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.
Snowball
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
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'Cause daddy likes those dark brown eyes
Snowball, my honey, smile at me each day
'Cause daddy likes those dark brown eyes
You're my only sweetheart, little chocolate bar
I'll eat you up some day
Your two hands and feet are just as black as tar
The good Lord said use an apple dumplin'
To make your head; you know, it's really somethin'
Snowball, my honey, don't you melt away
'Cause daddy likes those dark brown eyes
The song Snowball by Louis Armstrong is a sweet, love-filled tune with an interesting lyrical twist. The song is addressed to a woman that Louis, or Daddy as he often refers to himself, calls "Snowball." The use of the name Snowball, associated with the color white, gives the idea that she might have been a fair-skinned woman, but Daddy likes her eyes that are "dark brown." Daddy is implying that he is attracted to the woman due to her skin color, which is a unique, yet controversial perspective considering the history of racism and prejudice that existed during the time the song was written.
Daddy calls Snowball his honey, which is a term of endearment used by couples. He then goes on to sing about how he will eventually eat her up someday, adding to the slightly strange nature of the song. He continues to describe her hands and feet as "black as tar," but assures her not to cry before referencing a story from the Bible about using apples to make a head. In a peculiar way, he is trying to comfort her and reassure her of his love for her, despite his unconventional way of doing so. Overall, the lyrics can be interpreted as a declaration of love that is unique and unexpected, with a hint of playful humor thrown in.
Line by Line Meaning
Snowball, my honey, don't you melt away
My darling Snowball, please don't disappear because Daddy adores you and your delightful appearance
'Cause daddy likes those dark brown eyes
Your affectionate father finds your beautiful, dark, and captivating eyes irresistible
Snowball, my honey, smile at me each day
My sweet Snowball, please beam a smile at me daily as it brings me so much happiness and adoration
'Cause daddy likes those dark brown eyes
Your doting father finds your striking dark brown eyes attractive and alluring
You're my only sweetheart, little chocolate bar
My dear Snowball, you are my one and only love, just like a yummy chocolate bar
I'll eat you up some day
I will enjoy and savor every moment spent with you, like how one would take their time relishing a tasty treat
Your two hands and feet are just as black as tar
Though your little hands and feet may be dark in color, they are still as endearing to me as anything could ever be
But don't you cry; why? Say
Please don't shed any tears or be sad, would you like to tell me what's going on, my Snowball?
The good Lord said use an apple dumplin'
The Almighty once said to use an apple dumpling and it’s quite an incredible thing
To make your head; you know, it's really somethin'
Can you imagine molding your own head out of a pastry, quite an extraordinary idea!
Snowball, my honey, don't you melt away
My Snowball, please do not fade away because Daddy is fond of you and your alluring appearance
'Cause daddy likes those dark brown eyes
Your caring father cannot resist your dark and striking eyes, they are exceptionally charming
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Hoagy Carmichael
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anonymous
on What A Wonderful World
What A Wonderful World - Casey Abrams - Lyrics
I see trees of green
Red roses too
I see them bloom
For me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
I see skies of blue
And clouds of white
The bright blessed day
The dark sacred night
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Singing how do you do
They're really singing
I love you
I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They'll learn much more
Than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Musical Interlude
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Singing how do you do
They're really singing
I love you
I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They goin’ learn much more
Than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
I think to myself
What a wonderful world