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.
Pinocchio: When You Wish Upn A Star
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your dreams come true
Wishes too
When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you
If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do
Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing, oh
Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
Mama, when you wished upon a star
Your dreams come true
(When you wish upon a star)
(Makes no difference who you are)
(Anything your heart desires)
(Will come to you)
(If your heart is in your dream)
(No request is too extreme)
(When you wish upon a star)
(As dreamers do)
Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing, yes
Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through, baby
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true
When you wished upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Your dreams, ah
Come, bam-bam-oh yes
True
The song "When You Wish Upon a Star" by Louis Armstrong was originally written by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington for the Walt Disney film "Pinocchio". It became an instant classic, winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1940. The song has since been covered by countless artists and used in various films, TV shows, and commercials.
The lyrics of the song speak to the magic of dreaming and the power of hope. The first verse talks about the connection between wishing upon a star and having your dreams come true. It says that wishes come from the heart, and as long as your heart is in your dream, no dream is too extreme. The second verse asserts that it doesn't matter who you are, but anything your heart desires will come to you as long as you wish upon a star.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the role of fate and how it brings sweet fulfillment to those who love and dream. Fate is characterized as kind and helpful, as it steps in "like a bolt out of the blue" to see you through. The final line of the song brings the message home: if you wish upon a star, your dreams will come true. The song serves as an uplifting message of hope to listeners of all ages, encouraging them to believe in the power of positive thinking and dreaming.
Line by Line Meaning
When you wish upon a star
By putting your faith and desire in something seemingly far away, you open the door to achieving what may have first seemed impossible.
Your dreams come true
Your deepest desires and most sacred wishes have the power to come to fruition if you believe in them enough.
Wishes too
Not only will your dreams be granted, but even your simple wishes and hopes will be answered.
Makes no difference who you are
Regardless of your background and station in life, wishing upon a star can fulfill anyone's wishes.
Anything your heart desires
You have the power to want and believe in anything, and the universe will work to provide it for you.
Will come to you
By aligning yourself with the universe and believing in your dreams, the universe will work to bring them to fruition for you.
If your heart is in your dream
As long as your heart is fully invested in your dream, it will be achievable.
No request is too extreme
No matter how impossible seeming your request may seem, the universe can bring it to you if you have faith in it.
As dreamers do
Dreamers have the power to cast their wishes out into the universe, and the universe will work to bring those wishes to fruition.
Fate is kind
The universe is kind and will work to provide for those who have faith in it.
She brings to those who love
The universe works to bring love and positivity to those who manifest it.
The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing, oh
The universe has a way of providing people with what they need most, even if it is a desire they hadn't directly articulated.
Like a bolt out of the blue
Manifestations can seemingly come out of nowhere, catching one off guard with how quickly they have come to fruition.
Fate steps in and sees you through
The universe provides support and guidance when working to make dream manifestations come true.
Mama, when you wished upon a star
The singer is referring to a mother like figure as an example of how wishing upon a star can make dreams come true.
Your dreams, ah
The artist is emphasizing that the wishes and dreams are the focus of the song.
Come, bam-bam-oh yes
The artist is expressing enthusiasm for the fulfillment of the dreams coming true.
True
The singer affirms that the dreams can and will come true.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Leigh Harline, Ned Washington
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@CarlaSophieMar
💫 ⭐️
"When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you
If your heart is in your dream, no request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star as dreamers do
Fate is kind
She brings to those to love
The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing
Like a bolt out of the blue, fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true"
🌟 ✨
@dchern
» Different source (3 / 35)
» Info
When a star is born
They possess a gift or two
One of them is this
They have the power to make a wish come true
When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you
If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do
Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing
Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true
When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you
If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do
Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing
Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true
---
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
written by NED WASHINGTON, LEIGH HARLINE
@marusnyamoso9344
I wish louis Armstrong was still alive so he can make more music, it makes me ☺
@sunshineandstarlight
It's so beautiful
@jahnathannerette
In my opinion, this is the greatest song ever written!
@weewangwang7340
Neil Armstrong is the first man to step on moon Louis Armstrong is the first man to step my heart to the moon =) Utopia~
@pitchinrules88
Lance armstrong first man to run over my foot with his bike
@jaydabillybruh1545
i have nothing to say hear my arm is just strong
@Seburo77
Louis really sparks life into this classic song. And I'm not crying, its just a spot of dust... :)
@TheBonfire22
Songs like this come along only once in a while. Louis Armstrong was and still is a great singer. He is definitely one of the greats in music.
@laurenposada4226
One of the BEST musicians ever!!!!! 😪💖💞💖😭
@deaniemberry
Louis was amazing, and what a great song!