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.
It's All in the Game
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All in the wonderful game that we know as love
You have words with him and your future's looking dim
But these things your hearts can rise above
Once in a while he won't call, but it's all in the game
Soon he'll be there at your side with a sweet bouquet
And he'll kiss your lips and caress your waiting fingertips
(Soon he'll be there at your side) with a sweet bouquet
Then he'll kiss your lips and caress your waiting fingertips
And your heart will fly away
Louis Armstrong's iconic song "It's All in the Game" captures the ups and downs of love and relationships. The first verse acknowledges that heartbreak is a common side effect of falling in love, "Many a tear has to fall" before we find the right person for ourselves, but it's all part of the wonderful game called love. As the song progresses, Armstrong highlights the importance of communication and how it can repair relationships that seem beyond repair, "You have words with him and your future's looking dim, but these things your hearts can rise above."
The second verse takes on a more positive tone, showing how the ups and downs of a relationship can lead to moments of pure joy and elation. Armstrong sings about how sometimes the person you love won't call you back, but soon they will return to your side with a sweet bouquet, caress your waiting fingertips and kiss your lips. This moment of affection will set your heart soaring and make all the heartbreak and pain of the past feel a distant memory. The underlying message of the song is that the game of love is unpredictable, with moments of pure joy and intense pain. But it's all worth it in the end because it leads us to the right person for us.
Line by Line Meaning
Many a tear has to fall, but it's all in the game
In the game of love, there will be moments of sadness that will make you cry.
All in the wonderful game that we know as love
The ups and downs of love are a part of this beautiful, yet unpredictable game.
You have words with him and your future's looking dim
When you have a disagreement with your partner, it can feel like your future together is uncertain and bleak.
But these things your hearts can rise above
Despite the challenges, your hearts can overcome and strengthen your relationship.
Once in a while he won't call, but it's all in the game
There will be moments when your partner is not there, but that is just a part of love's unpredictable nature.
Soon he'll be there at your side with a sweet bouquet
However, your loved one will soon come back and make things right with a small gesture of love.
And he'll kiss your lips and caress your waiting fingertips
In that moment, your partner will show you how much they love and appreciate you.
And your heart will fly away
Your heart will feel light and free, knowing that your love is strong enough to overcome any challenges.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Carl Sigman, Charles Gates Dawes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@eriknorlin4287
Louis Never Did A Bum Song!
@deacondavis5098
NICE
@johnsavard7583
So far, except for a version titled Melody by Tommy Dorsey, I haven't found examples of what this song sounded like before Tommy Edwards' 1951 version.
@jorgeabsi3794
La mejor canción de todos los tiempos
@Retroscoop
Nice work Louis, but I'll go for the 1958's Tommy Edwards version :) THE version !
@hanseekhoff1093
I go for Nat King Cole - even more THE version, although Louis definitely had the best band behind him.
@robertromero5294
I love both versions by Tommy Edward's...especially his first version has a interesting arrangement i had no idea of its existence...Louis does a nice version too...his signature voice.