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 Trouble in Mind
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I won't be blue always
For the sun will shine in my back door again
Trouble in mind, that's true
I have almost lost my mind
Life ain't worthwhile livin'; feel like I could die
On some lonesome rail road iron
Let the 2:19 train ease my trouble of mine
Trouble in mind, I am here
My poor heart is bein' slow
Now I have no trouble in my life before
Trouble in mind, oh, yes, I am blue
But I won't be blue always
Yes, the sun will shine in my back door someday
The lyrics of "Trouble In Mind" by Louis Armstrong and Bertha 'Chippie' Hill speak to the struggles and hardships of life that can cause one to feel deep sadness and despair. The verses depict the singer's feeling of hopelessness and loss, as though they're losing their mind and the very nature of life seems pointless. However, despite these struggles, the chorus offers a glimmer of hope, as the singer holds onto the belief that the sun will come back to shine on them once again.
The line, "I'm gonna lay my head on some lonesome railroad track" is a vivid and powerful image of someone contemplating ending it all. However, the following line, "Let the 2:19 train ease my troubled mind," offers a sense of fatalistic relief that the struggles of life will be over soon, even though it's not a desirable outcome.
Overall, "Trouble In Mind" speaks to the universal human experience of feeling the weight of life's struggles, but also offers hope that the struggles won't last forever and that better days lie ahead.
Line by Line Meaning
Trouble in mind, I am blue
I'm feeling down and troubled
But I won't be blue always
But I know it won't last forever
For the sun will shine in my back door again
Because I believe better times are ahead
Trouble in mind, that's true
I'm not hiding the fact that I'm struggling
I have almost lost my mind
My mental state is deteriorating
Life ain't worthwhile livin'; feel like I could die
I'm so unhappy that I don't feel life is worth living
I'm gonna lay my head
I'm so tired and defeated
On some lonesome rail road iron
I'm considering ending my life by laying on a railroad track
Let the 2:19 train ease my trouble of mine
I hope the next train will end my suffering
Trouble in mind, I am here
I'm present and fully experiencing my difficulties
My poor heart is bein' slow
My heart is heavy and my emotions are dragging me down
Now I have no trouble in my life before
I used to have a more carefree life
Trouble in mind, oh, yes, I am blue
I'm acknowledging my sadness once again
But I won't be blue always
But I know it won't last forever
Yes, the sun will shine in my back door someday
I'm holding onto hope that things will get better
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Richard M. Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gouravkohli4573
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
Saying, "How do you do?"
They're really saying
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
Yes, I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Ooh, yes
@laescritorainternacionalof4498
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
Saying "how do you do?"
They're really saying "I love you"
I hear babies crying
I watch them grow
They'll learn much more
Than I'll ever know
And I think to myself...
What a wonderful world
Yes, I think to myself...
What a wonderful world
@matthewramirez1941
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
Saying "how do you do?"
They're really saying "I love you"
I hear babies crying
I watch them grow
They'll learn much more
Than I'll ever know
And I think to myself...
What a wonderful world
Yes, I think to myself...
What a wonderful world
@dianebaum2754
my sweet husband, God rest his soul, would turn this on and cry. His heart was so HUGE...so I bought him a plaque with this saying, "oh what a wonderful world" and hung it over his computer desk. He passed away this past February and now the sign is in my bathroom, where I see it every single day and remember how Rob made his corner of the world beautiful. Thank you, Lord for sending me that most wonderful man! Rest in peace, Robbie, till we meet again--I love you so much, always...and forever.
@e.conboy4286
Diane, I am so sorry for your loss, please accept my sincere condolences. Your husband must have loved you so much and I’m sure you miss him. May you find comfort in your happiest memories.
@horkneedic
Very saddened about your loss Diane. I lost my mom a couple of months back so I know how it is to lose a loved one. I am sure he is in a good place and looking over you with all the love in his heart. I hope and pray that you are given strength in this difficult time.
@upperman8631
@@horkneedic soo emotional😭
@jonnybandtheeternalgallery
He’ll always be around, Diane 💔
@dianebaum91
@@jonnybandtheeternalgallery thank you for that reassuring message. <3
@DevonisChillin
Louis Armstrong isn’t dead, he’s just in another wonderful World.
@margaretpate1096
Beautiful!
@cojocaruadrian914
@@margaretpate1096mi of u.o
T3,844, a!+(
@pedrogabrielduarte4544
Maybe Madagascar