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 You Wish Upon A Star "Pinocchio"
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They possess a gift or two
One of them is this
They have the power to make a wish come true
When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you
If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do
Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing
Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true
When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you
If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do
Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing
Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true
Louis Armstrong's song 'When You Wish Upon a Star' is about the power of dreams and how they have the power to make wishes come true. The song begins by acknowledging the gift of individuals who are born under a star, giving them power to make wishes come true. The chorus of the song emphasizes that anyone has the ability to make their heart’s desires come true when they wish upon a star, irrespective of who they are. The lyrics urge listeners to believe in their dreams and desires, even if they are extreme, and that when they are true to their dreams, fate comes to their aid.
The song also refers to how the universe brings the fulfillment of secret longings to those who love. It acknowledges the mysterious and exciting ways in which fate can bring about unexpected turn of events, just as a bolt out of the blue. By the end of the song, the lyrics repeat the sentiment of the chorus, concluding that dreams indeed can come true when they are aligned with the power of the universe and the stars above.
Line by Line Meaning
When a star is born
Whenever a star first appears in the sky
They possess a gift or two
They have certain special qualities or abilities
One of them is this
One of these abilities is that
They have the power to make a wish come true
They can grant a wish that someone makes
When you wish upon a star
If you make a wish directed at a star
Makes no difference who you are
It doesn't matter who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you
Whatever you really want will be given to you
If your heart is in your dream
If you passionately desire something
No request is too extreme
There is no limit to what you can ask for
As dreamers do
Just like people who dream big
Fate is kind
Destiny is benevolent
She brings to those who love
Destiny grants those who have a deep desire
The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing
The satisfying realization of their deepest desires
Like a bolt out of the blue
Suddenly and unexpectedly
Fate steps in and sees you through
Destiny intervenes and helps you succeed
When you wish upon a star
If you make a wish directed at a star
Your dreams come true
Your deepest desires are realized
When you wish upon a star
If you make a wish directed at a star
Makes no difference who you are
It doesn't matter who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you
Whatever you really want will be given to you
If your heart is in your dream
If you passionately desire something
No request is too extreme
There is no limit to what you can ask for
As dreamers do
Just like people who dream big
Fate is kind
Destiny is benevolent
She brings to those who love
Destiny grants those who have a deep desire
The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing
The satisfying realization of their deepest desires
Like a bolt out of the blue
Suddenly and unexpectedly
Fate steps in and sees you through
Destiny intervenes and helps you succeed
When you wish upon a star
If you make a wish directed at a star
Your dreams come true
Your deepest desires are realized
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@CarlaSophieMar
💫 ⭐️
"When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you
If your heart is in your dream, no request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star as dreamers do
Fate is kind
She brings to those to love
The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing
Like a bolt out of the blue, fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true"
🌟 ✨
@dchern
» Different source (3 / 35)
» Info
When a star is born
They possess a gift or two
One of them is this
They have the power to make a wish come true
When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you
If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do
Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing
Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true
When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you
If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do
Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing
Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true
---
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
written by NED WASHINGTON, LEIGH HARLINE
@marusnyamoso9344
I wish louis Armstrong was still alive so he can make more music, it makes me ☺
@sunshineandstarlight
It's so beautiful
@jahnathannerette
In my opinion, this is the greatest song ever written!
@weewangwang7340
Neil Armstrong is the first man to step on moon Louis Armstrong is the first man to step my heart to the moon =) Utopia~
@pitchinrules88
Lance armstrong first man to run over my foot with his bike
@jaydabillybruh1545
i have nothing to say hear my arm is just strong
@Seburo77
Louis really sparks life into this classic song. And I'm not crying, its just a spot of dust... :)
@TheBonfire22
Songs like this come along only once in a while. Louis Armstrong was and still is a great singer. He is definitely one of the greats in music.
@laurenposada4226
One of the BEST musicians ever!!!!! 😪💖💞💖😭
@deaniemberry
Louis was amazing, and what a great song!