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.
That?s My Desire
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And reminisce with you that's my desire.
To meet where gypsies play, down in that dim cafe,
And dance 'till break of day that's my desire.
We'll sip a little glass of wine, I'll gaze into your eyes divine.
I'll feel the touch of your lips pressing on mine.
To hear you whisper low just when it's time to go,
The lyrics of Louis Armstrong and Velma Middleton's song "That's My Desire" express the longing of the singer to spend a night with someone he loves. He wants to go back to old times and meet in a dimly lit café where gypsies play music. The singer desires to dance with his beloved until sunrise, sipping wine and gazing into her divine eyes. The touch of her lips on his is something he longs for, and he wants to hear her whisper that she loves him before they part ways.
The lyrics depict an intense desire for physical intimacy but are also evocative of nostalgia and the desire to relive past experiences. The singer wants to reminisce on old times and relive the moments that brought him closer to his beloved. He longs for a passion that will transcend the physical realm and create a deeper connection between them. The use of the French term "Cherie" adds a touch of romance and emphasizes the depth of the singer's love for his partner.
Line by Line Meaning
To spend one night with you in our old rendezvous,
I want to spend one night with you at the place we used to meet.
And reminisce with you that's my desire.
I want to look back and recall our good times together with you.
To meet where gypsies play, down in that dim cafe,
I want to go to a cafe where we can enjoy music played by gypsies.
And dance 'till break of day that's my desire.
I want to dance with you until daybreak at that place.
We'll sip a little glass of wine, I'll gaze into your eyes divine.
We'll drink some wine while I admire your beautiful eyes.
I'll feel the touch of your lips pressing on mine.
I want to kiss you and feel the warmth of our lips interlocking.
To hear you whisper low just when it's time to go,
I want to hear you whisper sweet nothings when it's time for us to leave.
Cherie, I love you so, that's my desire.
My dear, I love you so much, and that is my greatest wish.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Peermusic Publishing, MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Written by: HELMY KRESA, CARROLL LOVEDAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@elizabethsmith2619
I have a CD of this song with Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller. Wonderful!
@johnno1988
I didn't want that to ever end. What an awesome video of the Satchmo.
@bdzmusicprod
It's great to finally see this great number on video.
@TimTimmenycharoo
ah someone needs to upload the glenn solo from this same set, its amazing. good duo.
@jennifergroom7733
Enjoyed this!
@DonyaLane
OMG, I've never seen this. Thanks for sharing it! Talk about knowing what it means to entertain an audience...
@mintrecords4ever
Hi Donya, how are you? All the O's, known as The Mints send you Christmas wishes, hugs and kisses. We miss you!
@DonyaLane
@@mintrecords4ever , haha!! How did we both find our way to the same, obscure video?! I posted my comment 7 years ago! Wasn't this great? I miss your whole family, too... Merry Christmas! Wishing you good health and happiness in the new year!
@bluegrassfan23
Memorable!
@TimTimmenycharoo
ah wat a star!