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.
Let’s fall in love
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why shouldn't we fall in love?
Our hearts are made of it
Let's take a chance
Why be afraid of it?
Let's close our eyes
And make our own paradise
Still we can try
To make a go of it
We might have been meant for each other
To be or not to be, let our hearts discover
Let's fall in love
Why shouldn't we fall in love?
Now is the time for it
While we are young
Let's fall in love
We might have been meant for each other
To be or not to be, let our hearts discover
Let's fall in love
Why shouldn't we fall in love?
Now is the time for it
While we are young
Let's fall in love
Louis Armstrong's Let's Fall in Love is a romantic tune about taking a chance on love. The song suggests that the hearts of lovers are made for each other, and hence they should not be afraid to fall in love. The lyrics say that even though we might know little about "it," we can still try to make a go of it. The singer encourages his partner to close their eyes and together, they can make their own paradise.
The lyrics point out that they might have been meant for each other, and to find out, they should let their hearts discover. The singer emphasizes that there is no better time to fall in love than the present, as they are young and have time on their side. Overall, the song is a perfect illustration of the feelings lovers experience when they are drawn to each other and are considering taking their relationship to the next level.
Line by Line Meaning
Let's fall in love
We should give love a chance and start a romantic relationship
Why shouldn't we fall in love?
There is no reason why we shouldn't experience the joy of being in love
Our hearts are made of it
Love is a natural feeling that is part of being human
Let's take a chance
We should be open to the possibility of love, despite the risks involved
Why be afraid of it?
There is no reason to let fear prevent us from experiencing the happiness that love can bring
Let's close our eyes
We can imagine and create our own perfect love story, regardless of reality
And make our own paradise
We can build a relationship that is beautiful and fulfilling for us
Little we know of it
Although we may not have much experience with love, we can still make it work
Still we can try
Despite the uncertainty, it is worth making an effort to find love
To make a go of it
Let's work hard to make our relationship successful
We might have been meant for each other
It is possible that we are perfectly matched for each other's love and companionship
To be or not to be, let our hearts discover
We should let our emotions guide us in deciding whether to pursue a relationship or not
Now is the time for it
We should not wait to pursue love, but start now while we have the chance
While we are young
We should take advantage of our youth and energy to experience love to the fullest
Let's fall in love
In summary, we should take the leap and begin our journey of love together
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cka2nd
Well, that got me clapping my hands and snapping my fingers in time with Louis' trumpet! And now I'm typing in time to his singing! Fabulous!
@ShogunHull
Thank you, doll.
@MarkBlackburnWPG
Earlier this day Siriusly Sinatra satellite radio played Louis Armstrong's recording of “Let's Fall in Love” and I thought (for the second or third time this morning) “No --THAT is my new favorite version!” In my mind I'd been creating a new sub-category: "Favorite song versions sung by 'character' voices." Yes --my new favorite version of LET'S FALL IN LOVE by “Pops” Armstrong. The video doesn't identify the musicians but this could only be Canada's greatest gift to jazz – Oscar Peterson with one of his early trios.