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.
I'll Walk Alone
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But to tell you the truth I'll be lonely
I don't mind being lonely
When my heart tells me you are lonely too
I'll walk alone
They'll ask me why and I'll tell them I'd rather
There are dreams I must gather
I'll always be near you wherever you are each night
In every prayer
If you call, I'll hear you no matter how far
Just close your eyes and I'll be there
Please, walk alone
And send your love and your kisses to guide me
Till you're walking beside me
I'll walk alone
I'll always be near you wherever you are each night
In every prayer
If you call, I'll hear you, no matter how far
Just close your eyes and I'll be there
Please, walk alone
And send your love and your kisses to guide me
Till you're walking beside me, I'll walk alone
I'll walk alone
Louis Armstrong's song I'll Walk Alone tells the story of a person who is separated from their loved one, but they are committed to walking alone until they are reunited again. The first verse shows the person's willingness to be lonely as long as they know that their loved one is also feeling lonely. This mutual understanding brings them comfort even if they are not physically together.
The second verse reveals the reason why the person chooses to walk alone. They want to collect dreams that they shared with their loved one. These dreams were formed on a night when they held each other tightly. The lyrics show that the person values these dreams and wants to hold onto them until they are reunited with their loved one.
The chorus emphasizes that the person will always be near their loved one in every prayer, and if their loved one calls out to them, they will hear them no matter how far away they are. The last lines of the chorus appeal to their loved one to walk alone and send their love and kisses to guide them until they are reunited. The song concludes with the person reaffirming that they will walk alone until that day comes.
Overall, the song I'll Walk Alone is a heartfelt expression of enduring love and longing for a loved one when they are not physically present. The lyrics speak to the power of mutual understanding and the importance of holding onto shared dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll walk alone
I choose to walk alone and face life's difficulties and challenges by myself
But to tell you the truth I'll be lonely
Even though I choose to walk alone, I admit that it hurts to be lonely
I don't mind being lonely
I have learned to tolerate being lonely because it's better than being hurt again
When my heart tells me you are lonely too
Despite my loneliness, I take comfort in the thought that you might be lonely too and we are connected through that feeling
They'll ask me why and I'll tell them I'd rather
People might not understand my decision, but I am firm in my desire to walk alone
There are dreams I must gather
I have personal goals and aspirations that I need to pursue on my own
Dreams we fashioned the night you held me tight
The memories we shared together fuel my dreams and give me strength as I walk alone
I'll always be near you wherever you are each night
I may physically walk alone, but I carry you with me in my heart and thoughts
In every prayer
I pray for your safety, happiness, and well-being every day and night
If you call, I'll hear you no matter how far
I am always ready and willing to listen to you, no matter the distance or circumstance
Just close your eyes and I'll be there
Whenever you need me, just think of me and I will be with you in spirit
Please, walk alone
I encourage you to find your own path and walk alone, just like I do
And send your love and your kisses to guide me
Through your love and affection, you can give me the courage and motivation to keep walking alone
Till you're walking beside me
I look forward to the day we can walk together again and share in each other's company
I'll walk alone
Until that day comes, I will continue to walk alone with my memories, dreams, and prayers to keep me company
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Charley Wilkinson
Grew up with this music. About 8 years old when I heard it for this for the 1st time. Outstanding!! Thank you PA!!!
Trombonology Erstwhile
One of my favorite treatments of this great one -- enchanting!
Anton G.-F.
What a lovely intro for this outstanding version of a fine song by Satchmo!
Cassandra_Sunflower.
El ultimo verano - Amparo Davila. ✨💜
Legacy of Math
en mi caso música concreta:3