Louis Armstrong (August 4, 1901 - July 6, 1971) nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, … Read Full Bio ↴Louis Armstrong (August 4, 1901 - July 6, 1971) nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana.
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.

On the Sunny of the Street
Louis Armstrong Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Grab your coat
Grab your hat, baby
Leave your worries on the doorstep
Just direct your feet
On the sunny side of the street

Can't you hear a pitter-pat, babe?
And that happy tune is your step

Life can be so sweet
On the sunny side of the street

I used to walk in the shade
With those blues on parade, ba-ba-bo
But I'm not afraid, baby
My Rover's crossed over, ay

If I never have a cent, babe
I'd be rich as Rock-e-fellow
With gold dust at my feet
On the sunny side of the street

Grab your coat
Get your hat
Leave your worry on the doorstep, ba-be-do
Just direct your feet
On the sunny side of the street, zay-zoo-za-ze-zo-zay

Can't you hear a pitter-pat?
Oh, the happy tune is your step, ba-be-oh
Life can be so sweet, oh, ba-be-bo-ba-bay
On the sunny side of the street

I used to walk in the shade
Baby, with those blues on parade
Oh, but I'm not afreaid, baby
My rover!
My rover crossed over!

And if I never have a cent
I'll be rich as Rock-e-fellow, hey

With gold dust at my feet
On the sunny side of the street

Overall Meaning

Louis Armstrong’s song “On The Sunny Side of the Street” is an upbeat and optimistic tune encouraging listeners to leave their worries behind and enjoy life. In the first verse, Armstrong suggests that the listener should grab their coat and hat, leave their worries on the doorstep, and direct their feet toward “the sunny side of the street.” He encourages the listener to listen for the “pitter-pat” of happiness in their step, and notes that life can be sweet when we focus on the positive things.

In the second verse, Armstrong reflects on how he used to walk in the “shade” with the “blues on parade.” However, he is no longer afraid, as his “rover crossed over” to the sunny side of the street. He notes that even if he never has any money, he would feel rich because of the positive environment he has created for himself. Overall, Armstrong’s song is a reminder that we have the power to choose our perspective and focus on the positive things in life.

Line by Line Meaning

Grab your coat
Prepare yourself

Grab your hat, baby
Get ready for a good time

Leave your worries on the doorstep
Forget about your troubles

Just direct your feet
Keep moving forward

On the sunny side of the street
In a positive state of mind

Can't you hear a pitter-pat, babe?
Take notice of the happiness around you

And that happy tune is your step
Feeling good makes you move to a good beat

Life can be so sweet
There is happiness to be found in life

On the sunny side of the street
In a positive state of mind

I used to walk in the shade
I was once unhappy

With those blues on parade, ba-ba-bo
Feeling sad and down

But I'm not afraid, baby
I am no longer afraid

My Rover's crossed over, ay
I am feeling good now

If I never have a cent, babe
Even if I'm broke

I'd be rich as Rock-e-fellow
I would still feel wealthy

With gold dust at my feet
Feeling content with what I have

Grab your coat
Prepare yourself

Get your hat
Get ready for a good time

Leave your worry on the doorstep, ba-be-do
Don't let worries follow you

Just direct your feet
Keep moving forward

On the sunny side of the street, zay-zoo-za-ze-zo-zay
In a positive state of mind

Can't you hear a pitter-pat?
Take notice of the happiness around you

Oh, the happy tune is your step, ba-be-oh
Feeling good makes you move to a good beat

Life can be so sweet, oh, ba-be-bo-ba-bay
There is happiness to be found in life

On the sunny side of the street
In a positive state of mind

I used to walk in the shade
I was once unhappy

Baby, with those blues on parade
Feeling sad and down

Oh, but I'm not afreaid, baby
I am no longer afraid

My rover!
I'm feeling good now

My rover crossed over!
I have overcome my troubles

And if I never have a cent
Even if I'm broke

I'll be rich as Rock-e-fellow, hey
I would still feel wealthy

With gold dust at my feet
Feeling content with what I have

On the sunny side of the street
In a positive state of mind

Lyrics © Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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