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.
Where Did You Stay Last Night?
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey baby, where did you stay last night?
I got rocks in my bed and my pillow ain't sleeping just right
Say, I cried last night and I cried all the night before
Yes, I cried last night, all the night before
Come on home, baby, so I don't have to cry no more
No, I ain't mad at you, tell me what you want poor me to do
I'll steal, beg, borrow, do any ol' thing for you
Yes, I love that man, he's built up from the ground
Yeah, he's long and tall, stacked up from the ground
I get so weak, whenever he comes to town
Got a man over here, got a man over there, but the man over here
Baba-re-bob, baba-re-bob
Baba-re-baba-re-baba-re-baba-re-bob
Hey baby, get your basket, let's truck down to the woods
Baby, go get your basket, truck down to the woods
Say we may not pick no berries
But we both sure will come back feeling good
Say, I ain't good looking, I ain't built so fine
But all of us like me cause I take my time
Louis Armstrong's song, "Where Did You Stay Last Night?" is a classic blues ballad that speaks to a woman's pain and desperation for the return of her lover. The woman, in the song, addresses her lover by calling him "big daddy" and pleads with him to tell her where he was the night before. She complains that her bed is made of rocks, and her pillow isn't comfortable because of the absence of her lover. The woman is in deep sorrow as she cries because her lover wasn't there for her over the past two nights. She asks him to come back home so she won't have to cry anymore.
The woman goes on to declare her love for her man, whom she says is built up from the ground and tall. She admits that she has other men in her life but none compares to her lover who can make her feel weak whenever he comes to town. Though she is not mad at him, she would do anything for him, including stealing, begging, or borrowing.
Moreover, the song speaks to a common theme of the blues genre, unrequited love, which is tied to historical factors. Slavery and the oppression of Black people meant that relationships between people were often complicated. Men and women might have been bought and sold apart from each other, or taken away by force, making it difficult to maintain sustained relationships. The song can also be seen as an expression of Black women's experiences of abandonment and longing for their lovers.
Line by Line Meaning
Big daddy, big daddy, where did you stay last night?
Asking a man about his whereabouts from the previous night.
Hey baby, where did you stay last night?
Asking a woman about her whereabouts from the previous night.
I got rocks in my bed and my pillow ain't sleeping just right
Unable to sleep peacefully due to emotional turmoil caused by suspicion or mistrust.
Say, I cried last night and I cried all the night before
Expressing personal emotional turmoil or distress.
Come on home, baby, so I don't have to cry no more
Asking someone to return home in order to alleviate emotional distress.
'Cause, I ain't mad at you, pretty baby, I ain't mad at you
Expressing that one is not angry with or resentful towards someone else.
No, I ain't mad at you, tell me what you want poor me to do
Requesting guidance or direction from someone else.
I'll steal, beg, borrow, do any ol' thing for you
Expressing willingness to do anything for someone else out of love or devotion.
Yes, I love that man, he's built up from the ground
Expressing feelings of love or attraction towards someone with a strong and sturdy physical build.
Yeah, he's long and tall, stacked up from the ground
Further describing someone with a tall stature and strong physical presence.
I get so weak, whenever he comes to town
Feeling physically or emotionally overwhelmed by someone's presence or charisma.
Got a man over here, got a man over there, but the man over here
Describing a situation where one has multiple romantic interests, but one person in particular stands out.
Baba-re-bob, baba-re-bob Baba-re-baba-re-baba-re-baba-re-bob
Nonsensical or playful vocalization, perhaps intended as a musical interlude.
Hey baby, get your basket, let's truck down to the woods
Inviting someone to accompany them on a leisurely trip out of the house or town.
Baby, go get your basket, truck down to the woods
Further inviting someone to grab a basket and take part in an adventure or exploration.
Say we may not pick no berries But we both sure will come back feeling good
Acknowledging that the trip may not have a specific purpose, but the enjoyment of each other's company is guaranteed.
Say, I ain't good looking, I ain't built so fine
Humorously downplaying one's physical appearance.
But all of us like me cause I take my time
Accentuating a positive quality that others appreciate or admire, despite perceived physical shortcomings.
Contributed by Xavier O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Hulado
the next time Louie comes to earth we gonna fly even higher!
Tommy Schibli
Louis live Velma live great‘