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 Whiffenpoof Song
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the dear old Temple bar we love so well
Sing the Whiffenpoofs assembled, with their glasses raised on high
And the magic of their singing casts its spell
Yes, the magic of their singing, of the songs we love so well
"Shall I Wasting" and "Mavourneen" and the rest
Then we'll pass and be forgotten with the rest
We're poor little lambs who have lost our way
Baa, baa, baa
We're little black sheep who have gone astray
Baa, baa, baa
Gentleman songsters off on a spree
Doomed from here to eternity
Lord have mercy on such as we
Baa, baa, baa
Gentleman songsters off on a spree
Doomed from here to eternity
Lord have mercy on such as we
Baa, baa, baa
The Whiffenpoof Song by Louis Armstrong is a classic that has been performed and enjoyed by many people. The first stanza talks about going to a place called Mory's, where someone named Louie dwells. It also mentions a familiar place called the Temple bar. The Whiffenpoofs are singing together, with their glasses raised high, and their singing creates a magical atmosphere that enchants everyone around them. The second stanza talks about the magic of their singing and how they sing songs that everyone loves. They name a few of the songs like "Shall I Wasting" and "Mavourneen," and they continue to serenade Louie until they die.
The third stanza is a bit different, as they proclaim themselves as poor little lambs who have lost their way, and little black sheep who have gone astray. They refer to themselves as "gentleman songsters off on a spree" who are doomed from here to eternity. It seems as though they are acknowledging their shortcomings as human beings, but still continue to sing and enjoy themselves. They ask the Lord to have mercy on them, as if they know that they are not perfect, but they still want to enjoy life.
Overall, the song is a lighthearted and bittersweet tribute to the joy of singing, the bonds of friendship, and the inevitability of passing away. The song reminds us to enjoy life to the fullest while we are here and to appreciate the magic of singing and bringing people together.
Line by Line Meaning
To the tables down at Mory's, to the place where Louie dwells
We are headed towards Mory's restaurant where Louis Armstrong frequents, a place we all love.
To the dear old Temple bar we love so well
We are heading to Temple bar, another favorite hangout spot of ours.
Sing the Whiffenpoofs assembled, with their glasses raised on high
We will sing together as the Whiffenpoofs with our glasses raised high.
And the magic of their singing casts its spell
The Whiffenpoofs' singing is magical and captivating, filling the air with wonder and awe.
Yes, the magic of their singing, of the songs we love so well
Once again, we emphasize the beauty and enchantment that the Whiffenpoofs bring with their singing.
"Shall I Wasting" and "Mavourneen" and the rest
We will sing various songs like "Shall I Wasting" and "Mavourneen" with the Whiffenpoofs.
We will serenade our Louie while life and voice shall last
We will dedicate a song to Louis Armstrong as long as we are alive and able to sing.
Then we'll pass and be forgotten with the rest
Eventually, we will all pass away and fade away into the memories of others like everyone else.
We're poor little lambs who have lost our way
We see ourselves as lost sheep who struggle to find direction and purpose in life.
Baa, baa, baa
Just like sheep, we can only utter sounds like "baa, baa, baa" to express our frustrations and confusion.
We're little black sheep who have gone astray
We also view ourselves as outcasts who deviate from society's norms and expectations.
Gentleman songsters off on a spree
We portray ourselves as gentlemen who are living it up and having fun.
Doomed from here to eternity
Regardless of our current state, we will inevitably be doomed to an eternal fate that we cannot escape.
Lord have mercy on such as we
With our flaws and imperfections, we ask for mercy from the Lord.
Baa, baa, baa
Once again, we can only mutter the sounds of sheep, expressing our helplessness and desire for guidance.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TOD GALLOWAY, TOD B GALLOWAY, MOSS HART, MEADE MINNIGERODE, GEORGE S POMEROY, RUDY VALLEE
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