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 Skeleton In The Closet
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come outta there, boy
Don't you know that house is haunted?
There's an old deserted mansion on an old forgotten road
Where the better ghosts and goblins always hang out
One night they threw a party tn a manner a la mode
And they cordially invited all the gang out
At a dark, bewitchin' hour when the fun was loud and hearty
A notorious wall flower became the life of the party
Mmm, the spooks were havin' their midnight fling
The merry makin' was in full swing
They shrieked themselves into a cheerful trance
When the skeleton in the closet started to dance
Now a goblin giggled with fiendish glee
A shout rang out from a big banshee
Amazement was in every ghostly glance
When the skeleton in the closet started to dance
All the witches were in stitches while his steps made rhythmic thumps
And they nearly dropped their broomsticks when he tried to do the bumps
You never heard such unearthly laughter, such hilarious groans
When the skeleton in the closet rattled his bones
The Skeleton in the Closet by Louis Armstrong is a fun and spooky song that tells the story of a deserted mansion where ghosts and goblins gather for a party. At the party, a notoriously shy person suddenly becomes the center of attention and starts to dance. Things take a surprising turn when a skeleton in the closet begins to dance as well, much to the amusement and shock of the attendees. The song is a playful take on the idea of Halloween and the supernatural, with a focus on the joy and fun that can be found in the spookiness of the holiday.
The lyrics of the song are cleverly crafted, using a mix of spooky and humorous language to create a lighthearted and fun atmosphere. The use of onomatopoeia, such as the "cheerful trance" and "hilarious groans" of the ghosts, adds to the playful tone of the song. Additionally, the repetition of the phrase "skeleton in the closet" serves as a fun and spooky catchphrase that is sure to stick in the listener's mind.
Overall, The Skeleton in the Closet is a fun and entertaining song that captures the spirit of Halloween in a playful and creative way. The combination of spooky and humorous lyrics, along with the lively instrumentation and Louis Armstrong's unique and expressive voice, creates a memorable and enjoyable listening experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Boy, don't you go in there
Someone warns a boy not to enter the house
Come outta there, boy
The person urges the boy to leave the place
Don't you know that house is haunted?
The person warns the boy that the house is inhabited by supernatural beings
There's an old deserted mansion on an old forgotten road
There is an abandoned mansion located on a remote and forgotten street
Where the better ghosts and goblins always hang out
The location is where the most prestigious ghosts and supernatural creatures gather
One night they threw a party in a manner a la mode
One night, the ghosts and goblins had a party and followed the latest fashion trend
And they cordially invited all the gang out
They kindly invited all their supernatural friends to join the party
At a dark, bewitchin' hour when the fun was loud and hearty
Late at night, when the party was in full swing and everyone was having a good time
A notorious wall flower became the life of the party
A shy and unpopular person suddenly became very popular and lively at the party
Mmm, the spooks were havin' their midnight fling
The ghosts were enjoying their party and having a great time
The merry makin' was in full swing
The party was at its peak with lots of fun and joy in the air
They shrieked themselves into a cheerful trance
They screamed so much that they entered into a state of euphoria
When the skeleton in the closet started to dance
The atmosphere changed when a skeleton in the closet began to dance
Now a goblin giggled with fiendish glee
A supernatural creature laughed evilly, filled with great pleasure
A shout rang out from a big banshee
A loud scream echoed from a powerful female ghost
Amazement was in every ghostly glance
All the ghosts were surprised and amazed by the dancing skeleton
When the skeleton in the closet started to dance
The dancing skeleton continued, causing more surprise and amazement
All the witches were in stitches while his steps made rhythmic thumps
The witches were laughing uncontrollably while the skeleton danced to a rhythmic beat
And they nearly dropped their broomsticks when he tried to do the bumps
The witches were shocked when the skeleton attempted to do the bumping dance move
You never heard such unearthly laughter, such hilarious groans
The laughter and moans that were heard were not of this world and were very amusing
When the skeleton in the closet rattled his bones
The dancing skeleton continued to make noises by shaking its bones
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ARTHUR JOHNSTON, JOHNNY BURKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Carvel65
Here are the words: Boy, don't you go in there
Come outta there, boy
Don't you know that house is haunted?
There's an old deserted mansion on an old forgotten road
Where the better ghosts and goblins always hang out
One night they threw a party tn a manner a la mode
And they cordially invited all the gang out
At a dark, bewitchin' hour when the fun was loud and hearty
A notorious wall flower became the life of the party
Mmm, the spooks were havin' their midnight fling
The merry makin' was in full swing
They shrieked themselves into a cheerful trance
When the skeleton in the closet started to dance
Now a goblin giggled with fiendish glee
A shout rang out from a big banshee
Amazement was in every ghostly glance
When the skeleton in the closet started to dance
All the witches were in stitches while his steps made rhythmic thumps
And they nearly dropped their broomsticks when he tried to do the bumps
You never heard such unearthly laughter, such hilarious groans
When the skeleton in the closet rattled his bones
@tommyrock69
My mother used to make us watch this movie when ever it was on in the 70s. I LOVE this scene. It made me start playing the trumpet. I had no idea that was Lionel Hampton on drums. While playing trumpet in the marching band in NY in 1981, he was a judge for a band competition. I was in awe when meeting him. Never knew, until now, that he was in this movie I love so dear.
@hebneh
I saw this film more than once on TV as a kid in the '60s, but didn't remember this song at all, which is strange because I always loved Halloween...but watching it now, it came back to me. Bing Crosby (seen very briefly at 2:28, looking through a spider web) opens this spooky-themed nightclub and the introductory scene before this number shows patrons being scared by various tricks and pranks.
@addyourname5570
I love this song. It’s a regular on my playlists
@GalaxyJazzGirl
Satchmo was THE BOSS of Jazz in his time. He had rhythm and so much energy. I love, love, his music! The almighty KING of Jazz :D
@listen2100
Timeless CLASSIC!!!
@pasiecznym
Masterpiece!
@llinora
Wonderful....I've been searching for this, saw as a kid & swore the dancing skeleton was the real thing! Thanks
@julienelson6025
I love these old halloween songs.
@KCIDER1
Pure swing by louis.
@Carvel65
Here are the words: Boy, don't you go in there
Come outta there, boy
Don't you know that house is haunted?
There's an old deserted mansion on an old forgotten road
Where the better ghosts and goblins always hang out
One night they threw a party tn a manner a la mode
And they cordially invited all the gang out
At a dark, bewitchin' hour when the fun was loud and hearty
A notorious wall flower became the life of the party
Mmm, the spooks were havin' their midnight fling
The merry makin' was in full swing
They shrieked themselves into a cheerful trance
When the skeleton in the closet started to dance
Now a goblin giggled with fiendish glee
A shout rang out from a big banshee
Amazement was in every ghostly glance
When the skeleton in the closet started to dance
All the witches were in stitches while his steps made rhythmic thumps
And they nearly dropped their broomsticks when he tried to do the bumps
You never heard such unearthly laughter, such hilarious groans
When the skeleton in the closet rattled his bones