgage up to here." Here, he suggests that he is in need of help and is struggling financially. In contrast to this, he advises against passing the plate or the cup, implying that he is self-reliant and doesn't need pity. Instead, he encourages others to look up from their own woes and find hope for the future.
As the song progresses, Armstrong's confidence increases. He sings, "I'm a little bit short of the elbow room, but let me get me some, and look out world, here I come." Here, he expresses his determination to succeed and emphasizes his belief that he will overcome any obstacle. This message of positivity is underscored by the use of the metaphor of a rosebud, which suggests growth and resilience.
Overall, "Hey Look Me Over" is a song about hope and perseverance in the face of adversity. It encourages the listener to focus on the future and to strive for success, despite any challenges that may arise.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey look me over
Take a good look at me and what I have to offer.
Lend me an ear
Pay attention to what I have to say.
Fresh out of clover
I have just run out of luck.
Mortgage up to here
My debts are piling up and are overwhelming.
But don't pass the plate folks
Don't pity me and offer me charity.
Don't pass the cup
Don't offer me any more financial assistance.
I figure whenever you're down and out
I believe that when you hit rock bottom, there is nowhere else to go but up.
The only way is up
The only direction for me to go now is upwards.
And I'll be up like a rose bud
Just like a rose bud, I will bloom and rise to the top.
High on the vine
I will reach great heights and flourish.
Don't thumb your nose
Don't look down on me or underestimate me.
But take a tip from mine
Trust me and learn from me.
I'm a little bit short of the elbow room
I am cramped and limited in my current position.
But let me get me some
But given a chance, I can and will expand my horizons.
And look out world
Watch out, world!
Here I come
I am on my way to achieve great things and make a mark on the world.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CAROLYN LEIGH, CY COLEMAN
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