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.
Maybe It’s Because
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Touched my heart and went right through
Now I can't tell you why; I only know that I
Fell helplessly in love with you
Oh, maybe it's because the song we danced to
Told a story old and new
I can't figure out just why it came about
I could say you're grand and therefore
I care for you so
But there is a why and wherefore
And I'd like to know
Now maybe it's because the star I wished on
Made a certain wish come true
Or it just could be that you were meant for me
And maybe I was meant, oh baby, meant for you
Oh, baby, or it just could be that you were meant for me
And, baby, I was meant for you
The lyrics of Louis Armstrong's song "Maybe It's Because" reflect the uncertainty of why falling in love happens. The singer identifies specific moments that brought them closer to their lover, such as a kiss that went straight to their heart and a song they danced to, but they still cannot identify a specific reason for the love they feel. They admit that they could say their lover is grand and that's why they care for them, but they want to know the deeper reason that caused this feeling to arise.
The lyrics of this song evoke the idea that falling in love cannot always be explained or rationalized. Sometimes it happens because of a certain moment that stands out or maybe because the stars aligned. What is interesting about this song is that it reflects an idea that is still debated today. What causes people to fall in love? Some would answer that it's chemistry, attraction, or shared values, but in the end, it's often difficult to pinpoint the reason. The song stresses the concept of fate and a deeper connection when it comes to relationships. Another thing to note is that this song is often associated with the jazz era of music and is seen as a classic example of Armstrong's unique vocal style.
Line by Line Meaning
Maybe it's because the kiss you gave me
Perhaps the reason why I fell in love with you was because of that one kiss you gave me.
Touched my heart and went right through
Your kiss had such an impact on me that it went straight to my heart.
Now I can't tell you why; I only know that I
Even though I don't know the reason, I am certain that I fell deeply in love with you.
Fell helplessly in love with you
I fell in love with you completely and without control.
Oh, maybe it's because the song we danced to
Perhaps another reason why I fell in love with you was because of the song we danced to.
Told a story old and new
The song we danced to was able to tell a story that was both familiar and fresh at the same time.
I can't figure out just why it came about
I can't understand why I fell in love with you, despite trying to rationalize it in different ways.
Or how I fell in love with you
I still don't understand how I fell in love with you.
I could say you're grand and therefore
I could tell you that you are amazing and wonderful, and that's why I care for you so much.
I care for you so
I have strong feelings for you and value you deeply.
But there is a why and wherefore
However, I know that there must be a specific reason why I fell in love with you.
And I'd like to know
I want to understand why I fell in love with you.
Now maybe it's because the star I wished on
Another possible reason why I fell in love with you is due to the wish I made on a star.
Made a certain wish come true
Perhaps my wish was granted, and you appeared in my life as a result.
Or it just could be that you were meant for me
It's possible that you were always meant to be a part of my life, and that's why I fell in love with you.
And maybe I was meant, oh baby, meant for you
Then again, it's possible that I was meant to be with you, and that's why I fell in love with you.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY RUBY, JOHNNIE SCOTT
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