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 Walking Stick
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't look my best I feel undressed without my cane.
Must have my walking stick 'cause it may rain
When it pours can't be outdoors without my cane.
If I ever left my house without my walking stick
Well it would be something I could never explain
Oh the thing that makes me click, on lovers lane
Be-bop-bop-de-la-dum
Be-bop-a-da-bum
Re-bop-be-a
Rop-a-de-bop
Rump-a-de-dum
Ra-da-da-de
Re-bop-bop-la-da-dum
Re-bop-be-de-a
Rop-a-de-bum
Rop-a-de-bum
Deet-de-de-a
Ra-da-da-dum
If I ever left my house without my walking stick
Well it would be something I could never explain
Oh the thing that makes me click on lovers lane
Would go for naught if I were caught without my cane.
Louis Armstrong's My Walking Stick is a song that highlights the importance of a walking stick or a cane in the life of the singer. The first verse, "Without my walking stick, I'd go insane. I can't look my best I feel undressed without my cane. Must have my walking stick 'cause it may rain. When it pours can't be outdoors without my cane," reveals the need for the walking stick to be stylish while staying in control. The singer suggests they may feel insane without it, which could imply that it may be used for balance, support or reassurance. He sees his walking stick as indispensable, and the idea of being caught without it is terrifying.
In the second verse, "If I ever left my house without my walking stick. Well, it would be something I could never explain, Oh the thing that makes me click, on lovers lane. Would go for naught if I were caught without my cane," the singer explains that he or she uses a walking stick as a key element in courtship. Without it, the desired “click” would be missing, and the virtues of a potential partner would go unnoticed. The notes at the end of the verse, “da-de” and “ra-da-da-dum” seem like a playful, whimsical interpretation of the walking stick’s rhythmical tap-tap, adding to the light tone of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Without my walking stick, I'd go insane
My walking stick is my sanity, my comfort and my security. Without it, I would feel vulnerable and lost.
I can't look my best I feel undressed without my cane.
My walking stick is not just a practical accessory, it is a part of my identity and without it, I feel incomplete and naked.
Must have my walking stick 'cause it may rain
My walking stick is not just a fashion statement, it is also a practical tool that helps me deal with the elements and stay dry in the rain.
When it pours can't be outdoors without my cane.
My walking stick is an essential part of my outdoor experience and without it, I would be forced to stay indoors and miss out on the joys of nature.
If I ever left my house without my walking stick
Forgetting my walking stick is not an option for me, it is an indispensable part of my daily routine and my life.
Well, it would be something I could never explain
Losing my walking stick would be a traumatic experience, something that I could never fully express or justify to anyone else.
Oh, the thing that makes me click, on lovers lane
My walking stick is not just a practical tool, it is also a romantic symbol, reminding me of the times I have spent on lovers lane with my dearest one.
Would go for naught if I were caught without my cane.
Without my walking stick, all the romantic memories and experiences would be meaningless, as I would feel incomplete and vulnerable without it.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: IRVING BERLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@electroswiggety6621
Legends ❤ love this so much!
@chrisslade3141
Mills bros providing all of their instrumental backing accapela! Amazing record
@zoiachurilov8808
great Satchmo delighting us forever!
@thendrjazz
Recorded in 1938 for the Decca label. they liked to combine their stars like this.
@whiterook8022
I do like that. I remember being very into Sinatra for a time, and that exposed me to a wealth of artists because he recorded with damn near everyone in the industry. Same can be said for Louis, Ella, Billie, the Mills Brothers and Ink Spots.
@whiterook8022
All the love to Satchmo, I wish I could find a version of just the Mills Brothers. Not that it exists.
@hapu04
Absolut genialer Song !!!! Schon mal Swing Ninjas gehört ????
@doobeedoo2
are we mixing a real trumpet with human soundings?
@christophercoulter3305
Yes-the Mills Bros were noted for imitating instruments with their voices!
@jooprope6857
walking stick,,,,penjulum,,,,talisman