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.
Ive Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I can weather the storm!
What do I care how much it may storm?
I've got my love to keep me warm
I can't remember a worse December
Just watch those icicles form!
Oh, what do I care if icicles form?
[Chorus]
Off with my overcoat, off with my glove
I need no overcoat; I'm burning with love!
My heart's on fire; the flame grows higher
So I will weather the storm!
What do I care how much it may storm?
Oh, I've got my love to keep me warm
The snow is snowing, the wind is blowing
But I can weather the storm!
What do I care how much it may storm?
I've got my love to keep me warm
I can't remember a worse December
Just watch those icicles form!
What do I care if icicles form?
I've got my love to keep me warm
[Chorus]
The snow is snowing, the wind is blowing
But I can weather the storm, storm, storm
What do I care how much it may storm?
Oh, I've got my love to keep me warm
Louis Armstrong's song "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" is a romantic tune about one's ability to endure the harshness of winter as long as they have love in their hearts. The opening lines make it clear that the singer is facing a winter storm head-on, but still maintains a positive attitude. The storm is characterized by snow and wind, but the singer declares that they can weather it all because they have love in their lives. The next verse admits that it's a particularly bad winter, but even as icicles start forming, the singer remains steadfast, knowing that the cold weather won't affect them too much since they have their love to keep them warm.
The chorus continues with this theme of love being able to keep them warm. The singer declares that they don't need a coat or gloves because the warmth in their heart is all they need. The metaphor of a burning heart is used to describe the depth of their love, and they claim that the flame only grows higher in the midst of the storm. The final verse summarizes everything that has been said thus far, with the singer reiterating that they can withstand any storm as long as they have their love accompanying them.
Overall, "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" is a romantic and optimistic song about how love can help one weather any storm. It's a heartfelt expression of the power of love and its ability to keep people warm, even in the coldest of winters.
Line by Line Meaning
The snow is snowing, the wind is blowing
It is cold and windy outside.
But I can weather the storm!
Despite the harsh weather conditions outside, I will persevere.
What do I care how much it may storm?
I am not concerned about how difficult the situation gets.
I've got my love to keep me warm
The warmth and love of my significant other is all I need during tough times.
I can't remember a worse December
December has never been this bad before.
Just watch those icicles form!
It is so cold that even icicles are forming on the buildings.
Off with my overcoat, off with my glove
I don't need my winter clothing anymore.
I need no overcoat; I'm burning with love!
The warmth I feel inside from my love is enough to keep me comfortable without any extra clothing.
My heart's on fire; the flame grows higher
The love in my heart is intensifying.
So I will weather the storm!
I will stay strong through whatever challenges come my way.
The snow is snowing, the wind is blowing
The unpleasant weather conditions continue.
I can't remember a worse December
The cold in December is unforgettable.
What do I care if icicles form?
The freezing temperature does not affect me as long as I have love.
Oh, I've got my love to keep me warm
Love is what I need to forget about the cold and endure the hardships of life.
But I can weather the storm, storm, storm
I can overcome even the toughest challenges.
Lyrics © IMAGEM U.S. LLC
Written by: IRVING BERLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@imaginationpictures
Louis Armstrong is born to create Jazz masterpieces, charming, beautiful, amazing, just, "Jazzing"
@paulvella5934
Nice music
@masvisio
Un😮 Tun😂
@PamelaParker-lw9ri
This too,reminds me of someone close and dear to my heart ...LOVE IT
@patricebrown777
Such a delightfully sang song! Elka and Louie were a dream team! Tha animation is delightful too!
@markherron1407
Della Reese brought me here and Merry Christmas 🎄🎁 Blessings and Hugs 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜
@MebThemes
This song never fails to put a smile on my face.
@urbanmusiq
This is absolute cuteness!! Love it!! 🥰🥰
@haddock54
true
@rosiellycosta5657
taehyung influenced me to appreciate more jazz, I will put more on my playlists 💜 jazz makes hearts warm 💜💜✨✨ 감사합니다 태형씨 <3