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 Ain't Got Nobody
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For you I sigh, for you dear only
Why haven't you seen it
I'm all for you body and soul
I spend my days in longing
And wondering why it's me you're wronging
I tell you I mean it
I can't believe it
It's hard to conceive it
That you'd turn away romance
Are you pretending
It looks like the ending
Unless I could have just one more chance to prove, dear
My life a wreck you're making
You know I'm yours for just the taking
I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul
My life a wreck you're making
You know I'm yours for the very taking
I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul
Louis Armstrong's version of "Body and Soul" is a song of heartbreak and longing. The lyrics detail the singer's deep affection for someone who seems oblivious to their feelings. The song opens with the singer's confession that their heart is "sad and lonely." They long for the person they love and wish that they could see how devoted they are. The phrase "I'm all for you body and soul" illustrates the depth of their commitment. The singer spends their days consumed with thoughts of the person they desire, wondering why they're being ignored. They insist that they're not just playing around and that their feelings are genuine.
The second half of the song takes a more melancholic turn. The singer is still devoted to their beloved, but they're beginning to doubt whether their affections will ever be returned. They ask the object of their desire if they're "pretending," and wonder whether their relationship is doomed. The final lines of the song are the most heartbreaking, as the singer acknowledges that their life is a "wreck" and that they'd "gladly surrender [themself] to [their beloved] body and soul." The repetition of this line serves to underline the singer's desperation.
Overall, Louis Armstrong's rendition of "Body and Soul" is a powerful ballad of unrequited love. The lyrics, combined with his soulful voice, make for a haunting and emotional experience.
Line by Line Meaning
My heart is sad and lonely
I'm feeling sad and lonely
For you I sigh, for you dear only
I long for you and only you
Why haven't you seen it
Why haven't you realized my feelings for you?
I'm all for you body and soul
I'm completely devoted to you inside and out
I spend my days in longing
I spend every day longing for you
And wondering why it's me you're wronging
And questioning why you're hurting me
I tell you I mean it
I'm not just saying this, I truly mean it
I'm all for you body and soul
I'm completely devoted to you inside and out
I can't believe it
I can't believe what's happening
It's hard to conceive it
It's difficult to understand
That you'd turn away romance
That you'd reject my love
Are you pretending
Are you acting like everything is okay?
It looks like the ending
It seems like this is the end
Unless I could have just one more chance to prove, dear
Unless you give me one more opportunity to show you how much I love you
My life a wreck you're making
You're making a mess of my life
You know I'm yours for just the taking
You know I belong to you completely
I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul
I'd willingly give myself to you completely, both physically and emotionally
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Roger Graham, Spencer Williams
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ry4nmaster
Now I ain't got nobody babe
And there's nobody, cares for me
I'm so sad and lonely baby
Won't someone take a chance with me?
I'll sing love songs all the time
If you'll tell me baby, babe that you'll be mine
Now I ain't got nobody, babe
And there's nobody, cares for me
@lazur1
Armstrong had a knack for playing unexpected notes that immediately became the unavoidably best choices, with phrasing that was so free that it seemed to ignore the bar-lines, yet never was anything less than totally in the pocket, and sophistication that he made accessible to all ears.
@itzhope3787
Thank you Frank for making me love this song
@TheRealWanteD
😂😂me too
@hozz
hahaha no way, me too
@aaliyahhernandez5866
I was laying so comfortably in bed, but these notes just woke something in me that needed to get up and move my bones. That unexplainable feeling that brings all the beautiful emotions. I just replayed this song song a couple times, all while dancing in my room like no one was watching. I left the 21st century and went back into the 20’s, because it felt so...right. I will admit, I was not sufficiently exposed to his music before, but I defiantly am now. His voice is blame. It is the sound he makes with his chords that compliment the instrumentals so perfectly. To an extent that all issues go aside and you just want to dance however you dance, and be happy. I thank him for his gift.
@richierich291266
My pops had this on vinyl. Used to love listening as a kid. Love the clarinet playing on this track.
@cindyburrell8426
Richie Rich u were very lucky❤️
@tseddio1
Shameless brought me here too! What a great song to end the episode with! Louis Armstrong is still the best!
@yassineblack1870
Same 😂
@ericlee6687
The master at work. Never get tired of hearing this. What a great musician and band too. They play together so easily