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.
Up a Lazy River
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Uh-huh
Sure
Uh-huh
Way down, way down
Oh, up a lazy river where the old mill run
Meet the lazy river with the noonday sun
Throw away your troubles, dream a dream of me, dream a dream of me
Up the lazy river where the robin sung
Wakes to bright new mornin', as we love along
Blue skies up above, everyone in love
Up the lazy river, how happy we will be, mama, mama
Ohh, up a lazy river
Ohh, you've gone
Boy, my river, this evenin', I hope somethin'
Oh, hey, hey
Up the lazy river, hmm river, oh you river
Ohh, you gone, oh you river
Look out there, John Alexander
Swing out there, you're in my river, boy
Louis Armstrong's "Lazy River" is a classic jazz tune featuring a classic band set-up of trumpet, trombone, clarinet, piano, and drums. The lyrics describe a leisurely journey up a lazy river where the singer can toss away his troubles and daydream about his love while indulging in the regenerative atmosphere of nature. The lyrics convey a sense of hope and optimism, and the imagery used is picturesque, lighthearted, and full of joy. The song transports the listener to a different time, where life was less complicated, simpler, and where one could enjoy nature's beauty without the distractions of modern life.
The song becomes interactive as Armstrong employs scatting to complement the melody, and the band adds improvisational interludes. This technique brings a more playful element to the music, creating the impression that the musicians are merely playing along and enjoying each other's company. The slow, easygoing tempo of the song, coupled with the exciting instrumental breaks, makes it ideal for social occasions that call for merrymaking and relaxation.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah
Expressing agreement or affirmation
Uh-huh
Affirmative response or agreement
Sure
Expressing assent or agreement
Uh-huh
Affirmative response or agreement
Way down, way down
Far below or deep in thought/feeling
Oh, up a lazy river where the old mill run
Imagine going up a peaceful river where an old mill used to be
Meet the lazy river with the noonday sun
Encounter a lazy river with the bright sun shining overhead
Linger in the shade of a kind ol' tree
Take a break under the shade of a gentle tree
Throw away your troubles, dream a dream of me, dream a dream of me
Forget your worries and dream about me
Up the lazy river where the robin sung
Travel up the lazy river where the robin sings
Wakes to bright new mornin', as we love along
Wake up to a brand new day as we journey along the river
Blue skies up above, everyone in love
The sky is blue and everyone is in love
Up the lazy river, how happy we will be, mama, mama
Going up the river will make us happy, mother
Ohh, up a lazy river
Oh, the joys of traveling up a lazy river
Ohh, you've gone
Oh, you have left
Boy, my river, this evenin', I hope somethin'
My river, tonight, I hope for something
Oh, hey, hey
Expression of excitement or surprise
Up the lazy river, hmm river, oh you river
Going up that lazy river, yeah that river
Ohh, you gone, oh you river
Oh, you have left, oh river
Look out there, John Alexander
Beware out there, John Alexander
Swing out there, you're in my river, boy
Get out of my river, boy
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: HOAGY CARMICHAEL, SIDNEY ARODIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Spyder Logan
The most important Jazz Musician of the 20th Century. Though these 'pop' performances aren't what he's really known for(except for the incredible scat singing which IS his classic style; Ella Fitzgerald was also a master of that idiom)..it's the Pre-War recordings and performances that cemented his legendary and historic status for all time.
Bessie D.
Spyder Logan; "Pop" nothing. This is fine-as-wine jazz from the old masters at a time when network television would carry stuff like this regularly. Network TV today is unwatchable.
Dan Napier
OMG! I love hearing Louis Armstrong scat singing!
Shirley Jennings
Awesome!
Giakara
Bring me one of the modern jazzers that he is able to swing and groove like Pips do in this song....just one .
Ugochukwu Joshua
NONE!
gloria mosure
Nobody but Louie could make this old tune new!
桑畑 怜吾kuwahata ryougo
心が落ち着きます！
Tom Smith
I would love if you could post Teresa Brewer's medley of World War I songs from this episode. The episode guide says it was a big production number!
Joseph Schauster
Great trumpet player