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.
There's No You
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
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As soft as the willow, the wisp
And in its song there is sadness
Because there's no you
The lonely autumn trees as softly as they're sayin'
For someone's dying
They know that in my heart there's not gladness
The pub that we walk in, the garden we tug in
Are lonesome, they seemed in the fall
The stormy clouds hover and falling leaves cover
Our favorite nook in the world
In spring we'll meet again, we'll kiss and recapture
The summer times raptured, we knew
And from that day nevermore will I say
There's no you
Louis Armstrong's "There's No You" is a heart-wrenching piece that delves into a deeply personal level of emotions. The autumn breeze serves as a reminder of the absence of a loved one. The song cleverly invokes the senses, immersing the listener in the sounds and sights of autumn. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the melancholy that arises in the absence of that special someone.
As autumn sets in, the drifting wind steals softly across the pillow like the willow. The song brings to mind the image of trees shedding their leaves, and the leaves themselves drifting into oblivion. These natural phenomena serve as a metaphor for the end of a love affair. The singer's heart is filled with sadness as the winds of autumn carry their message of finality.
When the singer talks about the "lonely autumn trees," the mood of the song takes a darker turn. The trees serve as a mirror to the singer's own inner turmoil. The stark contrast of the natural beauty and the singer's inner landscape makes for a powerful metaphor. The singer misses the one who had once been the source of happiness in their life, leaving them feeling hollow and incomplete.
Line by Line Meaning
I feel the autumn breeze; it steals 'cross my pillow
I sense the chilly autumn wind which silently blows past my pillow
As soft as the willow, the wisp
The gentle breeze rustles my hair like the delicate sway of a willow
And in its song there is sadness
The sound of the breeze carries a melancholic tune
Because there's no you
Because I am alone without you
The lonely autumn trees as softly as they're sayin'
The solitary trees of autumn murmur quietly
For someone's dying
As if lamenting for someone who is departing
They know that in my heart there's not gladness
The trees understand that my heart is not joyful
Because there's no you
Because you are not here with me
The pub that we walk in, the garden we tug in
The places we used to visit, the garden where we strolled
Are lonesome, they seemed in the fall
Seem to be forlorn and desolate in autumn
The stormy clouds hover and falling leaves cover
Dark clouds and cascading leaves obscure
Our favorite nook in the world
Our cherished spot in the world
In spring we'll meet again, we'll kiss and recapture
When spring arrives, we'll reunite, embrace, and relive
The summer times raptured, we knew
The beautiful memories of the past summer
And from that day nevermore will I say
And from that moment on, I will never utter
There's no you
That I am alone without you
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Thomas M. Adair, Harold S. Hopper
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Johnny OnTheSpot
Louis Armstrong is such an amazing singer, it makes me sad to know so few people have heard this song.
Keith Beesley
Love this song!
Ruth Dixon
louis shows here just how affective his voice could be on a delicate pop melody.
Red Sullivan
What a jewel: Just voice and guitar! {Presumably Herb Ellis from the Peterson Trio of the time}.
glenn lopez
You're right, it was Herb Ellis.