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.
Introduction To My Monday Date
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That you promised me last Tuesday
Don't forget and don't be late
I'll be there on noon-day
I'm gonna shine my shoes, steam my tie
Step right, baby, 'cause you're straight in your eyes
Don't forget our Monday date
That you promised me last Tuesday
The lyrics to Louis Armstrong's song "My Monday Date" revolve around a couple's agreement to meet on Monday, which was promised on a Tuesday. The singer reminds the other person of their promised date and instructs them not to be late because they will be present at noon. The singer concludes by saying they will prepare for the occasion by shining their shoes and steaming their tie. They exclaim that their partner should be ready because they are straight in their eyes.
In essence, the message of the lyrics is about being dependable in a relationship. It's critical to follow through on commitments and promises made to one's partner. Showing up on time and being prepared is another way to demonstrate dependability. The act of shining shoes and steaming a tie is symbolic, as it could be interpreted as taking care of oneself to appear the best in front of the other person, possibly indicating a desire to impress them.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't forget our Monday date
Remember the plan we made to meet on Monday
That you promised me last Tuesday
You confirmed the arrangement on Tuesday, don't change your mind now
Don't forget and don't be late
Please be punctual and don't cancel our plans
I'll be there on noon-day
I'll arrive at noon, as we agreed
I'm gonna shine my shoes, steam my tie
I'll dress up nicely to look my best for our date
Step right, baby, 'cause you're straight in your eyes
Be confident when you meet me, because you look amazing
Don't forget our Monday date
Just a reminder, we agreed to meet on Monday
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: EARL HINES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anonymous
on What A Wonderful World
What A Wonderful World - Casey Abrams - Lyrics
I see trees of green
Red roses too
I see them bloom
For me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
I see skies of blue
And clouds of white
The bright blessed day
The dark sacred night
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Singing how do you do
They're really singing
I love you
I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They'll learn much more
Than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Musical Interlude
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Singing how do you do
They're really singing
I love you
I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They goin’ learn much more
Than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
I think to myself
What a wonderful world