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.
Little Girl Blue
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
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The world was younger than you
As merry as a carousel
The circus tent was strung
With every star in the sky
Above the ring you loved so well
Now the young world has grown old
Sit there and count your fingers what can you do
Old girl, you're through
Just sit there and count your little fingers
Unhappy little girl blue
Sit there and count the raindrops falling on you
It's time you knew
All you can count on are the raindrops
That fall on little girl blue
No use, old girl, you might as well surrender
Your hopes are getting slender
Why won't somebody send a tender
Blue boy to cheer up little girl blue?
The song "Little Girl Blue" by Louis Armstrong is a melancholic ballad that depicts the story of a girl who was once happy and carefree. The first half of the song sets the scene of the girl's past, where the world was full of magic and wonder for her. A metaphorical comparison is made to a merry-go-round, depicting the girl's childhood as a bright and whimsical time. However, the second half of the song paints a gloomy picture of the girl's present state. The world has changed, and she is now alone and unhappy. She is advised to sit and count her fingers to realize that there is nothing she can do to change her situation. She is referred to as an old girl, even though she might not be old, but her innocence and happiness are gone. The song ends with a plea for someone to send a tender Blueboy to cheer up little girl blue.
The lyrics of "Little Girl Blue" tell a timeless story that transcends generations. The song is about the loss of innocence and how life can turn from a magical place to a melancholic one. The metaphor of the raindrops falling on the girl is symbolic of the sadness that is falling on her life. Even though the song can be interpreted literally, it speaks to the deeper human emotions of vulnerability and helplessness that everyone experiences at some point in life. The song's stark contrast between happy memories of the past and the harsh reality of the present highlights the human predicament of longing and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
When you were very young
There was a time when you were much younger
The world was younger than you
The world was also young and new when you were born
As merry as a carousel
Life seemed very happy and joyful like a carnival ride
The circus tent was strung
The tent of life was full of endless possibilities
With every star in the sky
All the dreams and hopes that one could have were present
Above the ring you loved so well
Above the place where you found joy and excitement
Now the young world has grown old
Time has passed and the world has changed
Gone are the silver and gold
The things that once brought happiness have disappeared
Sit there and count your fingers what can you do
Reflect on your life and find that you are helpless
Old girl, you're through
You are old and your time has passed
Just sit there and count your little fingers
There is nothing left to do but count what you have
Unhappy little girl blue
You are unhappy and alone
Sit there and count the raindrops falling on you
Find comfort in sadness and despair
It's time you knew
It is time to face the truth
All you can count on are the raindrops
The only companionship you have is with the raindrops
That fall on little girl blue
They are the only ones who can understand you
No use, old girl, you might as well surrender
There is no point in fighting or struggling
Your hopes are getting slender
Your dreams and hopes are fading
Why won't somebody send a tender
Why can't someone show you love and kindness
Blue boy to cheer up little girl blue?
Why can't someone come and cheer you up, little girl blue?
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LORENZ HART, RICHARD RODGERS
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