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.
High Society Calypso (Stereo Film Version from
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're now approaching Newport, Rhode I.
We've been, for years, In Variety,
But, Cholly Knickerbocker, now we're going to be
In High, High So-
High So-ci-,
High So-ci-ety.
I wanna play for my former pal-
He runs the local jazz festival.
His name is Dexter and he's good news,
But sumping kind of tells me that he's nursing the blues
In High, High So-,
High So-ci-,
High So-ci-ety.
He's got the blues 'cause his wife, alas,
Thought writing songs was beneath his class,
But writing songs he'd not stop, of course,
And so she flew to Vegas for a quickie divorce
In High, High So-,
High So-ci-,
High So-ci-ety.
To make him sadder, his former wife
begins tomorrow a brand-new life.
She started lately a new affair
And now the silly chick is gonna marry a square
In High So-,
High So-ci-,
High So-ci-ety.
But, Brother Dexter, just trust your Satch,
To stop that wedding and kill that match.
I'll toot my trumpet to start the fun,
And play in such a way that she'll come back to you, son,
In High, High So-
High So-ci-,
High So-ci-ety.
The lyrics to Louis Armstrong's High Society Calypso (Stereo Film Version) describe a journey to Newport, Rhode Island and the upcoming High Society events that the singer will be attending. The first part of the song focuses on the scenery passing by and the excitement of being in High Society. However, the singer then reveals that he wants to play for a friend who runs the local jazz festival, named Dexter. Dexter, unfortunately, is going through some personal issues as his wife has divorced him and started a new affair with someone he sees as beneath them.
The singer promises to help Dexter get his wife back by playing his trumpet to "start the fun" and ultimately bring her back to him. Despite the somber lyrics, the upbeat and lively calypso melody of the song creates a fun and energetic atmosphere that reflects the fullness of High Society events.
Overall, the song celebrates the excitement of being a part of High Society while also addressing the personal struggles that come with it. The singer's promise to help his friend shows the importance of loyalty and friendship in navigating the ups and downs of wealthy social circles.
Line by Line Meaning
Just dig that scenery floating by,
Take a look at the beautiful view outside as we approach Newport, Rhode Island.
We're now approaching Newport, Rhode I.
We are currently arriving at Newport, Rhode Island.
We've been, for years, In Variety,
We have been performers for a long time, playing at various shows and venues.
But, Cholly Knickerbocker, now we're going to be
However, from now on, we will be part of the prestigious High Society.
In High, High So-
We are now part of the esteemed High Society.
High So-ci-,
High Society.
High So-ci-ety.
High Society.
I wanna play for my former pal-
I want to perform for my friend, Dexter.
He runs the local jazz festival.
Dexter is in charge of a jazz festival in the area.
His name is Dexter and he's good news,
Dexter is a great guy and a talented musician.
But sumping kind of tells me that he's nursing the blues
However, I have a feeling that he's feeling down and sad.
In High So-,
We are in High Society.
High So-ci-,
High Society.
High So-ci-ety.
High Society.
He's got the blues 'cause his wife, alas,
Dexter is feeling sad because of his wife's actions.
Thought writing songs was beneath his class,
Dexter's ex-wife believed that writing songs was not a respectable career for him.
But writing songs he'd not stop, of course,
Despite his wife's opinion, Dexter continued to write songs.
And so she flew to Vegas for a quickie divorce
As a result, Dexter's wife left him and got a quick divorce in Las Vegas.
In High So-,
We are in High Society.
High So-ci-,
High Society.
High So-ci-ety.
High Society.
To make him sadder, his former wife
To add to Dexter's sadness, his ex-wife
begins tomorrow a brand-new life.
is starting a new chapter in her life tomorrow.
She started lately a new affair
Dexter's wife started seeing someone new recently.
And now the silly chick is gonna marry a square
She's now engaged to someone who's not well-respected or cool.
In High So-,
We are in High Society.
High So-ci-,
High Society.
High So-ci-ety.
High Society.
But, Brother Dexter, just trust your Satch,
Dexter, trust me.
To stop that wedding and kill that match.
I'll stop the wedding and make sure they don't get married.
I'll toot my trumpet to start the fun,
I'll play my trumpet to liven things up.
And play in such a way that she'll come back to you, son,
My music will be so good that Dexter's ex-wife will come back to him.
In High, High So-
We are in the esteemed High Society.
High So-ci-,
High Society.
High So-ci-ety.
High Society.
Contributed by Katherine L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Karl Hungus
Fantastic! Great sound quality! Thank you!
Allbbrz
You put together a nice slides sequence for a great recording. LA was fun.
@pierosaavedra
Just dig that scenery floating by
We're now approaching Newport, Rhode I
We've been, for years, in Variety
But Cholly Knickerbocker, now we're going to be
In high, high so
High soci
High society
I wanna play for my former pal
He runs the local jazz festival
His name is Dexter and he's good news
But something kind of tells me that, boys, he's nursing the blues
In high, high so
High soci
High society
He's got the blues 'cause his former wife
Begins tomorrow a brand new life
She started lately a new affair
And now the silly chick is gonna marry a square
In high so
High soci
High society
But, Brother Dexter, just trust your Satch
To stop that wedding and kill that match
I'll toot my trumpet to start the fun
And play in such a way that she'll come back to you, son
In high, high so
High soci
High society
N I refuse
Excellent, thankyou.