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.
Porgy and Bess Dere's a Boat Dat's Soon Leavin' for New York
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where that come from. Listen: There's a boat dat's
Leavin' soon for New York. Come wid me, dat's where
We belong, sister.
You an' me kin live dat high life in New York.
Come wid me, dere you can't go wrong, sister.
I'll buy you de swellest mansion
An' through Harlem we'll go struttin',
We'll go astruttin',
An' dere'll be nuttin'
Too good for you.
I'll dress you in silks and satins
In de latest Paris styles.
And de blues you'll be forgettin',
You'll be forgettin',
There'll be no frettin'
Jes nothin' but smiles.
Come along wid me, Hey dat's de place,
Don't be a fool, come along, come along.
There's a boat dat's leavin' soon for New York
Come wid me, dat's where we belong, sister,
Dat's where we belong! Come on, Bess!
You low, crawlin' hound! Get away from my door, I tells
You, leave it, you rattlesnake. Dat's what you is,
A rattlesnake!
The lyrics of Louis Armstrong's song There's A Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon For New York are about the promise of a better life and a better future, offered by New York City, where the singer and his sister belong. The song describes New York City as a land of opportunity, where they will live the high life, and everything will be perfect for them. The singer invites his sister to come along with him to New York, promising to buy her the swellest mansion on Upper Fi'th Avenue, dress her in silk and satin, and forget her blues.
The song's lyrics describe the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural movement that occurred when African American artists, musicians, and writers living in Harlem, New York City, created a new art form that celebrated African American culture. The song suggests that the singer and his sister will go struttin' through Harlem, experiencing the creativity, joy and artistic expression of this vibrant cultural movement.
The reference to Bess and the low, crawlin' hound reveal the song's origins in Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess. The lyrics were composed by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward, the librettist of the opera, of which the music was composed by George Gershwin. The song first appeared in the 1935 opera, which tells the love story of Porgy, a disabled beggar, and Bess, a woman who has had a rough life.
Line by Line Meaning
That's the thing, ain' it? An' membuh there's.
Highlighting the importance of the opportunity and reminding the listener to not miss it.
Where that come from. Listen: There's a boat dat's
Asking the listener to pay attention to the upcoming news and get ready for it.
Leavin' soon for New York. Come wid me, dat's where
Inviting the listener to join on the journey and start a better life.
We belong, sister.
Assuring the listener that New York is the place where they truly belong.
You an' me kin live dat high life in New York.
Promising a luxurious lifestyle in New York.
Come wid me, dere you can't go wrong, sister.
Encouraging the listener to take the chance and follow for a better life.
I'll buy you de swellest mansion
Offering to buy the listener the most expensive house.
Up on upper Fi'th Avenue
Describing the location of the mansion as an elite neighborhood.
An' through Harlem we'll go struttin',
Proposing to take a trip around Harlem in style.
We'll go astruttin',
Referring to walking around Harlem in an attitude of superiority.
An' dere'll be nuttin'
Debunking the obstacles and challenges to find happiness in the future.
Too good for you.
Promising that the best experiences and things will be given to the listener.
I'll dress you in silks and satins
Offering to buy the finest clothes for the listener.
In de latest Paris styles.
Specifying the origin and quality of the clothing.
And de blues you'll be forgettin',
Assuring that the listener will leave their sorrows behind.
You'll be forgettin',
Repeating the previous line for emphasis.
There'll be no frettin'
Promising that the listener will stop worrying about anything.
Jes nothin' but smiles.
Suggesting that the listener will be happy and smiling all the time.
Come along wid me, Hey dat's de place,
Encouraging the listener to act and join on the journey.
Don't be a fool, come along, come along.
Advising the listener not to miss the opportunity and come along.
There's a boat dat's leavin' soon for New York
Repeating the main message about the opportunity and its limited time.
Come wid me, dat's where we belong, sister,
Repeating the invitation and emphasizing the shared belonging.
Dat's where we belong! Come on, Bess!
Ending with a call to action and a specific name for the listener, urging them to join the journey.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Royalty Network, Anthem Entertainment, Cloud9
Written by: DOROTHY HEYWARD, DU BOSE HEYWARD, GEORGE GERSHWIN, IRA GERSHWIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
reneex
This is by far, the finest version I’ve heard thus far of this classic..
April Dawn
what about David Alan Grier? hes good too.
C.A. Savage
FABULOUS orchestration. This is the way Gershwin wrote it and meant for it to be heard. If you've ever seen it on stage, it's electric. Good acting as well.
Dylonely
One of the best opera arias ! I love it so much.
Colleen Stadnick
FABULOUS!!! Some of the best showtunes EVER written!
johntlew
OMB. Electrifying!!
Joseph Charles
That baby can sleep through anything.
Lauri Potter
Seriously! I was thinking the same thing myself
Steven Krage
I like how the baby reaches for the happy dus'
Andrea True
I just heard him sing the first line while watching a "Jeffersons, tribute and I had to pause and track this down. Amazing!!!