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've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm- from On The Avenue
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I can weather the storm
What do I care how much it may storm
I've got my love to keep me warm
I can't remember a worse December
Just watch those icicles form
What do I care if icicles form
Off with my overcoat, off with my gloves
I need no overcoat, I'm burning with love
My heart's on fire, the flame grows higher
So I will weather the storm
What do I care how much it may storm
I've got my love to keep me warm
The snow is snowing, the wind is blowing
But I can weather the storm
What do I care how much it may storm
I've got my love to keep me warm
I can't remember a worse December
Just watch those icicles form
What do I care if icicles form
Baby, I've got my love to keep me warm
Off with my overcoat, off with my gloves
I need no overcoat, I'm burning with love
My heart's on fire, the flame grows higher
So I will weather the storm
What do I care how much it may storm
I've got my love to keep me warm
The snow is snowing, the wind is blowing
But I can weather the storm, storm, storm
What do I care how much it may storm
I've got my love to keep me warm
I can't remember a worse December
Just watch those icicles form
What do I care if icicles form
'Cause I've got my love to keep me warm
Off with my overcoat, off with my gloves
I need no overcoat, I'm burning with love
My heart's on fire, the flame grows higher
So I will weather the storm
What do I care how much it may storm
I've got my love to keep me
I've got my love to keep me
I've got my love to keep me warm
The lyrics to Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald's song "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" are about finding warmth and comfort in a loving relationship, even in difficult circumstances. The first stanza sets the scene: "The snow is snowing, the wind is blowing/But I can weather the storm/What do I care how much it may storm/I've got my love to keep me warm." The singer is confident that they can withstand any hardships because they have the comfort of their love. This sentiment is repeated throughout the song, and the lyrics describe how the singer can brave the cold weather and icy conditions because they are so enveloped in their love.
The second stanza continues the theme: "Off with my overcoat, off with my gloves/I need no overcoat, I'm burning with love/My heart's on fire, the flame grows higher/So I will weather the storm." The singer doesn't need material possessions to stay warm because their love provides all the warmth they need. They express their passion by saying their heart is on fire and the flame grows higher. The final stanza repeats the first two, and the song ends with the affirmation that love is enough to keep the singer warm and happy.
Overall, the lyrics to "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" are a testament to the power of love to provide comfort and strength in difficult times. The song is a classic duet that perfectly showcases the talents of Armstrong and Fitzgerald, and it has remained a beloved holiday standard since it was first recorded in 1950.
Line by Line Meaning
The snow is snowing, the wind is blowing
Even though the snow and wind are present, I am not afraid because I am strong enough to face them.
But I can weather the storm
I have the ability to face the difficulties and hardships of life.
What do I care how much it may storm
I am not concerned about how much the storm may rage because it has no impact on my happiness and peace of mind.
I've got my love to keep me warm
I have the warmth and joy of love in my heart that keeps me happy and calm during all circumstances of life.
I can't remember a worse December
This December seems to be the toughest I have experienced in my life.
Just watch those icicles form
Though the icicles may form, I am not worried as I know I can handle it.
Baby, I've got my love to keep me warm
My love for my partner is my biggest strength and it helps me cope with difficult times in my life.
Off with my overcoat, off with my gloves
I can discard my overcoat and gloves as I am confident that the warmth of my love is enough to keep me comfortable even in the cold weather.
I need no overcoat, I'm burning with love
My love burns so brightly that I feel warm and comfortable even in the coldest weather.
My heart's on fire, the flame grows higher
My love is so intense that it feels like a fire burning inside me and it's growing with each passing moment.
So I will weather the storm
I have the strength and ability to face any challenges that come my way.
I've got my love to keep me
I don't need anything else as long as I have my love to keep me happy and content.
I've got my love to keep me
My love is all I need to keep me warm and comforted in every aspect of life.
I've got my love to keep me warm
My love is my biggest strength and it keeps me warm, happy, and content even in the coldest and toughest situations of life.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Irving Berlin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
honeybeeisme
This is SUCH a difficult song to sing really... and these two made/make is sound SOOO easy! Wow! Ella was just... THE BEST... and her combined Louis... AMAZING!
Jazz Weasely
This song always makes me feel a certain way... it's hard to describe it. When I listen to it I remember how it feels to really love somebody. <3 I really love it _
Cherry Berry
The two best people in the best song... this is just- well, the best!
kracav4ik
my favorite Louis/Ella song so relaxing and heart warming :D
BlckgalAnointed
This songs got Christmas in New York all over it 😩✨✨✨
Atul Dev
Love it!
happy alley cat
a song couldnt be sing more awesome,i cant stop dancing while singing!
waltzguy14151
Joyful and soulful!! Swingin'....
Oilzumbie
I like how silly louis sounds, that's what makes him awesome
AllthatJazz62
What a perfect match,the two them.