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 WONDER
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
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Thoughts keep roaming through my mind, they're all of you
I wonder if you're dancing, with somebody new
I wonder, I wonder can't help it if I wonder
No matter which side of the pillow that I'm sleeping on
My dreams of you continue through until the dawn
And after that I find the day dream crew comes on
I wonder, I wonder, can't help it if I wonder
Well, then it's quite alright with me
I'm gonna get me dressed up in my Sunday suit
And find myself somebody who is twice as cute
And when you realize that you and I are through
I wonder, I wonder, I wonder what you'll do
All by myself alone at home a feeling blue
Thoughts keep roaming through my mind, they're all of you
I wonder if you're dancing, with somebody new
I wonder, I wonder can't help it if I wonder
No matter which side of the pillow that I'm sleeping on
My dreams of you continue through until the dawn
And after that I find the day dream crew comes on
I wonder, I wonder, can't help it if I wonder
You care for someone else, I see
Well, then it's quite alright with me
I'm gonna get me dressed up in my Sunday suit
And find myself somebody who is twice as cute
And when you realize that you and I are through
I wonder, I wonder, I wonder what you'll do
Louis Armstrong's "I Wonder" is a mournful ballad of a man who is spending a lonely night at home and cannot stop thinking about his former lover. He wonders if she is out dancing with someone else and if she has moved on from their relationship. The lyrics express his longing and his inability to let go of his feelings for her, despite the knowledge that she may have someone new. The lyrics also reveal the man’s emotions in a clear and honest manner, while the music evokes a sense of melancholy.
The first verse describes the man feeling blue and thinking about his ex-lover. He wonders if she has moved on and is dancing with someone else. Despite his sadness, he cannot stop thinking about her. The second verse talks about how his dreams of her continue all night and through the next day. He acknowledges that she may be with someone else, but he is accepting of it. The final verse shows the man finding solace in the idea of finding someone new for himself, while also wondering how his former lover will react when she realizes they are through.
Overall, the song shows the complexity of human emotion, and how it is difficult to let go of a past love, despite knowing that they have moved on. It also reflects on the idea of acceptance and how one can find comfort in the possibility of moving on.
Line by Line Meaning
All by myself alone at home a feeling blue
I am lonely and sad in my house, without anyone else around.
Thoughts keep roaming through my mind, they're all of you
I keep thinking about you, and nothing else is occupying my mind.
I wonder if you're dancing, with somebody new
I'm curious if you have moved on and are happily dancing with someone else.
I wonder, I wonder can't help it if I wonder
I can't stop myself from being curious and wondering about you.
No matter which side of the pillow that I'm sleeping on
Even when I'm trying to rest, I can't escape thoughts of you.
My dreams of you continue through until the dawn
I even dream about you all night long.
And after that I find the day dream crew comes on
Even during the day, I find myself daydreaming about you.
You care for someone else, I see
I can tell that you have feelings for someone else.
Well, then it's quite alright with me
I am okay with it if you have moved on.
I'm gonna get me dressed up in my Sunday suit
I am going to dress up in my best clothes.
And find myself somebody who is twice as cute
I am going to try to find someone who is even better than you.
And when you realize that you and I are through
When you finally realize that our relationship is over.
I wonder, I wonder, I wonder what you'll do
I can't help but wonder what you will do then.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DARYL HUTCHINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@whiterook8022
I wonder, my little darlin'
Where can you be this moon-ed line?
Are you holdin' someone tie?
Mm, baby I wonder.
My heart is achin' but I'm a fool
To let it go on bray kin'
Maybe I'll await to fine that I'm a steak-in
Mm, I wonder.
Baby since we are through I've been through love and slain
But in my heart there's only pain
You were travellin' but will it, lass?
Well I'm travellin' nowhere fass,
Mm sweetheart, mm, sweetheart.
I wonder
Weld weld weld little baby
If this new love dies where will you be
Will your heart come running back to me?
Mm baby, I wonder.
@Dcarn23
I heard this at the end of Cold Case so I ran and started frantically googling lyrics until I found this. So Glad I did
@jacoollamoody6615
Watching that episode right now and knew off top when he said what is the name of this song again... #chills
@Inkaa1tarot
Jacoolla Moody ME TOO 😭
@Inkaa1tarot
Jacoolla Moody instant chills
@redskn78
I just did that same exact thing 🤣. I'm binge watching Cold Case.
@samhero11
I just finished the episode!
@Alvicbar
Who else gets chills ?
@samcash9625
One of the greatest songs ever, by one of the greatest artists!!
@user-yn2ct2ie9m
that intro is otherworldly
@JupiterChild96
You took the words right out of my mouth!