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.
Honeysuckle Rose
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When they see you out with me
I don't blame them....goodness knows
Honeysuckle rose
When you're passin' by....flowers drop and sigh
And i know the reason why
You're much sweeter....goodness knows
Don't buy sugar....you just have to touch my cup
You're my sugar....it's so sweet when you stir it up
When i'm taking sips...from your tasty lips
Seems the honey fairly drips
You're confection.....goodness knows
Honeysuckle rose.
(instrumental break)
Don't buy sugar....you just have to touch my cup
You're my sugar....it's so sweet when you stir it up
When I'm taking sips...from your tasty lips
Seems the honey fairly drips
You're confection.....goodness knows
Honeysuckle rose.
I said you're confection.....goodness knows
Honeysuckle rose.
In the song "Honeysuckle Rose," Louis Armstrong is singing about how much his lover means to him. He compares her to the sweetest flower, the honeysuckle rose, which causes jealousy in every honeybee, and makes flowers sigh when she passes by them. The singer thinks his lover is much sweeter than sugar and can make even the plainest drink taste like heaven. He compares her kiss to tasty lips and says that honey drips when he sips from them.
The lyrics of "Honeysuckle Rose" are filled with vivid imagery that creates a story about the singer's love for his partner. He sees her as a symbol of sweetness and beauty, and he treasures being with her. The song has become a classic and has been covered by many artists over the years, cementing its place in the American songbook.
Line by Line Meaning
Every honeybee.... fills with jealousy
When they see you out with me
I don't blame them....goodness knows
Honeysuckle rose
Whenever I'm seen with you, other bees become envious of our relationship. I don't blame them for feeling that way, considering just how sweet you are. You are the epitome of sweetness, much like the popular flower, the honeysuckle rose.
When you're passin' by....flowers drop and sigh
And i know the reason why
You're much sweeter....goodness knows
Honeysuckle rose
Whenever you walk past, flowers can't help but droop and sigh because they know they'll never be as sweet as you. You are the embodiment of sweetness, like the honeysuckle rose.
Don't buy sugar....you just have to touch my cup
You're my sugar....it's so sweet when you stir it up
I don't need to add sugar to my cup when you're around because just your presence sweetens everything up. You are my sugar, and it's even sweeter when you're around to liven things up.
When i'm taking sips...from your tasty lips
Seems the honey fairly drips
You're confection.....goodness knows
Honeysuckle rose.
Whenever we kiss, it feels like honey is dripping from your lips. You are a delicious treat, much like a confection. You are the personification of sweetness, like the honeysuckle rose.
(instrumental break)
No meaningful lyrics to analyze during this instrumental break.
Don't buy sugar....you just have to touch my cup
You're my sugar....it's so sweet when you stir it up
I don't need to add sugar to my cup when you're around because just your presence sweetens everything up. You are my sugar, and it's even sweeter when you're around to liven things up.
When I'm taking sips...from your tasty lips
Seems the honey fairly drips
You're confection.....goodness knows
Honeysuckle rose.
Whenever we kiss, it feels like honey is dripping from your lips. You are a delicious treat, much like a confection. You are the personification of sweetness, like the honeysuckle rose.
I said you're confection.....goodness knows
Honeysuckle rose.
As I've said before, you are a sweet treat, much like a confection. You are the epitome of sweetness, like the honeysuckle rose.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Andy Razaf, Thomas Waller
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
arthur kyriazis
The vocals are great, and then you get insane bass & brass solos.
MrKlemps
This is an alternate take, not what was originally issued on the Satch Plays Fats LP inn1955. Nor was it among the alternate takes issued on the most recent SPF cd. The differences are notable and VERy interesting. Thanks for this post!
DaralynJay
@JuiceJase That is definitely not Ella. Her name is Velma Middleton.
Hamilton José Castro Meira Meira
yes is Velma
Alan Brinton
Thanks, Daralyn!
James Bougill
@STD38 Your music teacher needs to do his/her homework.
Boneless Energy
1:59
Boneless Energy
1:57
kfdisawesome
Yeah that's totally ella