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.
Lyin’ To Myself
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
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Tryin' to make believe my baby's on the shelf
But it's more than I can do
Tryin' to find a way to bluff it through
I miss my lovin' an' kissin'
When I hear the radio playin' "I Love You So"
That's the time, you know, I start to feel like ten below.
Tryin' to chase the blues away.
Just because of foolish pride I tried to hide
All feeling's for Cupid's art.
And though I've cried out loud that two's a crowd
That don't convince my heart.
When I think of my sweet pet and the places we met
I tell myself I'm not a doggone bit upset
But I'm lyin' to myself,
Tryin' to chase the blues away.
The song "Lyin'" by Louis Armstrong is a heartfelt ballad about a man who is struggling to come to terms with a recent break-up. He is trying to convince himself that he is over his former lover, but he is really just lying to himself. The lyrics suggest that he feels lost and alone without her, and that he is unable to move on from his feelings of sadness and despair.
The first verse sets the tone for the rest of the song, with the singer admitting that he is lying to himself and crying to himself. He is trying to convince himself that he is okay, but he is really just pretending. The second verse focuses on the pain he feels when he hears a love song on the radio, and how it reminds him of his lost love. He tries to hide his feelings, but he can't help feeling cold and alone.
The chorus is a repetition of the first verse, with the singer admitting that he is lying to himself and trying to chase the blues away. He is pretending that he is over his lost love, but he really just wants her back. The final verse brings us full circle, with the singer trying to convince himself that he is over his lost love, but failing to convince his own heart. He remembers the good times they shared and tries to tell himself that he is not upset, but this is just another lie.
Overall, "Lyin'" is a classic example of a heartbreak ballad, with powerful lyrics and a heartfelt vocal performance from Armstrong. The song captures the pain of lost love and the struggle to move on from a broken relationship. It is a timeless classic that continues to resonate with listeners today.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm lyin' to myself
I am deceiving myself
cryin' to myself
shedding tears alone
Tryin' to make believe my baby's on the shelf
Pretending my lover is just absent rather than lost
But it's more than I can do
It is too hard for me to keep up the facade
Tryin' to find a way to bluff it through
Trying to keep up the pretense
I miss my lovin' an' kissin'
I miss intimacy with my partner
When I hear the radio playin' "I Love You So"
Being reminded of love songs on the radio
That's the time, you know, I start to feel like ten below.
Feeling extremely cold and isolated
Tryin' to chase the blues away.
Attempting to lift my mood
Just because of foolish pride I tried to hide
Trying to conceal my feelings out of pride
All feeling's for Cupid's art.
Hiding my feelings for love
And though I've cried out loud that two's a crowd
Even though I have stated that I do not want a partner
That don't convince my heart.
My heart is unconvinced
When I think of my sweet pet and the places we met
Recalling my love and the special moments we shared
I tell myself I'm not a doggone bit upset
Trying to convince myself that I am not upset
But I'm lyin' to myself,
But I am lying to myself
Tryin' to chase the blues away.
Attempting to lift my mood
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ADAMS, STANLEY/CARMICHAEL, HOAGY
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