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.
In A Mellow Tone
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Feeling fancy free
And I'm not alone
I've got company
Everything's ok
The live long day
With this mellow song
I can't go wrong
That's the way to live
If you mope and groan
Something's gotta give
Just go your way
And laugh and play
There's joy unknown
In a mellow tone
In a mellow tone
In a mellow tone
Feeling fancy free
And I'm not alone
I've got company
Everything's ok
The live long day
With this mellow song
I can't go wrong
In a mellow tone
That's the way to live
If you mope and groan
Something's gotta give
Just go your way
And laugh and play
There's joy unknown
In a mellow tone
In a mellow tone
In a mellow tone
The lyrics to "In a Mellow Tone" by Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington are all about enjoying life and taking things in a relaxed, carefree manner. The phrase "in a mellow tone" itself suggests a sense of calmness and relaxation, which is further emphasized by the line "Feeling fancy free." The song is all about taking things easy and finding joy in the little things, like having good company and enjoying a mellow song.
The lyrics go on to encourage the listener to go their own way and not mope or groan, suggesting that a positive attitude and a willingness to laugh and play can lead to unknown joy. The repetition of the phrase "In a mellow tone" at the end of each stanza emphasizes the importance of approaching life in a relaxed, peaceful manner.
Overall, the song is a tribute to the simple pleasures in life and a call to focus on the positive and take things in a mellow tone.
Line by Line Meaning
In a mellow tone
Living life calmly and comfortably
Feeling fancy free
Feeling carefree and happy
And I'm not alone
Not feeling lonely because of the company around
I've got company
Having good friends to share the joys of life
Everything's ok
No worries, no stress, and everything is going well
The live long day
Throughout all of the day's activities
With this mellow song
Listening to this tune that fits the mood
I can't go wrong
Everything is going as planned and nothing can go wrong
That's the way to live
This is the best way to approach life
If you mope and groan
If you complain and feel sorry for yourself
Something's gotta give
You need to change your attitude and approach to life
Just go your way
Follow your path and do what makes you happy
And laugh and play
Life is meant to be enjoyed, so have some fun
There's joy unknown
You can experience a deep sense of happiness and satisfaction
In a mellow tone
When you live your life calmly and comfortably
In a mellow tone
Living your life calmly and comfortably
In a mellow tone
Living your life calmly and comfortably
Feeling fancy free
Of feeling carefree and happy
And I'm not alone
Feeling accompanied by good friends
I've got company
Being around good friends
Everything's ok
There are no worries or stress
The live long day
All throughout the day
With this mellow song
Listening to a fitting tune
I can't go wrong
Things will all work out
In a mellow tone
Living calmly
That's the way to live
Living in contentment
If you mope and groan
Complaining and feeling sorry for oneself
Something's gotta give
A change in attitude is needed
Just go your way
Follow your own path
And laugh and play
Enjoy life
There's joy unknown
A deep sense of happiness can be experienced.
In a mellow tone
Living calmly.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DUKE ELLINGTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bobtaylor170
I pity people - and it's the vast majority of Americans - who don't know this exists, that these greatest of American musicians ever even lived. What a gift having this on video is.
@bobtaylor170
@@BarracusObamus , you'd be shocked by how few people would. There is a guy in my church who is a 24 year old doctoral student in chemistry at Notre Dame. He's not just a science nerd, either. He had never heard of Lucille Ball when I mentioned her in conversation with him a few weeks ago.
@jimmarchman
I'm an old white guy now and I tried desperately to play piano for ten years when I was young. Later I learned I was terrible at math beyond basic algebra and basic geometry. It made me feel better (and more in awe) of musicians as its all mathematics. God bless these fellows for sharing their talents with the rest of us.
@steveknows62
@@bobtaylor170
I agree with you. The dumbing down of the culture is pretty much complete.
But what's worse is that the lessons of WW2 have also been relegated to ancient history, thus setting the stage for a repeat of it.
@koko-pu5vn
Amen brother!!
@podulox
I grew up with this kind of thing, on tape, on long journeys in the car...
Now I have good speakers, mixer et - Input/output is sorted... Now it's the recordings that let ALL of us down :(
THANK Dog FOR SKA! At least Ska gets redone regularly...
I DARE YOU - REDO BIGBAND!!!
(Yes, you...)
@bobjames5264
This is SOLID GOLD!! As soon as my 84-year-old father heard the trumpet from upstairs, he asked, “Is that Satchmo??!!” Respect!!
@stenekegren9395
It's like watching Beethoven and Mozart performing together on the same stage!
@Dmitriev49
Oh, yes! That's right!
@johnmc3862
Indeed, 2 of the big 5 on one stage! Coltrane, Davis and Parker being the others.