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.
Swinging That Music
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I feel such a thrill
My feet won't keep still
When they swing that music
Rythm like that puts me in a trance
Oh you can't blame me for wanting to dance
From what I understand
It must be just grand
When they swing that music
Oh I'm as happy as can be
When they swing that music for me
The lyrics of "Swing That Music" by Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra express the idea that, regardless of how good a musical piece may be, it will not be enjoyable or effective if it lacks "swing." Swing is a musical term that refers to a particular rhythm that emphasizes the off-beat, creating a sense of syncopation and a lively, danceable feel. The lyrics repeat the phrase "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing" throughout the song, emphasizing the importance of this musical element.
The lyrics also suggest that swing is not limited to a particular style, as the lines "It makes no difference if it's sweet or hot / Just give that rhythm everything you've got" illustrate. Thus, the song can be seen as a celebration of the universality and power of swing as a musical force that transcends genres.
Overall, "Swing That Music" is a lively and fun song that captures the essence of swing and its importance in music. The repetition of the lyrics and the energetic horn and percussion accompaniment create a sense of urgency and excitement, urging listeners to let loose and dance to the beat.
Line by Line Meaning
It don't mean a thing
The song is meaningless
If it ain't got that swing
Unless the element of swing is present, the song has no life to it
(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Background lyrics to emphasize the point being made
All you got to do is sing
Creating the sound of swing is as easy as singing along to the beat
It makes no diff'rence
It doesn't matter
If it's sweet or hot
No matter the musical style, slow or fast tempo, or instrumentation used
Just give that rhythm
The emphasis in this song is on rhythm
Ev'rything you got
The performer must give their all
Oh, it don't mean a thing
The song is meaningless
If it ain't got that swing
Without swing, the song will remain lifeless
(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Reiteration of lyrics to emphasize the point being made
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Louis Armstrong, Horace Gerlach
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@electrowavez1680
My heart gives a chill,
I feel such a thrill,
My feet won't keep still,
When they swing that music.
Rythm like that puts me in a trance,
Oh you can't blame me for wanting to dance.
From what I understand,
It must be just grand,
To play in a band,
When they swing that music.
Oh I'm as happy as can be,
When they swing that music for me.
@jrit12389
While nothing beats the original, there are some amazing arrangements out there. One of my favorites of Swing That Music was performed by Wycliffe Gordon
@matthewb5364
The Gordon arrangement is really good! Especially the tiny trombone.
@louismcelwee7459
This is peak Louis
@chickpeas_and_squats
One of the best songs ever written. Nothing makes me happier.
@rkrspf
The quality of this reproduction is better than the others available in the Web.
@SELMER1947
Genius at work
@RoryVanucchi
Great pops up tempo
@johnnerdington6192
Great rendition, Pops swings too hard for words!
@davehunter9
Wow! Thank you, Dennis, for sharing this. It's always amazed me how Pops made it look so easy, and yet his bands always swung, HARD. This song brings such strong emotions for me... Man, how he could play! This is, and will always be, one of my favorite songs.
@JuanjoMarquez
Thank you Dennis; very good record.