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.
Jingle Bells
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On a one-horse open sleigh,
Over the fields we go,
Laughing all the way;
Bells on bob-tail ring,
making spirits bright,
What fun it is to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
jingle all the way!
O what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh
A day or two ago,
I thought I'd take a ride,
And soon Miss Fanny Bright
Was seated by my side;
The horse was lean and lank;
Misfortune seemed his lot;
He got into a drifted bank,
And we, we got upsot.
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle all the way!
What fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.
A day or two ago,
the story I must tell
I went out on the snow
And on my back I fell;
A gent was riding by
In a one-horse open sleigh,
He laughed as there
I sprawling lie,
But quickly drove away.
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle all the way!
What fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.
Now the ground is white
Go it while you're young,
Take the girls tonight
And sing this sleighing song;
Just get a bob-tailed bay
two-forty as his speed
Hitch him to an open sleigh
And crack! you'll take the lead.
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle all the way!
What fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.
The song "Jingle Bells" is a classic Christmas tune that is known around the world. The song was written by James Lord Pierpont in 1857 and the lyrics describe the joy and excitement of riding in a one-horse open sleigh through the snow. The song starts by describing a group of people dashing through the snow on a one-horse open sleigh and laughing together as they make their way across the field. The sound of the bells ringing on the horse's tail brightens up their spirits and adds to the festive mood.
The song's chorus repeats the words "Jingle Bells" three times, with a joyful and rhythmic tune that invites everyone to join in the singing. The next verse tells the story of a ride gone wrong when the horse they were riding got stuck in a drift, and they got "upsot" or overturned. Despite the misfortune, the song's cheerful tune carries on, and the chorus comes back again, encouraging others to join in and enjoy the fun of riding in a one-horse open sleigh. In the final verse, the singer urges others to enjoy the winter weather while they're young and to take their loved ones out for a ride in a sleigh. The lyrics also describe how getting a fast horse and hitching it to an open sleigh can make you the leader of the pack.
In conclusion, "Jingle Bells" is a festive and joyous song that celebrates the spirit of Christmas and the joys of winter. Its catchy tune and memorable lyrics have made it a classic that has been sung for over a century. It invites everyone to join in the fun, ring the bells, and enjoy the thrill of sleighing through the snow.
Line by Line Meaning
Dashing through the snow
Moving quickly on a sleigh through the snowy fields
On a one-horse open sleigh,
Riding on a sleigh pulled by a single horse with no roof
Over the fields we go,
Traversing through the snow-covered farmland
Laughing all the way;
Having a jolly time while traveling
Bells on bob-tail ring,
The bells on the sleigh's harness are ringing
making spirits bright,
The sound of the bells is lifting everyone's mood
What fun it is to ride and sing
Experiencing a great time while singing a song on a sleigh ride
A sleighing song tonight
Singing a song while traversing on a sleigh this evening
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
The sound of the bells ringing on the horse's harness and sleigh
jingle all the way!
The bell sounds can be heard all the way through the ride
O what fun it is to ride
The sleigh ride is thoroughly enjoyable
In a one-horse open sleigh
On a sleigh pulled by a single horse, with no roof
A day or two ago,
A day or two before the present
I thought I'd take a ride,
The decision was made to go for a ride
And soon Miss Fanny Bright
A female companion named Fanny Bright quickly joined
Was seated by my side;
Fanny sat by my side on the sleigh
The horse was lean and lank;
The horse was skinny and scraggy
Misfortune seemed his lot;
Bad luck appeared to be following the horse
He got into a drifted bank,
The horse got stuck in a snowbank
And we, we got upsot.
The sleigh tipped over, and we fell out
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
The sound of the bells ringing on the horse's harness and sleigh
Jingle all the way!
The bell sounds can be heard all the way through the ride
What fun it is to ride
Despite the mishap, sleigh riding is still a lot of fun
In a one-horse open sleigh.
On a sleigh pulled by a single horse, with no roof
A day or two ago,
A day or two before the present
the story I must tell
I need to tell you what happened next
I went out on the snow
I ventured out onto the snow-coated ground
And on my back I fell;
I slipped and fell on my back
A gent was riding by
A gentleman was passing by
In a one-horse open sleigh,
He was riding on a sleigh pulled by a single horse, with no roof
He laughed as there I sprawling lie,
He chuckled as he saw me floundering in the snow
But quickly drove away.
He didn't stop to offer any help or support
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
The sound of the bells ringing on the horse's harness and sleigh
Jingle all the way!
The bell sounds can be heard all the way through the ride
What fun it is to ride
Despite the embarrassment, sleigh riding is still a lot of fun
In a one-horse open sleigh.
On a sleigh pulled by a single horse, with no roof
Now the ground is white
The snow has covered the ground
Go it while you're young,
Take advantage of the opportunity while you're still young
Take the girls tonight
Invite the ladies to come along tonight
And sing this sleighing song;
Sing this song while sleigh riding
Just get a bob-tailed bay
Find a horse with a docked tail
Two-forty as his speed,
The horse should be able to run at a speed of 240 yards per minute
Hitch him to an open sleigh
Attach the horse to a sleigh with no roof
And crack! you'll take the lead.
And presto! You'll be in the lead position
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
The sound of the bells ringing on the horse's harness and sleigh
Jingle all the way!
The bell sounds can be heard all the way through the ride
What fun it is to ride
Sleighing is a great experience
In a one-horse open sleigh.
Riding on a sleigh pulled by a single horse, with no roof
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TRADITIONAL, FRANCESCO MOCCHI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anonymous
on What A Wonderful World
What A Wonderful World - Casey Abrams - Lyrics
I see trees of green
Red roses too
I see them bloom
For me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
I see skies of blue
And clouds of white
The bright blessed day
The dark sacred night
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Singing how do you do
They're really singing
I love you
I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They'll learn much more
Than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Musical Interlude
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Singing how do you do
They're really singing
I love you
I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They goin’ learn much more
Than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
I think to myself
What a wonderful world