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.
Volare
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And in the hustle and bustle, no sunshine appears
But you and I have our love always there to remind us
There is a way we can leave all the shadows behind us
Volare, oh, oh! Cantare, oh, oh, oh, oh!
Let's fly way up to the clouds, away from the maddening crowds
We can sing in the glow of a star that I know of
Where lovers enjoy peace of mind
Just like birds of a feather a rainbow together we'll find
Volare, oh, oh! Cantare, oh, oh, oh, oh!
No wonder my happy heart sings
Your love has given me wings
Your love has given me wings
In this song, Louis Armstrong sings about the hardships of the world and how love can provide an escape from them. He explains that the world can feel like a valley of heartaches and tears, and that there are times when no sunshine can be found amidst the hustle and bustle of life. However, he reminds us that his love and the love of his partner will always be there to serve as a reminder that there is a way to leave all the shadows behind us.
The lyrics progress to a more uplifting tone when Louis introduces the chorus. He sings, “Volare, oh, oh! Cantare, oh, oh, oh, oh!” which translates to “To fly, oh, oh! To sing, oh, oh, oh, oh!”. This sets a whimsical mood, and Louis proceeds to describe how they can “fly way up to the clouds, away from the maddening crowds,” and sing “in the glow of a star that I know of where lovers enjoy peace of mind”. Together, they can leave the confusion and all disillusion behind and find a rainbow together. This chorus repeats again, and Louis adds that his happy heart sings because his partner’s love has given him wings.
Overall, Louis explicitly communicates how love can serve as a source of comfort and escape from life’s problems. He provides vivid imagery of flying to the clouds and singing in the glow of a star, which serves as a visual escape from the valley of heartaches and tears.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes the world is a valley of heartaches and tears
There are times when life can be tough and full of sorrow
And in the hustle and bustle, no sunshine appears
During the busy and hectic times, it can be hard to find joy or happiness
But you and I have our love always there to remind us
Our love serves as a constant reminder in difficult times
There is a way we can leave all the shadows behind us
We have the ability to escape from the negative aspects of life
Volare, oh, oh! Cantare, oh, oh, oh, oh!
Let's fly and sing
Let's fly way up to the clouds, away from the maddening crowds
We should escape to a peaceful and serene place
We can sing in the glow of a star that I know of
There is a specific place where we can find happiness and contentment
Where lovers enjoy peace of mind
This place is where couples can be at peace with each other
Let us leave the confusion and all disillusion behind
We should let go of our worries and uncertainties
Just like birds of a feather a rainbow together we'll find
We will find happiness together like nature's most beautiful sights
No wonder my happy heart sings
It's no surprise that I am filled with happiness
Your love has given me wings
Your love has given me the ability to soar and be happy
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Domenico Modugno, Franco Migliacci
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