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.
My One & Only Love
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like an April breeze on the wings of spring,
And you appear in all your splendor,
My one and only love.
The shadows fall and spread their mystic charms
In the hush of night while you're in my arms.
I feel your lips, so warm and tender,
The touch of your hand is like heaven,
A heaven that I've never known.
The blush on your cheek whenever I speak
Tells me that you are my own.
You fill my eager heart with such desire.
Ev'ry kiss you give sets my soul on fire.
I give myself in sweet surrender,
My one and only love.
Louis Armstrong's song "My One and Only Love" is a beautiful portrayal of the overwhelming emotions that come with true love. The very thought of the person we love can make our hearts sing, bringing a joy that seems to come only with the arrival of spring. It is as if our loved one appears in all their splendor, making our world brighter than ever before.
The shadows that fall in the hush of the night bring a sense of mystic charm, and when our loved one is in our arms, we feel their warmth and tenderness. The touch of their hand ignites a sense of heaven that we've never known before. The blush on their cheek when we speak is a sign that they are our own, forever and always.
The song highlights how our loved one fills our hearts with eagerness and desire. Every kiss they give sets our soul on fire and makes us feel like we're the only people in the world. With sweet surrender, we give ourselves completely to this one and only love, knowing that there is nothing else in the world that can bring such joy and fulfillment to our lives.
Overall, "My One and Only Love" is a song that perfectly captures what it feels like to be in love with someone. From the overwhelming emotions that come with being with them, to the sense of joy and fulfillment that we feel at the very thought of them, this song is a tribute to the beauty and power of love.
Line by Line Meaning
The very thought of you makes my heart sing
Your mere thought uplifts my spirit and fills me with joy.
Like an April breeze on the wings of spring,
Your presence in my life is as refreshing and rejuvenating as the breeze of springtime.
And you appear in all your splendor,
When I see you, I am awestruck by your beauty and radiance.
My one and only love.
You are the only person I love and cherish.
The shadows fall and spread their mystic charms
As night falls, the shadows cast a magical spell, making the moment more special.
In the hush of night while you're in my arms.
As we hold each other in the silence of the night, I feel a deep sense of contentment and peace.
I feel your lips, so warm and tender,
The touch of your lips feels delightful, and your tenderness is overwhelming.
My one and only love.
You are still the only person I love and cherish.
The touch of your hand is like heaven,
When you touch me, it feels like I'm in heaven.
A heaven that I've never known.
The love and intimacy we share is unlike anything I have ever experienced before.
The blush on your cheek whenever I speak
Your shy smile when I talk to you tells me how much you adore me.
Tells me that you are my own.
The affectionate response you give me is proof of your love and commitment to our relationship.
You fill my eager heart with such desire.
Being with you makes me feel alive and stirs up an intense passion in my heart.
Ev'ry kiss you give sets my soul on fire.
Each kiss we share fills me with an intense passion for you, warming my soul and igniting a blaze within me.
I give myself in sweet surrender,
I give myself to you wholeheartedly, freely surrendering to the deep love and connection we share.
My one and only love.
You will always be the one I love and cherish, beyond compare.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Unison Rights S.L., Integrity Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Guy B. Wood, Robert Mellin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
detect9001
Louis has a very unique and beautiful voice, his voice touches the heart and soul. Rip Louis.
Acclizal
Just got Married on Oct 9th and this is our wedding song, it was also my grandparents wedding song (the Frank Sinatra version for them) it moves me everytime i listen to it. God bless you grandpa and RIP grandma love you both
BurgundyandBlue1111
Such a beautiful song....and his raspy voice is a lovely fit.
Damned One
This speaks to my heart... sigh have you ever loved somebody so much it hurts and makes you happy at the same time?! 😩😻😘
studbagl
Great version. I love the Coltrane-Hartman version as well.
Tom Richardson
I am going to add a vote for the Chick Corea version on Now He Sings....I think it is only on CD, not the original vinyl
Rafael Becerra
The Sting version surpass them all, for sure.
Garramedia
There is an almost "a capella" version by Michael Brecker that deserves to be heard also
sleepingAtPeace
His voice always bring me to a time that i've never experience but leaves me wondering to a sweet memories, spoke full of tenderness and was so nicely.
DEBORAH SPRINGER
what a gorgeous song can make a unlovely lady feel beautiful......perfect voice for the song.