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 Can’t Believe That You’re In Love With Me
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And when you smiled at me,
In my heart I felt a thrill you see,
That it was love at sight and
I was right to love you as I do.
Still I never dreamed that you could love me too.
Your eyes of blue, your kisses too,
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
You're telling ev'ry one I know
I'm on your mind each place we go
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
I have always placed you far above me.
I just can't imagine that you love me.
And after all is said and done,
To think that I'm the lucky one.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
Skies are gray. I'm blue each day
When you are not around.
Ev'ry thing goes wrong, my dear I've found
But when you're by my side I fill with pride
For I'm so proud of you
It all seems too good to me to all be true
Your eyes of blue, your kisses too,
I never knew what they could do.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
You're telling ev'ry one I know
I'm on your mind each place we go
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
I have always placed you far above me.
I just can't imagine that you love me.
And after all is said and done,
To think that I'm the lucky one.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
The lyrics of Louis Armstrong and The All Stars' "I Can't Believe That You're in Love With Me" describe the amazement and disbelief of the singer upon discovering that the subject of their affections reciprocates their feelings. The song begins by referencing the moment the singer first fell in love with the subject, which apparently happened when the subject smiled at them. The singer emphasizes the unexpectedness of this turn of events by stating that they never dreamed the subject could love them back. The verse goes on to describe how the singer is amazed by the subject's blue eyes and kisses, which apparently have an intense effect on them.
The chorus of the song repeats the title phrase several times, with the singer expressing surprise that the subject loves them and noting that others also find this fact hard to believe. This chorus serves to further highlight the singer's amazement and disbelief at the unexpected turn of events that has brought them to this point. The final verse of the song features the singer emphasizing how the subject makes everything in their life better, and expressing their gratitude and joy at being the lucky person who gets to be loved by the subject.
Overall, "I Can't Believe That You're in Love With Me" is a song about the power of unexpected love and the joy that it can bring. The singer's awe and disbelief at the fact that the subject reciprocates their feelings effectively conveys the depth of their emotions and the surprise that love can bring.
Line by Line Meaning
Yesterday you came my way,
I am reminiscing about the time when you first entered my life.
And when you smiled at me,
Your beautiful smile touched my heart and made me feel special.
In my heart I felt a thrill you see,
My heart was filled with a rush of excitement when I saw you.
That it was love at sight and
I immediately fell in love with you when I first saw you.
I was right to love you as I do.
I always knew that you were special and deserving of my love.
Still I never dreamed that you could love me too.
I never imagined that you would return my love with the same intensity.
Your eyes of blue, your kisses too,
Your blue eyes and tender kisses have a power that I never realized before.
I never knew what they could do.
I never fully comprehended the impact of your affectionate gestures until now.
You're telling ev'ry one I know
You are so excited about our love that you cannot help but share it with others.
I'm on your mind each place we go
My presence is always on your mind, no matter where we go.
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
Others are surprised that you would fall in love with someone like me.
I have always placed you far above me.
I have always viewed you as someone who is superior to me in every way.
I just can't imagine that you love me.
It is difficult for me to fathom that someone like you would love someone like me.
And after all is said and done,
Despite everything that has happened between us,
To think that I'm the lucky one.
I cannot believe that I am the fortunate one who has captured your heart.
Skies are gray. I'm blue each day
When you are not around, my world seems dull and lifeless.
When you're by my side I fill with pride
When I am with you, I feel proud and fortunate to have you in my life.
For I'm so proud of you
I think highly of you and am honored to be with you.
It all seems too good to me to all be true
Our love feels like a dream come true, and I cannot believe how fortunate I am.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, MEMORY LANE MUSIC GROUP
Written by: CLARENCE GASKILL, JIMMY MC HUGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jesus Flores
Thank you for making life itself more enjoyable, Louis
thetrevorosborne
something magical about this performance
haradoka
Beautiful.
Kristen Gonzales
Makes my heart dance
pete march
another great W.C. Polla arrangement
Rosario
great sir
Fermin Guerra Tello
Big Version I Love That Song And I Love All Versions Except The Louis Prima's Version , My Question Is Thay " Joe Turner " On The Piano Is Big Joe Turner ?
hyme vandermolen
detoir-1945