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.
Moonlight in Vermont
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Falling leaves of a sycamore
Moonlight in Vermont
Icey finger waves
Ski trails on a mountain side
Snowlight in Vermont
And travel each bend in the road
People who meet, in this romantic setting
Are so hypnotized by the lovely
Evening summer breeze
Warbling of a meadowlark
Moonlight in Vermont
Telegraph cables, they sing down the highway
And travel each bend in the road
People who meet, in this romantic setting
Are so hypnotized by the lovely
Evening summer breeze
Warbling of a meadowlark
Moonlight in Vermont
You and I and moonlight in Vermont
Moonlight in Vermont
The lyrics of Louis Armstrong's "Moonlight in Vermont" paint a vivid picture of the beauty of Vermont during different seasons. The opening lines, "Pennies in a stream, falling leaves of a sycamore, moonlight in Vermont" evoke an image of a peaceful scene by a stream where leaves are falling and the moon is shining. The next verse talks about winter in Vermont, with "icey finger waves" and "ski trails on a mountain side, snowlight in Vermont." These lyrics portray the serene beauty of Vermont during the colder months of the year.
The third verse references the telegraph cables that "sing down the highway" and how people who meet in this romantic setting become hypnotized by the lovely scenery around them. This verse, along with the following verse, mention the "evening summer breeze" and the "warbling of a meadowlark" that add to the beauty of the romantic setting.
Overall, the lyrics of "Moonlight in Vermont" create a sense of peace, beauty, and romance in the listener's mind. The song is a tribute to the scenic beauty of Vermont, with its changing seasons and charming landscape.
Line by Line Meaning
Pennies in a stream
Glimmering penny coins in flowing water
Falling leaves of a sycamore
Autumn foliage gracefully dropping from a sycamore tree
Moonlight in Vermont
Radiant lunar light illuminating the state of Vermont
Icey finger waves
Cold oceanic movements resembling frozen fingers
Ski trails on a mountain side
Marks left on snow-covered mountain slopes from skiing
Snowlight in Vermont
Luminous snowscapes in Vermont
Telegraph cables, they sing down the highway
The sound of telegraph cables resonating along highways
And travel each bend in the road
Even traversing the twists and turns of the road
People who meet, in this romantic setting
Individuals united in this idealistic atmosphere
Are so hypnotized by the lovely
Completely captivated by the beauty of it all
Evening summer breeze
Refreshing winds during a summer sunset
Warbling of a meadowlark
Melodic bird songs from a meadowlark
You and I and moonlight in Vermont
Both of us experiencing the striking Moonlight in Vermont
Moonlight in Vermont
Radiant lunar light illuminating the state of Vermont
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: John M. Blackburn, Karl Suessdorf
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@JareltheWitnessorg
Pennies in a stream
Falling leaves a sycamore
Moonlight in Vermont
Icy finger waves
Ski trails on a mountain side
Snowlight in Vermont
Telegraph cables, how they sing down the highway
And travel each bend in the road
People who meet in this romantic setting
Are so hypnotized by the lovely...
Evening summer breeze
Warbling of a meadowlark
Moonlight in Vermont
Telegraph cables, how they sing down the highway
And they travel each bend in the road
People who meet in this romantic setting
Are so hypnotized by the lovely...
Evening summer breeze
The warbling of a meadowlark
Moonlight in Vermont
@edtriana6250
Pennies in a stream
Falling leaves, a sycamore
Moonlight in Vermont
Icy finger waves
Ski trails down a mountainside
Snow light in Vermont
Telegraph cables how they sing down a highway
As they travel each bend in the road
People who meet in this romantic setting
Are so hypnotized by the lovely
As was I by my precious Kiki
Tarpon Springs was the place
I lost my heart to my lovely maiden
Springtime wedding bells
Ivory dress with lace
Will be worn by my beloved lady
We dance to Ella and embrace
@goochmunch
It's raining right now where I live and it's 10:34 pm. As I was driving home from work I looked at the street lights and realised how beautiful the rain looked in the light. I parked at home and stared at a street light, watching the rain fall. It's crazy how people try to capture never ending moments in songs. I pictured myself, sitting on a porch with my wife, watching the rain while listening to music like this. We both love the rain. It's a beautiful thing
@heitorherculano3221
I just like to be on the porch watching the rain, with my dog, because he doesn't have opinion, so he goes with whatever i want and it's only silence, and he is still a great company, of course, some wine also. But i understand how good it is to do this with family too, when it's people you love.
@RollingEasy
I almost hate to say it but I think Willy Nelson does an absolutely fantastic version of this song. He sings and his words paint a picture for me.. Much more than any others. He's so out of place. A cowboy up in that territory but he does it so very well.... IMO.
@31444Jamir
Mr. Panda, I hope you and your wife are still enjoying the rain. I'm laying in bed thinking about my Mother whom I lost four months ago. December 6, 2021. This song is soothing my soul.
@zoraiamoreira2973
Sometimes my beloved and I play songs like that and just dance him and I nobody in the world but him and I... Decades and decades have gone by and yet we find the spring in each other's arms every time we close our eyes and hold each other.... I'm so glad you have the same kind of love....
@nycdweller
Ok
@Two4Brew
This was my wife and my First Dance at our reception 26 June 1982.
@leylaford620
I strongly believe that she had one of the best voices ever. So unique!
@stringdoc
Amen!
@rohinisingh381
If I ever fall in love with someone.. I want to dance with them on this song