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.
Its 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 "It's All In The Game" explores the ups and downs of love, and how our emotions can fluctuate in response to the game of love. The song acknowledges that crying and feeling sad are just a part of the game, but we must move past those moments and focus on the wonderful aspects of love.
The song's first verse emphasizes that many tears will be shed throughout the journey of love, but that we must remember that it's all part of the game. The second verse touches on the difficulties and arguments that arise in relationships, but once again emphasizes that we must rise above those issues and remember the beauty of love. The third verse focuses on the joyful moments of the game that make it all worthwhile. The singer describes the feeling of being reunited with a lover, receiving flowers, and being physically close with someone we care about. These moments make our hearts soar and remind us why we play the game of love in the first place.
Line by Line Meaning
Many a tear has to fall, but it's all in the game
We all experience heartbreak in the course of love, but it comes with the territory.
All in the wonderful game that we know as love
Love is a complex and challenging game, but it is still wonderful and worth playing.
You have words with him and your future's looking dim
Arguments and disagreements can make the future of the relationship uncertain.
But these things your hearts can rise above
Despite the setbacks, love can conquer all with the right mindset.
Once in a while he won't call, but it's all in the game
Sometimes, our partners may not communicate as much as we would like, but it's a common occurrence in the game of love.
Soon he'll be there at your side with a sweet bouquet
The challenges in the relationship may be temporary, and your partner will be back soon to make things right.
And he'll kiss your lips and caress your waiting fingertips
When your partner returns, he will show affection and remind you why you fell in love in the first place.
And your heart will fly away
His love will make you feel like you're on top of the world, and all the problems will fade away.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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.