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.
When The Saints Go Marchin' In / Hello Dolly
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of those who've gone before
But we'll all be reunited (but if we stand reunited)
On a new and sunlit shore (then a new world is in store)
O when the Saints go marching in
When the Saints go marching in
O Lord, I want to be in that number
And when the sun begins to shine
And when the sun begins to shine
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
When the moon turns red with blood
When the moon turns red with blood
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
On that hallelujah day
On that hallelujah day
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
O when the trumpet sounds the call
O when the trumpet sounds the call
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
Some say this world of trouble
Is the only one we need
But I'm waiting for that morning
When the new world is revealed
When the revelation comes
When the revelation comes
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
When the rich go out and work
When the rich go out and work
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
When the air is pure and clean
When the air is pure and clean
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
When we all have food to eat
When we all have food to eat
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
When our leaders learn to cry
When our leaders learn to cry
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
Louis Armstrong’s “When the Saints Go Marching In” is a joyful and uplifting song that dates back to the early 1900s. The song speaks about the hope and anticipation for a new world where there will be love, peace, and happiness, and where everyone will be reunited with those who have gone before.
The lyrics emphasize the importance of being a part of the number of saints and being prepared for when the trumpet sounds the call. It also discusses waiting for a new revelation and hoping for the time when leaders will learn to cry and work for the greater good. The song invokes a sense of unity and togetherness, a shared hope among saints that they will one day march into the new world with hearts full of joy.
This song has been recorded by many artists in various styles, but it remains a staple in New Orleans jazz and second line parades. It has also been played in sports events and performed by marching bands during halftime shows. It is one of the most recognizable and beloved songs in American music history.
Line by Line Meaning
We are traveling in the footsteps
Of those who've gone before
But we'll all be reunited (but if we stand reunited)
On a new and sunlit shore (then a new world is in store)
We are following the path of our ancestors, but we will meet again in an eternal and prosperous world if we stay united.
O when the Saints go marching in
When the Saints go marching in
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
I want to be amongst the righteous when they enter heaven.
And when the sun begins to shine
And when the sun begins to shine
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
I want to be counted among the faithful when the end times come, and the sun reveals the light of God.
When the moon turns red with blood
When the moon turns red with blood
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
I want to be among the saved when the world is consumed by destruction and chaos.
On that hallelujah day
On that hallelujah day
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
I want to be there on the day when the faithful have their ultimate victory and praise God with exaltation.
O when the trumpet sounds the call
O when the trumpet sounds the call
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
I want to be counted among the believers when the trumpet of God sounds on the day of reckoning.
Some say this world of trouble
Is the only one we need
But I'm waiting for that morning
When the new world is revealed
Some people believe that we only need this world of pain, but I look forward to the day when the new world is revealed.
When the revelation comes
When the revelation comes
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
I want to be among the faithful when the end times come and the true nature of God is revealed.
When the rich go out and work
When the rich go out and work
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
I want to be there when the rich and powerful are made accountable and have to work hard for their salvation.
When the air is pure and clean
When the air is pure and clean
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
I look forward to the day when our world is not polluted, and we can take joy in breathing in the pure air of God's creation.
When we all have food to eat
When we all have food to eat
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
I want to be present when no one has to suffer from hunger, and everyone is provided with God's bounty.
When our leaders learn to cry
When our leaders learn to cry
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
I want to be there when the mighty weep, and those in charge realize the error of their ways and turn towards God.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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