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'm Confessin That I Love You
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell me, do you love me too?
I'm confessin' that I need you, honest I do
Ah baby, need you every moment
In your eyes I read such strange things, babe
But your lips deny their true lovin'
Will your answer really change things?
I'm afraid someday you'll leave me
Say, can't we still be friends? [Incomprehensible]
If you go, you know, you'll grieve me
All in life on you depends, oh baby, do you know, ohh
Am I guessin' that you love me? Love me babe
Dreamin' dreams of you I've been wanting long
I'm confessin' that I love you
Over again
Louis Armstrong's "I'm Confessin' That I Love You" is a song about unrequited love and the fear of losing a loved one. The lyrics express the singer's willingness to confess their feelings to their significant other, even though they are not sure of their partner's feelings. The song opens with the singer declaring their love and asking if their loved one feels the same. The second verse describes the mixed signals the singer is receiving from their partner. They see strange things in their eyes but get contradictory messages from their lips. The singer wonders if their confession will change things, either making their partner reciprocate their feelings or leaving them sad and heartbroken.
The third verse expresses the singer's fear of losing their loved one, and they ask if they can still be friends if their partner decides to leave. The chorus repeats the singer's confession of love, emphasizing the depth of their emotions. The song ends with the singer admitting that they have been dreaming of their loved one for a long time and that they are still confessing their love.
"I'm Confessin' That I Love You" is a popular jazz standard that has been covered by many artists, including Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, and Ella Fitzgerald. The song was written in 1930 by Doc Daugherty, Ellis Reynolds, and Al J. Neiburg.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm confessin' that I love you
I am revealing my love for you
Tell me, do you love me too?
Can you reciprocate my love?
I'm confessin' that I need you, honest I do
I am admitting that I depend on you and have genuine feelings for you
Ah baby, need you every moment
I desire your presence constantly
In your eyes I read such strange things, babe
Your actions are confusing, I cannot understand your true intentions
But your lips deny their true lovin'
Your words contradict your actions and emotions
Will your answer really change things?
Can your response alter the status of our relationship?
Makin' me blue? Makin' 'em blue
Your reluctance to be honest is causing me emotional distress and uncertainty
I'm afraid someday you'll leave me
I fear you will abandon me in the future
Say, can't we still be friends? [Incomprehensible]
Even if things do not work out romantically, can we still maintain a friendship?
If you go, you know, you'll grieve me
Your absence will cause me sadness
All in life on you depends, oh baby, do you know, ohh
My happiness and future depend on our relationship, do you understand?
Am I guessin' that you love me? Love me babe
I am wondering if my assumption of your feelings is correct
Dreamin' dreams of you I've been wanting long
I have been yearning and daydreaming about you for a while now
I'm confessin' that I love you
Once again, I am expressing my love for you
Contributed by Jackson T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mohamedalaa5431
I'm confessing that I love you
Tell me do you love me too?
I'm confessing that I need you
Honest I do, I need you every moment
In your eyes I read such strange things
But your lips deny they're true
Will your answer really change things?
Making me blue
I'm afraid, someday you'll leave me
Saying can we still be friends?
If you go, you know you'll grieve me
All in life, on you depends
Am I guessing that you love me?
Dreaming dreams of you in vain?
I'm confessing that I love you
Over and over again
@SilviaCLeanza
Va con letra traducida y todo:
Estoy confesando
Estoy confesando que te amo
Dime, ¿tú también me amas?
Estoy confesando que te necesito, honestamente lo hago Ah bebé, te necesito en todo momento
En tus ojos leo cosas tan extrañas, bebé
Pero tus labios niegan su verdadero amor
¿Tu respuesta realmente cambiará las cosas?
¿Haciéndome azul? Makin 'em em azul
Me temo que algún día me dejarás. ¿No podemos seguir siendo amigos?
Si vas, ya sabes, me vas a llorar Todo en la vida depende de ti, oh bebé, sabes, ohh
¿Supongo que me amas? Amame nena
Soñando sueños contigo, he estado esperando mucho
Estoy confesando que te amo
Otra vez
@user-ed7qo9go6q
I was at this concert at The Empress Hall in 1956. I was 19 at the time and in the middle of my National Service in the RAF. It was a wonderful experience seeing Louis Armstrong and his band in the flesh. I'm 86 now and can't believe it was 67 years ago when I was there. There can't be many people still alive who were lucky enough to see this concert. My Dad got to know Louis Armstrong in 1932 when he visited Great Britain and I still have a wonderful photo of my Dad and Louis and his crew on the beach at Brighton. It was my Dad who arranged a VIP trip from my RAF base in Hereford to see the concert with ringside seats and an introduction to Louis. Have you any more footage from the concert, as I would love to see it if possible. Ronnie Newman
@MAMRetro
This man was a genius. Regarding timing as a singer, he was unequalled. And that trumpet!! And that scat!!
@wimpers
it looks all easy and simple, but it is more sophisticated than one would think at first sight.
Louis Armstrong taught singers a lot about phrasing!
How charming he was! Glad that Sinatra hosted his talent.
@mabel8179
I didn't even notice the man on the left was Frank until I read your comment- my eyes were on Louis!
@brianseyler5403
@@mabel8179 i had the same experience! always fixed on louis. took me several views before i saw frank.
@mabel8179
Louis's trumpet intro is stellar! He was always laughing and smiling. Such a joyful performer. What a legend!
@frankbarcelona2118
What a treasure he was !
@jackbuckley7816
Five years before I was born. Amazing!
@hanseekhoff1093
Fabulous - imagine seeing this live on TV on a Saturday evening....
@deborahjohnson6834
What a beautifully talented man. Rest well King.