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 Do It
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Even educated fleas do it
Let's do it, let's fall in love
In Spain, the best upper sets do it
Lithuanians and Letts do it
Let's do it, let's fall in love
Not to mention the Finns
Folks in Siam do it; think of Siamese twins
Some Argentines without means do it
People say in Boston even beans do it
Let's do it, let's fall in love
Romantic sponges, they say, do it
Oysters down in oyster bay do it
Let's do it, let's fall in love
Cold cape cod clams 'gainst their wish do it
Even lazy jellyfish do it
Let's do it, let's fall in love
Electric eels, I might add, do it
Though it shocks 'em I know
Why ask if shad do it? Waiter, bring me shad roe
In shallow shoals English soles do it
Goldfish in the privacy of bowls do it
Let's do it, let's fall in love
Louis Armstrong's "Let's Do It" is a song about animals, insects, and even sea creatures partaking in the act of love, thus suggesting that humans should also fall prey to their instincts and "do it." The first lyric reads "birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it." Suggesting that creatures, despite their intelligence and nature, experience love and engage in sexual behavior. The song goes on to list nations and cultures across the globe that participate in this behavior, including the Dutch, Lithuanians, and Letts, among others.
Armstrong also mentions and pokes fun at the idea of Siamese twins doing it, as well as how even those without means, such as some Argentines, participate in sex. The song also brings up sea creatures, such as oysters, clams, jellyfish, and even electric eels. It's is amusing to note that despite the shock, even the electric eel participates in love.
Ultimately, "Let's Do It" adopts a light-hearted and humorous perspective about the act of sexual mating in the animal kingdom, using it to encourage listeners to embrace their natural desires and fall in love.
Line by Line Meaning
Birds do it, bees do it
Animal reproduction is an instinctual behavior.
Even educated fleas do it
Even tiny creatures are capable of mating.
Let's do it, let's fall in love
Let's give in to our natural human desire to mate and form romantic relationships.
In Spain, the best upper sets do it
Even wealthy, high society members in Spain mate with each other.
Lithuanians and Letts do it
People from various countries and cultures engage in sexual activity.
The Dutch in old Amsterdam do it
People in Amsterdam, known for its liberal attitudes about sex, engage in sexual behavior.
Not to mention the Finns
People in Finland are also known for engaging in sexual behavior.
Folks in Siam do it; think of Siamese twins
Even conjoined twins, such as those from Siam, can have sexual urges and engage in sexual activity.
Some Argentines without means do it
Even people without material wealth in Argentina engage in sexual activity.
People say in Boston even beans do it
Boston is rumored to be a place where even seemingly inanimate objects engage in sexual activity.
Romantic sponges, they say, do it
Even simple sea creatures like sponges are known to reproduce.
Oysters down in oyster bay do it
Oysters, known for their aphrodisiac qualities, are capable of mating.
Cold cape cod clams 'gainst their wish do it
Even clams, which are harvested for human consumption, engage in sexual behavior.
Even lazy jellyfish do it
Even creatures with minimal or seemingly no activity, like jellyfish, are capable of sexual reproduction.
Electric eels, I might add, do it
Even creatures with unique physical traits like electric eels are capable of mating.
Though it shocks 'em I know
Electric eels are known for generating electricity in their mating process, which can be dangerous.
Why ask if shad do it? Waiter, bring me shad roe
The artist is indirectly asking for a dish made from fish eggs, which is known to be an aphrodisiac.
In shallow shoals English soles do it
Even fish in large groups are capable of mating.
Goldfish in the privacy of bowls do it
Even small pet fish, like ones kept in bowls, engage in sexual behavior.
Let's do it, let's fall in love
The song encourages listeners to follow their natural desires and urges to form romantic relationships.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nicole Holford Lockney
One of my favorite performances of any Cole Porter song! My favorite lines are at 8:07. “Buy a couple and wait.” 😂 Also at 4:06 about the eels. “Though it shocks them, I know...” 😂
Yousef al-Khattab
Absolutely awesome!
Barry Wyman
Satch at his wonderful best 👌
Audrey Thacker
🎼The Best
disciplinarian pretty shy ollow beam sun rays
squidward's clarinet
Ma man
Think Twice
Nice intro, but the rest too repetitions boring y