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 the Shade of the Old Apple Tree
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the love in your eyes I could see
When the voice that I heard, like the song of the bird
Seemed to whisper sweet music to me
I could hear the dull buzz of the bee
In the blossoms as you said to me
With a heart that is true, I'll be waiting for you
In the shade of old apple tree
(Apple tree)
When the love in your eyes I could see
(I could see)
Mama, when the voice that I heard, like the song of the bird
Seemed to whisper sweet music to me
(Music to me)
I could hear the dull buzz of the bee
(Buzz of the bee)
In the blossoms as you said to me
(Said to me)
Mama, with a heart that is true, I'll be waiting for you
Yes, shade of the old apple tree
The lyrics of the song 'In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree' by Louis Armstrong & The Mills Brothers, are essentially about young love and the experiences of falling in love under the shade of an old apple tree. The lyrics describe how the singer is able to see the love in the eyes of their partner and hear the sweet sound of their voice, which seems to be like the song of a bird. The dulled buzz of the bee in the blossoming apple tree adds to the romantic mood of the setting. The singer's partner promises to wait for them with a heart that is true under the old apple tree.
The song has a dreamy quality to it and it conjures up images of young love in a natural setting. The apple tree, with its blossoms and fruit, is a powerful symbol of fertility and growth, making it the perfect setting for a romantic encounter. The song evokes a sense of longing and the hope of being with someone who is true and faithful. It highlights the simple pleasures of life such as the beauty of nature and the simplicity of young love.
Line by Line Meaning
In the shade of the old apple tree
Underneath the leafy cover of an aged apple tree
When the love in your eyes I could see
During the time when affection was evident in your gaze
When the voice that I heard, like the song of the bird
At the moment when your voice harmonized with the melodious chirp of birds
Seemed to whisper sweet music to me
It seemed like your words echoed a tune of sweet melody in my ears
I could hear the dull buzz of the bee
Amidst the flowers, I could distinguish the monotonous hum of bees
In the blossoms as you said to me
When you conversed with me in the midst of the blooming flowers
With a heart that is true, I'll be waiting for you
I will remain devoted to you and anticipate your return
In the shade of the old apple tree
Underneath the leafy cover of an aged apple tree
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: EGBERT VAN ALSTYNE, HARRY WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Wolfhoundersful
In the shade of the old apple tree
When the love in your eyes I could see
When the voice that I heard, like the song of the bird
Seemed to whisper sweet music to me
I could hear the dull buzz of the bee
In the blossoms as you said to me
With a heart that is true, I'll be waiting for you
In the shade of the old apple tree
In the shade of old apple tree
(Apple tree)
When the love in your eyes I could see
(I could see)
Mama, when the voice that I heard, like the song of the bird
Seemed to whisper sweet music to me
(Music to me)
I could hear the dull buzz of the bee
(Buzz of the bee)
In the blossoms as you said to me
(Said to me)
Mama, with a heart that is true, I'll be waiting for you
Yes, shade of the old apple tree
@SmackheadPedo
In the shade of the old Model T
That is where she first showed it to me
A little brown spot
She called it her twat
But it looked like a manhole to me!
Well, I pulled out my old Duke of York
And it fitted her just like a cork
She wiggled and screamed
As I shot her the cream
In the shade of the old Model T.
@mgconlan
The Mills Brothers in the 1930's were one of the great jazz vocal groups of all time, and they fit perfectly with Louis Armstrong on this and the other songs from the same session, including "Darling Nellie Gray" and "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny." Notice how Armstrong lays back and doesn't overpower the voices as he easily could have.
@exemphaven568
Simply amazing, too bad such beautiful music doesn't exist in my generation :(
@mdl222
As long as we keep playing stuff like this, good music will last forever. 🤞
@therockersway3
i was watching a recipe for making Apple Cider and now i am here!
@lilswimgurl1
remember my dad, who was and is still a big fan of jazz, use to play this song when i was little, always loved Louis Armstrong and always will.
@user-hk5ky2hy7m
Oh my goodness! Rythum ,voicee and of course melody. Thanks for your services
@shephali08
In the Era of EDM, I'm stuck to old Apple tree ♥️😬
@dinoaytnaz8673
This song is still lovely in 2022 ❤
@lisbetsoda4874
And in 2024
@orionbassmaster666
gives me the taste for some good ole apple cider ^^