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 Heebie Jeebies
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I mean the Jeebies
Talking about
The dance, the Heebie Jeebies
Do, because they're boys
Because it pleases me to be joy
Say, don't you know it?
Someone will teach you
Come on and do that dance
They call the Heebie Jeebies dance
Yes, ma'am
Papa's got the Heebie Jeebies dance
Say, come on now and do that dance
They call the Heebie Jeebies dance
Sweet mama
Papa's got to do the Heebie Jeebies dance
Woo, got the Heebie Jeebies
Whatcha doin' with the Heebies?
I just have to have the Heebies
Louis Armstrong's song "Heebie Jeebies" is a classic example of early jazz music, which first came to prominence in the 1920s. The song's lyrics are relatively simple, highlighting the music's focus on dance and rhythm. The reference to "Heebie Jeebies" is a double entendre, referring both to the dance and to a feeling of nervousness or anxiety.
One reading of the lyrics suggests that the song is about overcoming fear or anxiety through dance. The singer invites others to join in the Heebie Jeebies dance, implying that dancing can help ease feelings of nervousness.
Another reading is that the song is about the power of music to bring people together. The singer takes joy in seeing others dance and encourages everyone to join in, creating a sense of unity and shared experience.
Overall, "Heebie Jeebies" is a fun, upbeat song that highlights early jazz's emphasis on rhythm, dance, and community.
Line by Line Meaning
Say, I've got the Heebies
I'm feeling agitated and uneasy
I mean the Jeebies
It's a specific type of unease, like the kind you get before a dance
Talking about
Let me tell you about something
The dance, the Heebie Jeebies
It's a dance that makes you feel uneasy but excited
Do, because they're boys
The boys are doing the Heebie Jeebies dance
Because it pleases me to be joy
I'm happy to see them having fun
Say, don't you know it?
Do you not know about this dance?
You don't know how; don't be blue
It's okay if you don't know how to do the dance, don't be sad
Someone will teach you
You can learn from someone else
Come on and do that dance
Give it a try!
They call the Heebie Jeebies dance
That's what they've named this exciting, jittery dance
Yes, ma'am
Absolutely
Papa's got the Heebie Jeebies dance
I'm really into this dance!
Say, come on now and do that dance
Let's all do the Heebie Jeebies dance
They call the Heebie Jeebies dance
It's called the Heebie Jeebies dance, don't forget!
Sweet mama
An expression of excitement or enthusiasm
Papa's got to do the Heebie Jeebies dance
I just can't get enough of this dance!
Woo, got the Heebie Jeebies
I'm feeling excited and a little jumpy
Whatcha doin' with the Heebies?
What are you going to do with all this excitement?
I just have to have the Heebies
I can't help but feel this way
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BOYD ATKINS
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