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.
Just Because
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just because you think you're so pretty
And just because your mama thinks you're hot
Well, just because you think you've got something that no other girl has got
You've caused me to spend all my money
You laughed and called me old Santa Claus
Well, I'm telling you, baby, I'm through with you
Well, well, well
There'll come a time when you'll be lonesome
And there'll come a time when you'll be blue
Well, there'll come a time when old Santa he won't pay your bills for you
You've caused me to lose all my women
And now, now you say we are through
Well, I'm telling you, baby, I was through with you
A long, long time ago
Well, just because you think you're so pretty
And just because your mama thinks you're the hottest thing in town
Well, just because you think you've got something
That nobody else has got
You've caused me to spend all of my money
Honey, you laughed and called me your old Santa Claus
Well, I'm telling you I'm through with you
Because, well, well, just because
The lyrics of Louis Armstrong's song "Just Because" revolve around a narrator who has reached a breaking point in a contentious relationship. The singer addresses an individual who believes they are attractive and special, both in their own eyes and in the eyes of their mother. The singer acknowledges that this person may possess qualities that set them apart from others, but asserts that it is not enough to maintain the relationship.
The first verse indicates that the person in question has taken advantage of the singer's affection, making them spend all their money and mocking them as if they were an old Santa Claus figure. However, the singer declares that they are done with this person, emphasizing their decision by repeatedly stating "just because."
In the second verse, the singer predicts a future in which the person will feel lonely and blue. They confidently assert that there will come a time when the person's manipulation and reliance on others, symbolized by old Santa no longer paying their bills, will catch up to them. The singer shares the consequence of their actions, revealing that they have lost other romantic prospects due to their association with this individual. Despite the person claiming that they are through, the singer asserts that they had already ended things a long time ago.
The repetition of the phrase "just because" throughout the song highlights the singer's growing frustration and determination to end the relationship. It serves as a dismissive response to the person's belief that they possess something unique, reminding them that it is not enough to sustain their connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, well, well
I want to express surprise and emphasize the following statements
Just because you think you're so pretty
Simply due to your belief that you possess exceptional beauty
And just because your mama thinks you're hot
Additionally, because your mother believes you are attractive
Well, just because you think you've got something that no other girl has got
Furthermore, based solely on your belief that you possess unique qualities that surpass those of any other girl
You've caused me to spend all my money
Your actions have resulted in me exhausting all of my finances
You laughed and called me old Santa Claus
Mockingly, you ridiculed me by comparing me to Santa Claus
Well, I'm telling you, baby, I'm through with you
I am informing you, my dear, that I no longer want any association with you
Because, well, well, just because
This is my rationale, based purely on the circumstances
There'll come a time when you'll be lonesome
A time will come when you will feel lonely
And there'll come a time when you'll be blue
Furthermore, there will be a period when you will feel sad
Well, there'll come a time when old Santa he won't pay your bills for you
Eventually, Santa, metaphorically representing someone who supports you financially, will no longer cover your expenses
You've caused me to lose all my women
Because of your actions, I have lost all the other women in my life
And now, now you say we are through
And now, at this moment, you claim that our relationship has come to an end
Well, I'm telling you, baby, I was through with you
Well, let me inform you, my dear, that I had already ended things with you
A long, long time ago
A significant amount of time in the past
Just because you think you're so pretty
Primarily due to your belief that you possess exceptional beauty
And just because your mama thinks you're the hottest thing in town
Additionally, because your mother views you as the most attractive person in this locality
Well, just because you think you've got something
Furthermore, based solely on your belief that you possess unique qualities
That nobody else has got
Qualities that are exclusive to you and unattainable by anyone else
You've caused me to spend all of my money
Your actions have resulted in me depleting all of my financial resources
Honey, you laughed and called me your old Santa Claus
Darling, you laughed and referred to me as your predictable provider of gifts and favors, like Santa Claus
Well, I'm telling you I'm through with you
I am emphatically declaring that I have permanently ended my involvement with you
Because, well, well, just because
This decision is based solely on the circumstances I have described
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: MARTY DODSON, STEVE LESLIE, LANCE MILLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
gemusic1
The song is called "Shine", not "Just Because". Please correct it