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.
Wrap Your Troubles In A Dream
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They're only gray for a day
So wrap your troubles in dreams
And dream your troubles away
Until that sunshine peeps through
There's only one thing to do
Just wrap your troubles in dreams
Your castles may tumble
That's fate after all
Life's really funny that way
No use to grumble
Just smile as they fall
Weren't you king for a day? Say
Just remember that sunshine
Always follows the rain
So wrap your troubles in dreams
And dream your troubles away
Louis Armstrong's "Wrap Your Troubles In A Dream" is a song that encourages people to be optimistic, even when times are tough. The song begins with the assumption that bad weather can bring down one's mood. However, Armstrong reminds the listener that the gray skies will soon clear up, and things will look better. He then suggests that rather than dwell on problems, one should imagine pleasant and positive things. He states that by doing so, one can "dream your troubles away." This line implies that by envisioning a better future, one can feel better in the present.
In the second verse, the message becomes more earnest, stating that though things may not always go as planned, it's essential to stay positive. The metaphor of the castle crumbling and using humor to overcome setbacks is further mentioned. Armstrong uses the example of a person who was king for a day but lost their crown the next day- they need not be unhappy about it since they had the experience of being a king in the first place.
The final verse reiterates that good times are never too far away, and rather than dwelling on unhappiness, one should focus on the silver lining- the sunshine that follows the rain- and imagine a happy future while seeing the beauty in both the good and the not so good times.
Line by Line Meaning
When skies are cloudy and gray
When the weather is dreary and dark
They're only gray for a day
It won't stay that way forever
So wrap your troubles in dreams
Think about something better as a distraction
And dream your troubles away
Use your imagination to escape
Until that sunshine peeps through
Wait until brighter times come
There's only one thing to do
You don't have to do anything except wait
Just wrap your troubles in dreams
Take solace in your imagination
And dream your troubles away
Make your worries disappear in your mind
Your castles may tumble
Things may not always go as planned
That's fate after all
It's something that can't be controlled
Life's really funny that way
Experiencing ups and downs can be unexpected
No use to grumble
Complaining won't improve the situation
Just smile as they fall
Accept things as they are and stay positive
Weren't you king for a day? Say
Remember the good moments you've experienced
Just remember that sunshine
Keep in mind that brighter times will come
Always follows the rain
Good times often come after tough times
So wrap your troubles in dreams
Use your imagination to find comfort
And dream your troubles away
Relax or escape from your worries in your mind
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
Written by: TED KOEHLER, BILLY MOLL, HARRY BARRIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Seeforth1
SIGH >>> HOW VERY SWEET! MANY THANKS LOUIS!
@gotdakko
Great video. Insanely great song. Love you forever, Pops!
@checcoz
Treme yeah
@ryancoulter4797
There were two takes that armstrong Recorded. Treme used the one with out the buh buh buh scatting.
@Theworkingclassdrummer
ole' New Orleans
@nazarenalusana0691
❤
@jazzloves9300
will someone please post artie shaw's version of the same song, please. i had it but it was an outright theft by a GANSTER affiliated with the initials JG. Pops, would know him from my youth in nyc. pity, please play it. thnks
@dymitrmarkiewicz876
Very nice version of number 1, but missing at the end of the term. Sorry for the comment. Dymitr Markiewicz