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.
Learnin' the Blues
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The dance floor's deserted
You play the same love song
It's the tenth time you've heard it
That's the beginning
Just one of the clues
You've had your first lesson
The cigarettes you light
One after another
Won't help you forget him
And the way that you loved him
You're only burning
A torch you can't lose
But you're on the right track
For learnin' the blues
When you're at home alone
The Blues will taunt you constantly
When you're out in a crowd
The Blues will haunt your memory
The nights when you don't sleep
The whole night you're cryin'
But you can't forget him
Soon you even stop tryin'
You walk the floor
And wear out your shoes
When you feel your heart break
You're learnin' the blues
Yes, the tables are empty
The dance floor's deserted
And you play the same love song, whoa, yes
It's the tenth time you've heard it, yes
Man, it's the beginnin'
Just one of those clues
You've had your first lesson, whoa, yes
In learnin' the Blues
Man, the cigarettes that you light, whoa, yessum
One after another, you tellin' me brother
Won't help you to forget her, whoa, no
And the way that you love her
You only burnin'
A torch that you can't lose, yeah
But you on the right tracks, brother
For learnin' the blues
D'ya see that Ella
Now lookahere
When you at home alone
The blues will taunt you constantly, yessuh
Ba dit dit deet
And when you're out in a crowd
The Blues will haunt your memories
Bah da doh doh zet
The nights when you don't sleep, yes
The whole night you cryin'
But you can't forget her, oh yes
Soon you even stop tryin'
Man, you walk the floor
And wear out your shoes
When you feel your heart break, yeah brother
That's when you're learning the blues
Yes
When you at home alone
The blues will taunt you constantly, yes
And when you're out in a crowd
The Blues will haunt your memories
The nights when you don't sleep, hmm, Ella
The whole night you're crying
Yeah, but you can't forget her
Soon you even stop trying
Yes man, you'll walk the floor
that's when it's rough
And wear out that last pair a' treaders
When you feel your heart break
You're learnin the blues
In "Learnin' the Blues," Louis Armstrong sings about the heartache and pain that comes with love lost. The opening lines set the scene for a somber mood, with empty tables and a deserted dance floor. The singer is listening to the same love song repeatedly, unable to forget about their lost love. The chorus repeats the phrase "you're learnin' the blues," highlighting the idea that heartbreak is a necessary part of learning and growing. The lyrics describe the constant reminder of heartbreak, even when alone or in a crowd. The pain that comes with heartbreak is unavoidable, as demonstrated by the sleepless nights and incessant crying. The final lines emphasize the physical toll that heartbreak can have, with worn-out shoes and a broken heart.
Overall, "Learnin' the Blues" is a powerful testament to the difficult process of moving on from a lost love. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of heartbreak and illustrate the long-lasting impact it can have on a person's life. The theme of the song is that heartbreak is a necessary part of life and can be used as a tool to learn and grow.
Line by Line Meaning
The tables are empty
The surroundings are bleak, indicating loneliness
The dance floor's deserted
The atmosphere is desolate and abandoned, indicating a sense of emptiness
You play the same love song
You keep listening to the same song about love
It's the tenth time you've heard it
You've listened to the same song numerous times and it no longer brings any comfort
That's the beginning
These signs are indicative of a starting point
Just one of the clues
These observations are minor indications of something greater
You've had your first lesson
You have received your first teachings
In learnin' the Blues
This is the introduction to the blues genre of music
The cigarettes you light
You keep smoking one cigarette after another
One after another
You keep lighting one cigarette after another
Won't help you forget him
Smoking won't help you forget about the person you miss
And the way that you loved him
It's the memory of how you loved that person that keeps coming back to you
You're only burning
You're simply smoking, which won't change anything
A torch you can't lose
This 'torch' of memories is something that you can't let go of
But you're on the right track
You're moving in the right direction
For learnin' the blues
You're on the path to learning and understanding what the blues is about
When you're at home alone
When you're by yourself at home
The Blues will taunt you constantly
The blues music will constantly remind you of your sadness and heartbreak
When you're out in a crowd
When you're surrounded by others
The Blues will haunt your memory
Your memories will be infused with the somberness of the blues
The nights when you don't sleep
The nights when you are unable to get any rest
The whole night you're cryin'
You cry the whole night
But you can't forget him
You're unable to let go of the memories of the person you love
Soon you even stop tryin'
Eventually, you stop trying to forget or move on
You walk the floor
You pace back and forth out of restlessness
And wear out your shoes
You walk so much that your shoes become worn out
When you feel your heart break
When you experience intense emotions of sadness and heartbreak
You're learnin' the blues
You're gaining an understanding and familiarity with the blues genre
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Dolores Vicki Silvers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-du2dg8py4m
The tables are empty, the dance floor's deserted
You play the same love song, it's the tenth time you've heard it
That's the beginning, just one of the clues
You've had your first lesson in learnin' the blues
The cigarettes you light one after another
Won't help you forget her and the way that you love her
You're only burnin' a torch you can't lose
'Cuz you're on the right track for learnin' the blues
When you're at home alone
The blues will taunt you constantly
When you're out in a crowd
The blues will haunt your memory
The nights when you don't sleep, the whole night you're crying
You can't forget her, soon you even stop trying
You'll walk the floor and wear out those new shoes
When you feel your heart break, you're learnin' the blues
When you're at home alone
The blues will taunt you constantly
When you're out in a crowd
The blues will haunt your memory
The nights when you don't sleep, the whole night you're crying
Well, you can't forget her, soon you even stop trying
You'll walk the floor and wear out your shoes
When you feel your heart break, you're learnin' the blues
You feel your heart break, you're learnin' the blues
@aze2252
Louis and ella keeps me sane in this lockdown.
@PlayNiceFolks
What are old friends for?
@lottiekeohuloa3805
I’ve been listening to this song for the past 21 years of my life and the feeling I get from this masterpiece hasn’t lost its magic. Pure elation.
@johnmoore1436
ELLA & LOUIE....If you hear me and I Pray you do. I'm 57. I've known about "YOU TWO" all my life but I've just started listening to "YOU TWO". YOU TWO are THE BEST SINGING DUO EVER, THERE EVER WILL BE...and "I QUOTE THAT", EMPHATICALLY!!!. Anyone beg to differ??????...ANYONE?????.
@marilynlegaspi7335
Ella had the most beautiful voice I ever heard in an old songs. I love it.
@user-du2dg8py4m
The tables are empty, the dance floor's deserted
You play the same love song, it's the tenth time you've heard it
That's the beginning, just one of the clues
You've had your first lesson in learnin' the blues
The cigarettes you light one after another
Won't help you forget her and the way that you love her
You're only burnin' a torch you can't lose
'Cuz you're on the right track for learnin' the blues
When you're at home alone
The blues will taunt you constantly
When you're out in a crowd
The blues will haunt your memory
The nights when you don't sleep, the whole night you're crying
You can't forget her, soon you even stop trying
You'll walk the floor and wear out those new shoes
When you feel your heart break, you're learnin' the blues
When you're at home alone
The blues will taunt you constantly
When you're out in a crowd
The blues will haunt your memory
The nights when you don't sleep, the whole night you're crying
Well, you can't forget her, soon you even stop trying
You'll walk the floor and wear out your shoes
When you feel your heart break, you're learnin' the blues
You feel your heart break, you're learnin' the blues
@BuckshotLaFunke1
Ha, very good, thanks!
@carmendemetrio7685
GRACIAS ❗️😃
(...desde Chile 🇨🇱)
@smileseeker1967
wanna get togheter ?\
@martaorlando7080
❤🎼🎵🎶🎵es el blues!!! Gracias! !!!! Aprender a escuchar a estos seres maravillosos 🌹💎🎺🎸💎😊👐