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.
Isn
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The thunder and lightning
Seem to be having their way
But as far as I'm concerned
It's a lovely day
The turn in the weather
Will keep us together
So I can honestly say
It's a lovely day
And everything's O.K.
Yes, isn't this a lovely day
To be caught in the rain
You were going on your way
Now you've got to remain
Yes, just as you were going
Leaving me all at sea
The clouds broke
They broke and oh
What a break for me
I can see the sun up high
Tho' we're caught in the storm
I can see where you and I
Could be cozy and warm
Let the rain pitter patter
But it really doesn't matter
If the skies are gray
Baby, long as I can be with you
It's a lovely day
Isn't this a lovely day
To be caught in the rain
You were going on your way
Now you've got to remain
Just as you were going
Leaving me all at sea
The clouds broke
They broke and oh
What a break for me
I can see the sun up high
Tho' we're caught in the storm
I can see where you and I
Could be cozy and warm
Let the rain pitter patter
But it really doesn't matter
If the skies are gray
Long as I can be with you
It's a lovely day
I can see the sun up high
Tho' we're caught in the storm
(We're caught in the storm, baby)
I can see where you and I
Could be cozy and warm
(Cozy and warm)
Let the rain pitter patter
But it really doesn't matter
If the skies are gray
Long as I can be with you
It's a lovely day
Long as I can be with you
It's a lovely day
The song "Isn't it a Lovely Day" is a beautiful duet performed by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. At first glance, the lyrics may seem contradictory with the stormy weather, but a closer look reveals the joyful message underlying them. The first verse introduces the listener to the stormy weather with thunder and lightning. However, the mood quickly changes as Ella Fitzgerald sings, "But as far as I'm concerned, it's a lovely day." The singer is looking beyond the storm and appreciating the joy that can still be found in life.
In the second verse, we see the theme of unexpected blessings emerge. The rainstorm causes Louis and Ella Fitzgerald to be caught together, and he sees this as a wonderful thing. The mood shifts from gloom and doom to a sense of excitement about the future. Louis sings, "The clouds broke, they broke and oh, what a break for me," revealing his optimistic outlook on life.
Overall, the song is a testament to the power of positive thinking. Even in the midst of a storm, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald find joy and beauty. They are grateful for the unexpected moments of happiness that come their way and cherish the time they get to spend together.
Line by Line Meaning
The weather is fright'ning
The present climatic conditions are terrifying
The thunder and lightning
The sound and light produced by electrical charges in the atmosphere
Seem to be having their way
It appears as though the storm is dominating the surroundings
But as far as I'm concerned
From my point of view
It's a lovely day
It's an excellent day regardless of the bad weather
The turn in the weather
The change in climate
Will keep us together
Will prevent us from going our separate ways
So I can honestly say
I am able to say with absolute sincerity
And everything's O.K.
Everything appears to be fine
Yes, isn't this a lovely day
Isn't today wonderful?
To be caught in the rain
To experience precipitation
You were going on your way
You were about to leave
Now you've got to remain
Now you have to stay put
Just as you were going
Exactly when you planned to leave
Leaving me all at sea
Abandoning me with no warning
The clouds broke
The thick layer of water vapour in the sky dispersed
They broke and oh
They broke apart, and this is a significant turn of events
What a break for me
This is incredibly fortuitous for me
I can see the sun up high
I can perceive the sun at its highest position in the sky
Tho' we're caught in the storm
Notwithstanding the fact that we are in the middle of the tempest
I can see where you and I
I can envision where we would be
Could be cozy and warm
We have the potential to be comfortable and warm
Let the rain pitter patter
Allow the rain to make its tapping noise
But it really doesn't matter
It's not really significant
If the skies are gray
Even if the sky is dull and overcast
Long as I can be with you
As long as I am with you
It's a lovely day
The day is fantastic
Long as I can be with you
As long as I am with you
It's a lovely day
The day is fantastic
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: IRVING BERLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@saviodias3803
The weather is frightening
The thunder and lightning
Seem to be having their way
But as far as I'm concerned
It's a lovely day
The turn in the weather
Will keep us together
So I can honestly say
That as far as I'm concerned
It's a lovely day
And everything's okay
Isn't this a lovely day
To be caught in the rain?
You were going on your way
Now you've got to remain
Just as you were going
Leaving me all at sea
The clouds broke
They broke and, oh
What a break for me
I can see the sun up high
Though we're caught in the storm
I can see where you and I
Could be cozy and warm
Let the rain pitter-patter
But it really doesn't matter
If the skies are gray
Long as I can be with you
It's a lovely day
@prichitodiamantado
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
ISN'T THIS A LOVELY DAY? LYRICS
The weather is fright'ning
The thunder and lightning
Seem to be having their way
But as far as I'm concerned, it's a lovely day
The turn in the weather
Will keep us together
So i can honestly say
That as far as i'm concerned, it's a lovely day
And everything's okay
Isn't this a lovely day
To be caught in the rain?
You were going on your way
Now you've got to remain
Just as you were going, leaving me all at sea
The clouds broke, they broke and oh
What a break for me
I can see the sun up high
Though we're caught in the storm
I can see where you and i
Could be cozy and warm
Let the rain pitter patter
But it really doesn't matter
If the skies are gray
Long as I can be with you it's a lovely day
@pacosotoflorido6153
Ella had one of the most melodic voices of all time!
@EnergyBrink
Louis did too, so smooth!
@DavidM-tg1oy
Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong...two of the very best, Pure excellence! A thousand up-votes!
@saviodias3803
The weather is frightening
The thunder and lightning
Seem to be having their way
But as far as I'm concerned
It's a lovely day
The turn in the weather
Will keep us together
So I can honestly say
That as far as I'm concerned
It's a lovely day
And everything's okay
Isn't this a lovely day
To be caught in the rain?
You were going on your way
Now you've got to remain
Just as you were going
Leaving me all at sea
The clouds broke
They broke and, oh
What a break for me
I can see the sun up high
Though we're caught in the storm
I can see where you and I
Could be cozy and warm
Let the rain pitter-patter
But it really doesn't matter
If the skies are gray
Long as I can be with you
It's a lovely day
@StrawberryK11
❤
@OmManiPadmeHungHrih
Thanks for posting.
@rntreis
one of the most beautiful things in the world... long as I can hear ella and louis it's a lovely day
@JupiterJulia
the boy i am in love with played this song as we laid on his bed listening to the storm outside the window.
i can't help but cry every time i hear it now, i love him so much.
@supert1326
This is a really nice thing to heard, cause i really like Louis armstrong and his music, but people around me dont really apreciated or just Dislike them, and find that this song put you in a very good mood, is nice.
@lifesasoundtrack3595
I can’t help but play this whenever it’s raining. These two artists are amazing within themselves but when they collaborated it’s absolutely magical! One of my favorite songs of all time.