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 Three Little Bears
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There lived three bears
One was a daddy bear and one was a mamma bear
And one was a wee bear
One day when out walking
In the deep woods was stalking
Came a little gal with blonde hair
And upon their door she knocked
But no one was there
So she walked right in and had herself a time
'Cause she didn't care
Soon she got sleepy, went to bed upstairs, when
Home, home, home came the three bears
Someone's been eating my porridge
Said the daddy bear
Someone's been eating my porridge
Said the mamma bear
Hey-bubba-rebear, said the little wee bear
Who's broken my chair?
Someone's been sleeping in my bed, said the daddy bear
Oh, someone's been sleeping in my bed, said the mamma bear
Bear-bubba-rebear, said the little wee bear
Who's broken my chair?
Just then, Goldilocks woke up
Broke up the party and beat it out there
Bye-bye, bye, bye, said the daddy bear
Goodbye, bye, said the mamma bear
Hey bubba-rebear, said the wee bear
So ends the story of the three bears
Just then, Goldilocks woke up
Broke up the party and beat it out there
Bye-bye, bye, bye, said the daddy bear
Goodbye, bye, said the mamma bear
Hey bubba-rebear, said the wee bear
So ends the story of the three bears
So, don't forget children, whatever you do
Don't go down to the woods tonight
Because the bears'll get ya!
The lyrics to Louis Armstrong's "The Three Little Bears" tell the story of Goldilocks and the three bears, a classic children's tale that has been told in many different versions. The three bears live in a neat little cottage, and when they go out for a walk, Goldilocks comes along and helps herself to their porridge, breaks one of their chairs, and falls asleep in the little wee bear's bed. When the bears return home and discover Goldilocks, they are angry at first but then let her go.
The song is a lighthearted and humorous retelling of the story, and Louis Armstrong's playful and jazzy vocals add to the fun. The lyrics warn children not to go to the woods at night because the bears might get them, reinforcing the idea that there are dangerous things in the world that they need to be aware of.
"The Three Little Bears" was released in 1951 and was one of several children's songs that Armstrong recorded throughout his career. It has become a classic of the genre and is still beloved by children and adults alike. The story of Goldilocks and the three bears has been adapted into countless books, cartoons, and movies, and it remains a touchstone of children's literature.
Line by Line Meaning
Now, once upon a time, in a neat little cottage
Let me tell you a story that happened in a charming little house.
There lived three bears
The three bears were permanent residents of this house.
One was a daddy bear and one was a mamma bear
Two bears were parents, one was a male, the other a female.
And one was a wee bear
A third bear, who was small in size, completed the trio.
One day when out walking
During one of their strolls,
In the deep woods was stalking
While they were walking in the dense forest,
Came a little gal with blonde hair
A young girl with light-coloured hair arrived at the scene.
Now, her name was Goldilocks
The girl's name was Goldilocks.
And upon their door she knocked
She knocked on the door of the bear's home.
But no one was there
No one was home to answer the door at the time.
So she walked right in and had herself a time
Goldilocks decided to enter and enjoy the home without an invitation.
'Cause she didn't care
She didn't mind intruding since she didn't think it would make a difference.
Soon she got sleepy, went to bed upstairs, when
Eventually she grew tired and went upstairs to sleep,
Home, home, home came the three bears
The bear family returned home.
Someone's been eating my porridge
The father bear noticed his food had been disturbed.
Said the daddy bear
He spoke about the changes in his food.
Someone's been eating my porridge
The mother bear also realized something was off with her food.
Said the mamma bear
She voiced her concern about the problem with her food too.
Hey-bubba-rebear, said the little wee bear
The small bear questioned the same thing about his food.
Who's broken my chair?
The little bear saw the damage to his chair from the intruder.
Someone's been sleeping in my bed, said the daddy bear
The father bear remarked that the bedding wasn't as he left it.
Oh, someone's been sleeping in my bed, said the mamma bear
The mother bear recognized that the bedding had been disturbed.
Bear-bubba-rebear, said the little wee bear
The baby bear also realized that someone else had been sleeping in his bed.
Just then, Goldilocks woke up
Goldilocks was awoken from her sleep.
Broke up the party and beat it out there
Frightened, Goldilocks got up suddenly and fled from the bear's house.
Bye-bye, bye, bye, said the daddy bear
The father bear said goodbye to the departing intruder.
Goodbye, bye, said the mamma bear
The mother bear waved goodbye also.
Hey bubba-rebear, said the wee bear
The baby bear said a friendly goodbye to Goldilocks.
So ends the story of the three bears
And so the tale of the three bears concludes.
So, don't forget children, whatever you do
The singer advises children to keep in mind.
Don't go down to the woods tonight
To avoid going to the forest at night.
Because the bears'll get ya!
As the bears might cause trouble or danger, creating a humorous end to the song.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOBBY TROUP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anonymous
on What A Wonderful World
What A Wonderful World - Casey Abrams - Lyrics
I see trees of green
Red roses too
I see them bloom
For me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
I see skies of blue
And clouds of white
The bright blessed day
The dark sacred night
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Singing how do you do
They're really singing
I love you
I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They'll learn much more
Than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Musical Interlude
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Singing how do you do
They're really singing
I love you
I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They goin’ learn much more
Than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
I think to myself
What a wonderful world