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: βYou canβt play nothing on modern trumpet that doesnβt 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 Rythm
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
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Who can ask for anything more
I got daisies....In green pastures....I got my gal
Who could ask for anything more
Old man trouble....I don't mind him.
You won't find him.... 'round my door
I got starlight...I got sweet dreams...I got my gal
Who could ask for anything more
I got rhythm....I got music....I got my gal
Who can ask for anything more
Who could ask for anything more
Louis Armstrong's song "I Got Rhythm" is an uplifting ode to love and contentment. The lyrics are simple yet powerful. Armstrong sings about how he has everything he needs in life - rhythm, music, and his lover. He starts off by saying, "I got rhythm, I got music, I got my gal," indicating that he has the essential things he needs to be happy. He then asks the question, "Who can ask for anything more?" He repeats this question throughout the song's duration, emphasizing that there is nothing more he needs in life than what he already has.
Armstrong then talks about the beauty around him. He says he has daisies in green pastures and starlight and sweet dreams, further emphasizing how lucky he is. He then says, "Old man trouble, I don't mind him. You won't find him 'round my door," implying that he is impervious to negativity and chooses to focus only on the positive things in life. Eventually, Armstrong ends the song by saying, "Who could ask for anything more?" several times, once again emphasizing that he is content with his life and doesn't need anything else.
Overall, the lyrics of "I Got Rhythm" are all about positivity, gratitude, and contentment. Armstrong's delivery of these lyrics is masterful, and it is impossible not to feel energized and uplifted after listening to the song.
Line by Line Meaning
I got rhythm....I got music....I got my gal
I have a great sense of musical rhythm and melody, and I am blessed to have a lovely companion by my side.
Who can ask for anything more
What more could one possibly desire when one has rhythm, music, and a loving partner?
I got daisies....In green pastures....I got my gal
I am surrounded by natural beauty, with flowers in bloom and lush green pastures, and I am grateful to share these blessings with my sweetheart.
Who could ask for anything more
With all these wonderful aspects of life, why would anyone want or need anything else?
Old man trouble....I don't mind him.
Although there may be difficulties and hardships in life, I am not bothered by them and choose to focus on the positive aspects instead.
You won't find him.... 'round my door
I have created a happy and peaceful environment in my home, free from any negative influences or troubles.
I got starlight...I got sweet dreams...I got my gal
Even at night when everything seems dark, I am able to find joy in the twinkling stars and pleasant dreams, alongside my cherished companion.
Who could ask for anything more
Once again, with so much good in life, there is no need to ask for anything else.
Lyrics Β© Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY WOODS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Geir Stensund
IΒ΄m not a jazz fan, but love this music: a combination of nostalgia and just enjoying listen to people who LOVE what they are playing!
Tom M
Damn, it's just too awfully bad that George G and Satch never got a chance to play this together, it would have been wonderful.
Bruce Nicholls
Wow,now that's an all star band!!!
Adrian Kelly
I haven't heard this in years - really classic stuff!
Edward Lee
Much respect β to whom discovered, Louis Armstrong jazz wouldnβt be the same without him π
SELMER B.Action
Louis & Fats together !!! Incredible !
Raphael Seltzman
Been Lovin' this tune since I was a kid...
Leon Childs jr
It's been 50 years since The Happenings had a top 10 smash out of this song.
Charles Barry
The first great jazz soloist.
Al Biondi
That cat could play like no one else!