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 Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I'm in love and I know what time it is
The good book says, "Go seek and ye shall find"
Well, I have sought and my, what a climb it is
My life is just like the weather
It changes with the hours
When he's near, I'm fair and warmer
An emotion like the ocean
It's either sink or swim
When a woman loves a man
Like I love him
Never treats me sweet and gentle, the way he should
I got it bad and that ain't good
My poor heart is sentimental, not made of wood
I got it bad and that ain't good
But when the weekend's over and Monday rolls around
I end up like I started out: just cryin' my lil' heart out
He don't love me like I love him
No, nobody could; I got it bad and that ain't good
So bad, so bad
I got on it so bad, so bad, though folks with good intentions
Tell me to save my tears
I'm glad; I'm mad about you; I can't live without you
Lord above me, make him love me the way he should
Like a lonely weeping willow lost in the wood
The things I tell my pillow
No woman should
I got it bad, bad, so bad and that ain't good
Louis Armstrong's song "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good" is a love song about the intensity of loving someone deeply and the pain that comes with it. The lyrics convey the idea that love can make a person blind to the imperfections of the beloved, as the poet suggests. Despite the potential pitfalls, the singer seems to be completely invested in this relationship. The song's title reinforces this notion, emphasizing the intensity of the singer's love and the fact that it causes them pain.
The second verse compares the singer's life to the weather, implying that her emotions are in flux, which is based on her lover's presence or absence. She uses imagery from nature to drive home the point, as the weather is something that everyone can relate to. The singer then uses another metaphor, this time comparing love to the ocean. She characterizes it as being "either sink or swim." This visual is representative of the fact that love can be all-consuming and can either propel you forward or pull you under.
The third verse is a lament, where the singer admits that her lover doesn't treat her the way he should. She acknowledges how deeply she loves him, and that nobody else could feel the same way. The final few lines drive home the point that she is deeply unhappy and that she cries about her situation, despite friends and family advising her not to.
Line by Line Meaning
The poets say that all who love are blind
It is often said that love is blind
But I'm in love and I know what time it is
Despite being in love, I am aware of the reality and consequences of my actions
The good book says, "Go seek and ye shall find"
The Bible teaches us that if we search we will find what we are looking for
Well, I have sought and my, what a climb it is
I have searched for love and it has been a difficult journey
My life is just like the weather
My life is constantly changing
It changes with the hours
My life changes every hour
When he's near, I'm fair and warmer
When he is close by, I am happy and feel warmth
When he's gone, I'm cloudy with showers
When he is away, I feel sad and emotionally unstable
An emotion like the ocean
Love is a powerful and deep emotion
It's either sink or swim
In love, one either succeeds or fails
When a woman loves a man
A woman's love for a man can be all-consuming
Like I love him
The intensity of my love for him is unmatched
Never treats me sweet and gentle, the way he should
He does not treat me with the kindness and care that I deserve
I got it bad and that ain't good
I am deeply in love with him, but it is causing me emotional pain
My poor heart is sentimental, not made of wood
I am emotional and sensitive when it comes to matters of the heart
But when the weekend's over and Monday rolls around
After a brief period of happiness, reality sets in and I feel sad again
I end up like I started out: just cryin' my lil' heart out
I end up feeling sad and crying just as I did before
He don't love me like I love him
His love for me is not as strong or intense as my love for him
No, nobody could; I got it bad and that ain't good
My love for him is so intense that nobody else could feel the same way, even though it is causing me emotional pain
So bad, so bad
My love for him has caused me great emotional pain
I got on it so bad, so bad, though folks with good intentions
Even though friends and family tell me to move on, I can't help but feel this way
Tell me to save my tears
They advise me to stop crying and move on
I'm glad; I'm mad about you; I can't live without you
Although it is causing me pain, I cannot imagine living without him
Lord above me, make him love me the way he should
I pray that God will make him love me the way I want him to
Like a lonely weeping willow lost in the wood
I feel lost and alone, like a weeping willow in the woods
The things I tell my pillow
The things I say to myself when I am alone
No woman should
These are thoughts and feelings that are painful and should not be experienced by anyone
I got it bad, bad, so bad and that ain't good
I am deeply in love and it is causing me great emotional pain
Lyrics © GUY WEBSTER/WEBSTER MUSIC , Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EDWYN STEPHEN COLLINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Fatima M
My first time hearing this version was in my dream when i was lil girl,,maybe my parents played it when i was still in the womb,, despite of the dream,, im glad i found this masterpiece .. thanks for uploading
Pepito Tartranas
there is no old or new music, only good or bad. This one is veeery good
daniel menberu
wow, it is really a great combination from both legends
Will Morris
Lyrics are pure gold. "She don't love love me like I love her..."
SELMER B.Action
I have no words to describe this, except two Genius playing together...
John Stephens
"Never treat me sweet and gentle….." classic opening for anyone who's been on that side of a relationship….
mary monroe
This song hits hard 💔❤😭❤
Gary Stone
Two American treasures.
Frank Ulino
Music, the best form of time travel.
Fredy Wraamann
Simplle and pure beauty.