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.
The Flat Foot Floogie
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, with a floy, floy?
Yes, floy, floy
Oh, with a floy, floy
Oh and a one, a two
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy
If you're feelin' low down
And don't know what to do
And you wanna show down
Here's the only danse for you
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy
Bang, bang, bang, bang (da-da)
Bang, bang, bang, bang (da-da)
Bang, bang, bang, bang (da-da)
Badoo-badooloo, dam dam
Flat foot floogie (da-da)
Lose that floogie (da-da)
Big foot floogie (da-da)
Badoo-badooloo, dam dam
Bom, bom, bom, bom, ba-da-da
Bom, bom, bom, bom, ba-da-da
Bom, bom, bom, bom, ba-da-da
Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da
Oh, the flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy
If you're feelin' low down
And you wanna show down
Oh, the flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy
Floogie (flat foot) flat foot (slew foot)
Floogie (sugar foot) flat foot (cush foot)
Floogie (wing foot, big foot and satchel foot)
"The Flat Foot Floogie" is a swing jazz song performed by Louis Armstrong in the late 1930s. The song starts with a call and response between Armstrong and his band, where they ask "Boys, what about a little Flat Foot Floogie?" and answer themselves with "Oh, with a floy, floy? Yes, floy, floy." The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy is the dance they are suggesting, which seems to involve a lot of foot stomping and energy. The song then repeats the phrase "The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy" several times while adding rhythmic scatting and wordless vocals.
The song's lyrics suggest that the flat foot floogie is the perfect dance for people who are feeling low and want to let loose. The song's upbeat tempo and joyous energy certainly make it seem like a good way to lift one's spirits. The addition of different foot types like slew foot, sugar foot, and wing foot adds an extra layer of whimsy and humor to the song.
Overall, "The Flat Foot Floogie" is a catchy and lively swing jazz song that celebrates the joy of dancing and having a good time.
Line by Line Meaning
Boys, what about a little Flat Foot Floogie?
Hey guys, anyone up for some Flat Foot Floogie dancing?
Oh, with a floy, floy?
Do you mean with some flashy moves?
Yes, floy, floy
Yes, with some flashy moves
Oh and a one, a two
As in, let's start dancing!
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Let's dance the Flat Foot Floogie with some flashy moves
Floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy
Keep up the fancy footwork!
If you're feelin' low down
If you're feeling depressed
And don't know what to do
And don't know how to lift your spirit
And you wanna show down
And you wanna put on a show
Here's the only danse for you
Here's the dance that will cheer you up
Bang, bang, bang, bang (da-da)
Some upbeat music to go with the dancing
Badoo-badooloo, dam dam
More lively music
Flat foot floogie (da-da)
Let's dance the Flat Foot Floogie
Lose that floogie (da-da)
Get rid of any worries and dance!
Big foot floogie (da-da)
Let's dance a big, flashy Flat Foot Floogie
Bom, bom, bom, bom, ba-da-da
The music keeps playing, let's keep dancing
Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da
Dancing, dancing, dancing!
Floogie (flat foot) flat foot (slew foot)
The song encourages different foot movements
Floogie (sugar foot) flat foot (cush foot)
Encouraging different styles of the dance
Floogie (wing foot, big foot and satchel foot)
Encouraging even more styles of the dance
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Slim Gaillard, Bud Green, Slam Stewart
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lanceash
YES! I had a cassette like that. I'm trying to put together a list of all the songs on that cassette, but I can only remember about seven. Do you remember what was on it?
aint misbehavin'
tin roof blues
i's a muggin'
that's a plenty
flat foot floogie
do you know what it means (to miss new orleans)
jeepers creepers
struttin with some barbecue (?)
@sussylh4124
Louis Armstrong And The Mills Brothers:Flat Foot Floogie
This song is by Louis Armstrong and The Mills Brothers and appears on the album Louis Armstrong and the Mills Brothers (1954).
This song is a cover of "The Flat Foot Floogie" by Slim Gaillard.
(The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Floy floy, floy floy, floy floy, floy floy)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, baby
Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, baby
Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, baby
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Whenever your cares are chronic
Just tell the world, "go hang"
You'll find a greater tonic
If you go on swingin' with the gang
Flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Floy, floy, floy, yeah
Send me on out there
Whenever your cares are chronic
Just tell the world, "go hang"
You'll find a greater tonic
If you go on stumblin' with the gang
Hey, hey, hey, yes, yes
@marthalillard3193
I can still see my mom singing this and dancing around the house as she cooked and cleaned !
@d.b.4201
Amen!! Love it!! 👍
@Chungustav
Odd since it about a prostitute with a drippy venereal disease
@amyowens7050
My mom took.
@dabear2438
My Uncle used to sing this to me when I was a little child. He was born in 1929 so 1938 was right in his era. I sure miss him. Rest in peace, Uncle.
@carolsikkema7136
Both my mom and dad would sing this. They were married in 1938. I used to wonder where these lyrics came from! Good to know.
@edwardtrolz
This makes me remember the time when we only had a radio,
@lili1916
Happy meeting between the great Mills Brothers and 'Satchmo' in this! Thanks for sharing!
@christansdad
Had a cassette tape of 20 of Louis' greatest hits as a young teen. This song...and Indiana were my two favorites.
@lanceash
YES! I had a cassette like that. I'm trying to put together a list of all the songs on that cassette, but I can only remember about seven. Do you remember what was on it?
aint misbehavin'
tin roof blues
i's a muggin'
that's a plenty
flat foot floogie
do you know what it means (to miss new orleans)
jeepers creepers
struttin with some barbecue (?)