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 Are 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 song "I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me" by Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra is a heartwarming love song that captures the emotions of a person who never thought that they would be loved by someone they have always loved. The song starts with the singer recalling the day when they first saw the person who they have loved all along, and how they felt a thrill in their heart when that person smiled at them. Even though the singer had loved this person, they never thought that they could ever love them back. However, when the person confesses their love, the singer feels overwhelmed and proud of themselves for being the lucky one.
The song highlights the insecurity and self-doubt that people may feel when it comes to love. The singer has always placed the person they love above them and never thought that they could reciprocate those feelings. But when they finally realize that they are loved back, it makes them feel proud and grateful. The song reiterates that true love can surprise us and that everyone deserves to be loved.
Line by Line Meaning
Yesterday you came my way
I met you yesterday
And when you smiled at me
You smiled at me
In my heart I felt a thrill you see,
I felt excited in my heart
That it was love at sight and
I fell in love with you at first sight
I was right to love you as I do.
I feel justified loving you
Still I never dreamed that you could love me too.
I never expected you to love me back
Your eyes of blue, your kisses too,
Your blue eyes and kisses are amazing
I never knew what they could do.
I never realized their impact on me
You're telling ev'ry one I know
You're telling everyone about us
I'm on your mind each place we go
I'm always on your mind wherever we go
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
Our friends can't believe you love me
I have always placed you far above me.
I always considered you better than me
I just can't imagine that you love me.
It's hard to believe you love me
And after all is said and done,
With everything that's happened
To think that I'm the lucky one.
I feel lucky to have you
Skies are gray. I'm blue each day
I'm sad when you're not around
When you are not around.
When you're not with me
Ev'ry thing goes wrong, my dear I've found
Everything goes wrong without you
But when you're by my side I fill with pride
When I'm with you I feel proud
For I'm so proud of you
I'm proud of you
It all seems too good to me to all be true
It all seems too good to be true
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Word Collections Publishing, Capitol CMG Publishing, Spirit Music Group, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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