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.
Under A Blanket Of Blue
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just you and I beneath the stars
Wrapped in the arms of sweet romance
The night is ours
Under a blanket of blue
Let me be thrilled by all your charms
Darling, I know my heart will dance
A summer night's magic, enthralling me so
The night would be tragic
If you weren't here to share it my dear
Covered with heaven above
Let's dream a dream of love for two
Wrapped in the arms of sweet romance
Under a blanket of blue
Under a blanket of blue
Just you and I beneath the stars
Wrapped in the arms of sweet romance
The night is ours
Under a blanket of blue
Let me be thrilled by all your charms
Darling, I know my heart will dance
Within your arms
A summer night's magic, enthralling me so
The night would be tragic
If you weren't here to share it my dear
Covered with heaven above
Let's dream a dream of love for two
Wrapped in the arms of sweet romance
Under a blanket of blue
Under a blanket of blue
"Under A Blanket Of Blue" is a romantic song by Louis Armstrong. The song’s verses talk about the intimacy and closeness that two people can experience as they lay together wrapped in a blanket of blue beneath the stars in the night sky. It is a song about the powerful magic of love and how it can transform a simple moment into something magical and extraordinary. The lyrics suggest a deep connection between two people who are in love, and their shared experiences are what makes their love so special to them.
As the song progresses, Armstrong sings about how the night would be tragic if the person with whom he was sharing this romantic moment weren't present. He talks about the Heaven above, implying that the intimacy and love the two of them are experiencing makes them feel as if they are in their own little slice of Heaven. Armstrong uses imagery of the stars in the sky shining down and the night sky making them feel free and alive.
Overall, "Under A Blanket Of Blue" is a song about the love between two people, and how this love can create moments of happiness and beauty that can take your breath away. It is a reminder that, in a world that can sometimes be harsh and unforgiving, the love and companionship of another person can bring the most joy and light to our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Under a blanket of blue
We are together in a serene and peaceful place.
Just you and I beneath the stars
We are alone and can enjoy each other's company under the beauty of the night sky.
Wrapped in the arms of sweet romance
We are enjoying each other's embrace and the affection we share.
The night is ours
We are the only ones present in this moment, and can savor it without interruption.
Let me be thrilled by all your charms
Let me revel in every wonderful aspect of your personality.
Darling, I know my heart will dance
I am so happy and enamored with you that my heart is dancing with joy.
Within your arms
It is your embrace that brings me this happiness and contentment.
A summer night's magic, enthralling me so
This moment is so wonderful and special that it feels like pure magic to me.
The night would be tragic
Without you, this moment would lose all its magic and become a tragedy.
If you weren't here to share it my dear
It is your presence that makes this moment so special to me.
Covered with heaven above
The beauty of the night sky adds to the feeling of peace and serenity we share.
Let's dream a dream of love for two
Let's share a romantic vision of what could be.
Wrapped in the arms of sweet romance
Let's visualize ourselves together and happy within each other's embrace.
Under a blanket of blue
Let's imagine ourselves enveloped in a peaceful, serene environment.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Written by: AL J. NEIBURG, JERRY LIVINGSTON, MARTY SYMES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@giuliamarseglia5172
Lyrics
Under a blanket of blue
Just you and I beneath the stars
Wrapped in the arms of sweet romance
The night is ours
Under a blanket of blue
Let me be thrilled by all your charms
Darling, I know my heart will dance
Within your arms
A summer night's magic, enthralling me so
The night would be tragic
If you weren't here to share it my dear
Covered with heaven above
Let's dream a dream of love for two
Wrapped in the arms of sweet romance
Under a blanket of blue
Under a blanket of blue
Just you and I beneath the stars
Wrapped in the arms of sweet romance
The night is ours
Under a blanket of blue
Let me be thrilled by all your charms
Darling, I know my heart will dance
Within your arms
A summer night's magic, enthralling me so
The night would be tragic
If you weren't here to share it my dear
Covered with heaven above
Let's dream a dream of love for two
Wrapped in the arms of sweet romance
Under a blanket of blue
Under a blanket of blue
@destinyzcreationz8951
Under a blanket of blue
Just you and I beneath the stars
Wrapped in the arms of sweet romance
The night is ours
Under a blanket of blue
Let me be thrilled by all your charms
Darling, I know my heart will dance
Within your arms
A summer night's magic, enthralling me so
The night would be tragic
If you weren't here to shareit my dear
Covered with heaven above
Let's dream a dream of love for two
Wrapped in the arms of sweet romance
Under a blanket of blue
@Wolfhoundersful
Under a blanket of blue
Just you and I beneath the stars
Wrapped in the arms of sweet romance
The night is ours
Under a blanket of blue
Let me be thrilled by all your charms
Darling, I know my heart will dance
Within your arms
A summer night's magic enthralling me so
The night would be tragic
If you weren't here to share it my dear
Covered with heaven above
Let's dream a dream of love for two
Wrapped in the arms of sweet romance
Under a blanket of blue
@darkskull5896
Damn when Ella's vocals come in 😩💨
@dirtroadsandwoodstoves
Man - everytime I hear these two - just amazing. I've listened to these Duets since I was a little guy. One of the best duet teams ever. American legends - created some real classics for the ages. I've cried, tranced out, made love, got lost, been found, laughed, rejoiced and dreamt to Ella and Louis......
@dozer6448
I miss these two great Ms Ella has a voice of angel
@VijayaSun1
Lovely! Thanks for sharing this! I’ve heard a lot of both Louis Armstrong’s and Ella Fitzgerald’s singing, but I’ve never heard this!one.
@boomerang905
Mr. Armstrong's phrasings get me every single time. My parent's favorite. 💝💝💝
@georgefeser6483
I love this one. It always makes me think of sitting outside, with a glass of water, with someone that I lost. I loved her a lot, and this was a song that we both liked.
@davielove11
My favorite vocal duo... their voices and singing styles are so different from one another, yet they compliment each other so well.
@facundomanquehue6427
Their voices are a perfect macht with that marvelous piano player. Bless for all them
@GangsterswingMadrid
Natural you feel the piano marvelous is not other than his majesty of swing Mr Oscar Peterson !!!!
@facundomanquehue6427
Esther Contreras
Thanks from Chile.