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 to Louis Armstrong's "That's My Desire" express a longing for a romantic reunion with a lost love. The singer yearns to spend time with his beloved in their old haunts, sipping wine and chatting about old times. He wants to dance with her until dawn, feeling the warmth of her touch and the sweetness of her voice in his ear. Above all, he wants to hear her say the words he longs to hear: "Cherie, I love you so, that's my desire."
Line by Line Meaning
To spend one night with you in our old rendezvous,
I yearn to be with you once again at a place special to us, even if it's just for a night.
And reminisce with you that's my desire.
I long to share cherished memories with you and relive old times together.
To meet where gypsies play, down in that dim cafe,
I dream of going to a cozy place where gypsy music plays and the ambiance is perfect for a romantic evening.
And dance 'till break of day that's my desire.
I wish to dance with you until the break of day to express my love and passion for you.
We'll sip a little glass of wine, I'll gaze into your eyes divine.
As we savor a glass of wine, I want to look into your beautiful eyes and feel your love envelop me.
I'll feel the touch of your lips pressing on mine.
I eagerly anticipate the moment when our lips touch in a tender kiss that ignites the passion between us.
To hear you whisper low just when it's time to go,
As we prepare to go our separate ways, I long to hear you whisper sweet nothings in my ear, confirming your love for me.
Cherie, I love you so, that's my desire.
My ultimate desire is to express my unconditional love for you, my dear 'Cherie'.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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!