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.
Someone To Watch Over Me
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Still we're often told, "seek and ye shall find"
So I'm going to seek a certain lad I've had in mind
Looking everywhere, haven't found him yet
He's the big affair I cannot forget
Only man I ever think of with regret
Tell me, where is the shepherd for this lost lamb?
There's a somebody I'm longin' to see
I hope that he, turns out to be
Someone who'll watch over me
I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood
I know I could, always be good
To one who'll watch over me
Although he may not be the man some
Girls think of as handsome
To my heart he carries the key
Won't you tell him please to put on some speed
Follow my lead, oh, how I need
Someone to watch over me
The Louis Armstrong song, "Someone To Watch Over Me," is a passionate and heartfelt ballad that speaks to the universal desire for love and companionship. The song's lyrics evoke a sense of longing and vulnerability, as the singer grapples with the feeling of being lost and alone in the world without the person they have been searching for. The opening lines of the song, "There's a saying old, says that love is blind, Still we're often told, 'seek and ye shall find,'" set the tone for the rest of the song, which explores the paradoxical nature of love and the search for a soulmate.
The song's protagonist is searching for a particular man that she has had in mind, but hasn't been able to find. She grows increasingly desperate as the song progresses, lamenting that this man is the only one she ever thinks of with regret. The lines "I'd like to add his initial to my monogram, Tell me, where is the shepherd for this lost lamb?" further emphasize the singer's vulnerability and desire for someone to protect and care for her.
The song's final verses take on a more hopeful tone, as the singer expresses her hope that the person she finds will be someone who will "watch over" her. The repeated refrain of "Someone to watch over me" underscores the singer's longing for love and companionship, while the final lines "Follow my lead, oh, how I need, Someone to watch over me" serve as a powerful plea for connection and intimacy.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a saying old, says that love is blind
Love can be irrational and blind
Still we're often told, "seek and ye shall find"
It's necessary to search for what you desire
So I'm going to seek a certain lad I've had in mind
I'm going to find the person I've been thinking of
Looking everywhere, haven't found him yet
I've been searching but haven't found him yet
He's the big affair I cannot forget
He's the one that's always on my mind
Only man I ever think of with regret
He's the only one I regret not being with
I'd like to add his initial to my monogram
I want to be associated with him
Tell me, where is the shepherd for this lost lamb?
Where is the one who will guide me?
There's a somebody I'm longin' to see
There's someone I really want to see
I hope that he, turns out to be
I hope he's the one for me
Someone who'll watch over me
Someone who will take care of me
I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood
I'm lost and need guidance
I know I could, always be good
I know I could be the best version of myself
To one who'll watch over me
Under the care of someone who loves me
Although he may not be the man some girls think of as handsome
Although he may not fit society's definition of attractive
To my heart he carries the key
He has captured my heart
Won't you tell him please to put on some speed
Please urge him to come to me quickly
Follow my lead, oh, how I need
Please follow my instructions, I really need him
Someone to watch over me
Someone who will protect and care for me
Contributed by Charlie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@miarinehart6200
There's a saying old
Says that love is blind
Still we're often told
"Seek and ye shall find"
So I'm going to seek
A certain lad
I've had in mind
Looking everywhere
Haven't found him yet
He's the big affair
I cannot forget
Only man I ever think
Of with regret
I'd like
To add his initial
To my monogram
Tell me
Where is the shepherd
For this lost lamb?
There's a somebody
I'm longin' to see
I hope that he turns
Out to be
Someone to watch over me
I'm a little lamb
Who's lost in the wood
I know I could
Always be good
To one
Who'll watch over me
Although he may
Not be the man some
Girls think
Of as handsome
To my heart
He carries the key
Won't you tell him please
To put on some speed
Follow my lead
Oh, how I need
Someone to watch over me
Won't you tell him please
To put on some speed
Follow my lead
Oh, how I need
Someone to watch over me
Someone to watch over me
@frenchhornwoman
My dad took me to see Ella in 1980... I was 12 years old... My wonderful dad passed away today.... Thank you dad for being a huge influence in my musical life......
@SilahMariaReal
Emma Marzetti u dad was a good person to u certainly ... God Bless u and confort u in this time <3
@mscrunchy68
Emma Marzetti Such a comfort to be able to revisit memories through music - and you'll always be able to do that:)
@emptyname12345
Emma Marzetti <3 <3 <3
@mrsdiana324
So sad for your loss but what wonderfull memories he left you with x
@marinesniper513
Always remember that memory when you think of him :)
@donormaster
"I never knew how good our songs were until I heard Ella Fitzgerald sing them." Ira Gershwin
@inesdeerausquin5658
Daniel Jaffe talk about the supreme compliment! But who else could deserve it but Ella? Her voice is like silk and spring-water; clear and smooth.
@jackiebrookman9910
Well, Ira and George's songs were masterpieces: lyrics and music, beyond compare. With the addition of Ella's voice--it is perfection!
@sheilaburns8977
Ines, you are so right, her voice is so pure …. I'm feeling grateful to be able to turn on YouTube and see and listen to beautiful voices like Ella's. If you haven't seen or heard Ella and Sammy Davis Jr sing S'Wonderful, treat yourself. They were together on the Ed Sullivan Show and I found them on YouTube. …. PEACE.