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.
Memories of You
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every sunset too
Seems to be bringing me
Memories of you
Here and there, everywhere
Scenes that we once knew
And they all just recall
(Oh) how I wish I could forget those
(Those) happy yesteryears
That have left a rosary of tears
Your face beams in my dreams
(In) spite of all (that) I do
(And) everything seems to bring
Memories of you
The lyrics of Louis Armstrong's song Memories of You are a poignant reflection on the power of memory and the pain of lost love. The song opens with a description of the natural world - waking skies at sunrise, and every sunset, seem to summon memories of the person who is now gone. The sense of loss is clear from the outset, as the singer looks out on a world that is both beautiful and bitterly lonely.
The second verse of the song focuses on the way that memories of the past are triggered by the sights and sounds of the present. "Here and there, everywhere," the singer sees "scenes that we once knew," and is overwhelmed with the recollection of times when they were together. These memories are so vivid, so real, that they seem to be happening all over again. As the singer observes: "they all just recall/Memories of you."
The final verse of the song is a plaintive cry against the overwhelming power of memory: "Oh, how I wish I could forget those happy yesteryears/That have left a rosary of tears." Despite trying to move on, the singer cannot escape the memory of the person they have lost. Even in sleep, their face "beams in my dreams," and everything in the world seems to recall their presence. In this way, the song is a powerful exploration of the lingering pain of lost love, and the persistence of memory.
Line by Line Meaning
Waking skies at sunrise
Each morning I wake up to the light of the sun, beginning a new day without you.
Every sunset too
Similarly, the end of the day reminds me of your absence as darkness envelops the sky.
Seems to be bringing me
These moments of transition from light to dark and back again feel as if they are bringing me something intangible and difficult to grasp.
Memories of you
That something is memories of you, flooding my mind and heart at unexpected times.
Here and there, everywhere
No matter where I go or what I do, reminders of you are all around me.
Scenes that we once knew
The places and experiences we shared are now tinged with a bittersweet nostalgia when I revisit them alone.
And they all just recall
These memories are not just isolated moments, but occur again and again, triggered by familiar sights, sounds, and smells.
Memories of you
The common thread through all of these recollections is your absence, a persistent reminder that you are no longer here with me.
(Oh) how I wish I could forget those
Despite the pain of these memories, there is still a part of me that longs to forget them and move on.
(Those) happy yesteryears
My mind replays the happiest moments we shared together, making it even harder to forget you and move on.
That have left a rosary of tears
The memories may be happy, but they are also painful, leaving me with a string of tears as reminders of our lost love.
Your face beams in my dreams
Even in my sleep, I cannot escape thoughts of you, dreaming of your face and what once was.
(In) spite of all (that) I do
I try to distract myself from these thoughts, but it never quite works, leaving me with a persistent longing for what was lost.
(And) everything seems to bring
Every aspect of my life, from the ordinary to the extraordinary, seems to bring memories of you, keeping you ever present in my mind.
Memories of you
All of these thoughts and feelings boil down to one constant presence in my life: memories of you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, O/B/O CAPASSO, Songtrust Ave, Cloud9, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Andy Razaf, Eubie Blake
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ian Blakesley
When Eubie Blake reached 100 years old, he said: "If I knew I was going to live this long, I'd've taken better care of myself!" His song has been around nearly as long as him!
Darryl C Preston
Mr Armstrong learned to 'Louisfy' a song at a very early age. More than 30 years later, that talent was still propelling his records to the top!
Aiden Dubberly
Lionel’s Debut on Vibraphone on Record, a Monumental mark for Hot Jazz Percussion
Kid Mack
It's also the vibraphone's debut as a solo instrument from what I read in the liner notes of my 4 disc set of early Armstrong.
Fuchsia 'tude
@Kid Mack At least the first vibraphone solo.
Richard Dixon
What a unique intro. Beautiful.