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.
Swing That Magic
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If it ain't got that swing
(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)
It don't mean a thing
All you got to do is sing
(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)
If it's sweet or hot
Just give that rhythm
Ev'rything you got
Oh, it don't mean a thing
If it ain't got that swing
(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)
The lyrics of this song seem to be talking about the importance of swing in music. Swing is a type of rhythm that is often associated with jazz music and is known for its emphasis on the off-beat. The lyrics say that if a song doesn't have swing, then it doesn't mean anything. The singers encourage the listeners to focus on the rhythm and sing along, regardless of whether the music is sweet or hot.
The repetition of the phrase "doo wah" in the lyrics is an example of scat singing, which is a style of singing that uses nonsense syllables instead of actual lyrics. This is a common technique in jazz music, particularly in improvisation. The lyrics also emphasize the importance of rhythm and give the advice to "give that rhythm everything you got."
Overall, the lyrics of this song are celebrating the importance of swing and rhythm in music. The repeated "doo wah" and emphasis on singing along suggest that the audience should be actively engaged in the music and focused on the rhythm.
Line by Line Meaning
It don't mean a thing
It has no significance or value
If it ain't got that swing
Unless it has a compelling beat or rhythm
(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Repetitive scatting meant to mimic the sound of instruments
Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)
Continuation of scatting
It don't mean a thing
It has no significance or value
All you got to do is sing
One need only perform with enthusiasm
(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Repetitive scatting meant to mimic the sound of instruments
Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)
Continuation of scatting
It makes no diff'rence
It's inconsequential
If it's sweet or hot
Whether it's soft or intense
Just give that rhythm
Emphasize the musical beat
Ev'rything you got
Put every ounce of energy and passion into performing
Oh, it don't mean a thing
It has no significance or value
If it ain't got that swing
Unless it has a compelling beat or rhythm
(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Repetitive scatting meant to mimic the sound of instruments
Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)
Continuation of scatting
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DUKE ELLINGTON, IRVING MILLS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BuddyBrownMusic
He truly was and is the spirit of New Orleans. God Bless this legend!
@peaceman4u
Buddy Brown u ain't lying
@troyandrew6154
Buddy Brown new Orleans? I'd say all of Louisiana
@rosettaquartz6012
Troy Andrew Yea!
@WilhelmWilder
Even though the man who wrote it was from arkansas
@TheModShopCO
Garrett Baker he, meaning Louis Armstrong. Forget this particular song, Louis is the embodiment of Louisiana Soul.
@hicow6075
The woman singing along side Louis is Jewel Brown. She's still alive at 85 years old and is very well renowned within the jazz and blues world as a singer!
@joecox6931
Thanks for that information......she is wonderful ......💎💎💎
@williammallory5553
Old Satchmo was a slick old dog. Lol
@user-nt1ik5tm7y
Thank you so much. Leon