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 Takes Time
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To get your gal to see the light
It takes time
It isn't always love at sight
From the first little glance
Till she's ready for romance
Remember, little man, it takes time
It takes time
To make the coffee percolate
It takes time
To get your gal to set the date
From the first moonlight walk
Till you get the baby talk
Remember, little man, it takes time
Now, Rome wasn't built in a day, they say
Not to mention the Pyramids and Sphinx
It took old Rip Van Winkle all of twenty years
To squeeze the livin' daylights out of forty winks
It takes time
To turn the winter into spring
It takes time
To get the dough and get the ring
From the first little smile
Till you're walkin' down the aisle
Remember, little man, it takes time
Now, Rome wasn't built in a day they say
Not to mention the Pyramids and Sphinx
It took old Rip Van Winkle all of twenty years
To squeeze the livin' daylights out of forty winks
It takes time
To turn the winter into spring
It takes time
To get the dough to get the ring
From the first little smile
Till you're walkin' down the aisle
Remember, little man, it takes time
Louis Armstrong's song, It Takes Time, is an easy-going tune about the importance of patience when it comes to love and life events. The song is simply structured with the first verse stressing the notion that it takes time to get someone to notice you, to begin a relationship, and to fall in love. The second verse describes how it even takes time for the simplest things to happen, like percolating coffee or setting a date. The chorus repeats, reminding us that Rome wasn't built in a day, and that it takes time to accomplish anything worthwhile. The final verse suggests that it takes time to save the money to buy an engagement ring, to plan a wedding, and to make it down the aisle.
The lyrics encourage the listener to be patient and not give up too quickly, especially in matters of love. There is a reminder that rushing into or forcing love is not the right approach, and that, instead, love should be allowed to blossom over time. It’s an uplifting and charming message delivered in the typical Louis Armstrong style of raspy vocals and a catchy melody, that makes it easy to sing along and follow the advice.
Line by Line Meaning
It takes time
Change takes time and it requires patience.
To get your gal to see the light
It takes time for your significant other to get on board with your ideas or perspective.
It isn't always love at sight
Love is not always subjective from the beginning, but it can grow and develop over time.
From the first little glance
From the moment you first set eyes on your significant other.
Till she's ready for romance
Until your significant other is open to a romantic relationship.
Remember, little man, it takes time
Have patience and don't rush things; everything will happen in its own time.
To make the coffee percolate
Even brewing coffee takes time; the best things require time and patience.
To get your gal to set the date
It takes time for your significant other to be ready to set a date for a special event or to plan something together.
From the first moonlight walk
From your first time taking a stroll in the moonlight with your significant other.
Till you get the baby talk
Until you and your significant other are ready to start discussing the possibility of having children.
Now, Rome wasn't built in a day, they say
Means that something significant or important cannot be accomplished quickly, but rather requires patience over an extended period of time.
Not to mention the Pyramids and Sphinx
Even ancient and impressive landmarks like the Pyramids or Sphinx took time and patience to build.
It took old Rip Van Winkle all of twenty years
Refers to the famous story of Rip Van Winkle, in which he slept for twenty years, and emphasizes how time and patience can bring monumental changes.
To squeeze the livin' daylights out of forty winks
To say Rip Van Winkle was able to achieve a great deal during his sleep, and how it felt like only a short time as he did so.
To turn the winter into spring
Even changing of the seasons takes time, and is a process that is driven by Mother Nature's patience.
To get the dough and get the ring
To accumulate the wealth and resources necessary for the life events we all desire, like a special ring for a wedding or engagement.
From the first little smile
From the first little time you made your significant other's smile.
Till you're walkin' down the aisle
Until you and your significant other get married and walk down the aisle towards your future together.
Remember, little man, it takes time
A reminder/imperative not to rush things, to allow things to happen naturally and not to force anything before it is due to come to fruition.
Contributed by Nathan P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
deacon theseer
Love these old times. So true.
vvv vvv
Class, pure class.
vvv vvv
It’s worth it though.