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.
Linger In My Arms A Little Longer
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A little longer, baby
Hold me tight
While my love for you
Is growing stronger, baby
It ain't right to say goodnight
Past your dream time, baby
Don't think twice
Just linger in my arms
A little longer, baby
'Cause it's so nice, it's, oh, so nice
Linger in my arms
A little longer, baby
Hold me tight
While my love for you
Is growing stronger, baby
It ain't right to say goodnight
Though it may be getting
Past your dream time, baby
Don't think twice
Linger, linger, baby
'Cause it's, oh, so nice
'Cause it's, oh, so nice
Louis Armstrong's song "Linger in My Arms a Little Longer Baby" is a love song that urges his partner to stay a little longer in his arms. The opening lines of the song express the desire to hold tightly to the beloved and enjoy the warmth of their embrace. The repetition of "linger in my arms, a little longer, baby" highlights the need for the loved one to stay and the intensity of the emotion he is feeling.
The second verse of the song reinforces this longing and states that his love is growing stronger, and it is not right to say goodnight. The message is clear, and he wants her to stay with him for as long as possible. The third verse recognizes that it may be past her dream time and tells her not to think twice about staying. The chorus repeats the urgency to "linger, linger, baby" and emphasizes how nice it feels to be held in his arms. Throughout the song, he expresses a genuine feeling of vulnerability and desire for his partner's company.
Overall, Louis Armstrong's "Linger in My Arms a Little Longer Baby" is a beautiful love song that expresses the depth of affection felt by the singer. The repetition of the title line highlights the sense of urgency felt by the singer to hold onto his beloved. The verses reinforce this need, and the chorus expresses how lovely it is to be held in each other's arms.
Line by Line Meaning
Linger in my arms
Stay close to me, wrapped in my embrace
A little longer, baby
Just a bit more time, my love
Hold me tight
Squeeze me, don't let go
While my love for you
As my devotion towards you
Is growing stronger, baby
Grows increasingly deeper each moment we spend together
It ain't right to say goodnight
Ending the night now would be unfair to my feelings
Though it may be getting
Even if it may be approaching
Past your dream time, baby
Later than the time you usually sleep
Don't think twice
Do not hesitate, just stay here
Just linger in my arms
Continue to dawdle on my embrace
'Cause it's so nice, it's, oh, so nice
This feeling of being this close to you is truly wonderful
Linger, linger, baby
Stay a bit longer, my love
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HERBERT MAGIDSON
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