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.
Sincerely
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause I love you so dearly, please, say you'll be mine
Sincerely, oh, you know how I love you
I'll do anything for you; please, say you'll be mine
Oh, Lord, won't you tell me why
I love that fella so?
He doesn't want me
Sincerely, oh, you know how I love you
I'll do anything for you; please, say you'll be mine
Oh, Lord, won't you tell me why
I love that fella so?
He doesn't want me
But I'll never, never, never, never let him go
Sincerely, oh, you know how I love you
I'll do anything for you; please, say you'll be mine
Please, say you'll be mine
Louis Armstrong's song "Sincerely" is a pleading love song, with a message that is simple yet profound: "please say you'll be mine." Through the repetitive use of the key phrase "sincerely, oh yes, sincerely," Armstrong emphasizes the depth and authenticity of his love, conveying a sense of honesty and sincerity that is almost desperate in its intensity. He professes to love his sweetheart so dearly that he would do anything for her, and begs her to reciprocate those feelings by agreeing to be his.
The song's lyrics also contain a hint of melancholy and despair, however, as the singer wonders why he is so hopelessly in love with someone who does not feel the same way. Through the refrain "oh Lord, won't you tell me why I love that fella so?," Armstrong expresses a sense of confusion and frustration that many listeners can likely relate to. Despite these lingering doubts and fears, however, the singer's love remains steadfast and unwavering, and he continues to plead with his beloved to give him a chance.
Overall, "Sincerely" is a powerful expression of love that combines joy and sorrow, hope and despair, in a way that feels both deeply personal and universally relatable.
Line by Line Meaning
Sincerely, oh yes, sincerely
I am expressing genuine feelings of love and affection towards you through this song.
'Cause I love you so dearly, please, say you'll be mine
I love you deeply and sincerely, and I hope that you will reciprocate my affection and agree to be in a romantic relationship with me.
Sincerely, oh, you know how I love you
I am reiterating how much I love and care for you, and how much I want to be with you.
I'll do anything for you; please, say you'll be mine
I am willing to do anything to prove my love and dedication to you, and I sincerely hope that you will choose to be with me.
Oh, Lord, won't you tell me why
I am confessing my confusion and questioning why I love this particular person so much, despite the fact that he does not reciprocate my feelings.
He doesn't want me
I am acknowledging that the person I am in love with does not feel the same way about me, despite my deep feelings.
But I'll never, never, never, never let him go
Despite this person's lack of interest, I cannot imagine my life without him, and I will continue to hold on to my love for him.
Please, say you'll be mine
I am pleading with this person to give me a chance and agree to be with me, as I cannot imagine my life without them.
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: SOPHIA BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@SunFlower3Happy
Sweet Song- Sincerely.