Louis Armstrong (August 4, 1901 - July 6, 1971) nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, … Read Full Bio ↴Louis Armstrong (August 4, 1901 - July 6, 1971) nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana.
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.

Im Beginning to See the Light
Louis Armstrong Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I never cared much for moonlit skies
I never wink back at fireflies
But now that the stars are in your eyes
I'm beginning to see the light

I never went in for afterglow
Or candlelight on the mistletoe
But now when you turn the lamp down low

I'm beginning to see the light

Used to ramble through the park
Shadow boxing in the dark
Then you came and caused a spark
That's a four-alarm fire, now

I never made love by lantern shine
I never saw rainbows in my wine
But now that your lips are burning mine
I'm beginning to see the light

I never cared much for moonlit skies
I never wink back at fireflies
But now that the stars are in your eyes
I'm beginning to see the light

I never went in for afterglow
Or candlelight on the mistletoe
But now when you turn the lamp down low
I'm beginning to see the light

Used to ramble through the park
Shadow boxing in the dark
Then you came and caused a spark
That's a four-alarm fire, now

I never made love by lantern shine
I never saw rainbows in my wine
But now that your lips are burning mine
I'm beginning to see the light

Now that the stars are in your eyes
I'm beginning to see the light
Now when you turn the lamp down low
I'm beginning to see the light

Used to ramble through the park
Shadow boxing in the dark
Then you came and caused a spark
That's a four-alarm fire, now

Now that your lips are burning mine
I'm beginning to see the light
I'm beginning to see the light
I'm beginning to see the light

Now that your lips are burning mine
I'm beginning to see the light

Overall Meaning

The song "I'm Beginning to See the Light" is a happy-go-lucky tune about falling in love, performed by jazz legends Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. The lyrics speak of a narrator who never cared for romantic cliches like moonlit skies and fireflies. But now that they're in love with someone, they're starting to see the world in a new light. The stars in their lover's eyes, the soft glow of a lamp, and the feeling of their partner's burning lips are all sources of inspiration for the singer.

The song uses vivid imagery to convey the singer's newfound sense of wonder and joy. Before falling in love, they would pass through a park alone, shadowboxing in the dark. But now that they're with their lover, they're like a "four-alarm fire," burning with passion. The song is a celebration of the transformative power of love, and the joy of discovering new things about oneself through a relationship.

In many ways, "I'm Beginning to See the Light" is a quintessential jazz standard. It features a simple, catchy melody, upbeat rhythms, and bold brass and piano solos. But it's also a deeply romantic song that speaks to the power of love to change a person's perspective on life. It's a tune that's both fun to dance to and touching to listen to.

Line by Line Meaning

I never cared much for moonlit skies
I never appreciated the beauty of the night sky.

I never wink back at fireflies
I never paid attention to the small, simple pleasures in life.

But now that the stars are in your eyes
But now that I see the way you look at me, I'm starting to see things differently.

I'm beginning to see the light
I'm beginning to understand and appreciate the beauty of life.

I never went in for afterglow
I never saw the point in lingering after an event or experience.

Or candlelight on the mistletoe
I never participated in romantic traditions.

But now when you turn the lamp down low
But now when we're alone and intimate, I see the appeal of a more subdued lighting.

Used to ramble through the park
I used to wander aimlessly without purpose.

Shadow boxing in the dark
I used to battle imaginary foes, unsure of my direction.

Then you came and caused a spark
Then you entered my life and ignited a passion within me.

That's a four-alarm fire, now
That passion has grown into a powerful, all-consuming force.

I never made love by lantern shine
I never experienced the romantic atmosphere of a dimly lit, lantern-filled space.

I never saw rainbows in my wine
I never saw the beauty in the simple things, like the colors of a glass of wine.

But now that your lips are burning mine
But now that we're intimately involved, I see the world in a new light.

Now that the stars are in your eyes
Now that I see the love and admiration in your gaze.

I'm beginning to see the light
I'm starting to understand and appreciate the beauty in life in a way I never have before.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Edward Kennedy Ellington, Don George, Harry James, Johnny Hodges

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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