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.
Yes-yes! My-my!
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My, my
Oh, do I love her? Yes, yes
Does she love me? My, my
Yes, yes, my, my, she's mine
When she kisses, yes, yes
My heart misses, my, my
She's a hunk of heaven between two slices of happiness
If you wondered, "Do I love her?" I dwell at her caress
Now, is she gorgeous? Yes, yes
Do I love her? My, My
Yes, yes, my, my, she's mine
The song “Yes! Yes! My! My!” by Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra describes a young woman who seeks her mother's permission to go out dancing and potentially begin a romance with a man. The woman is concerned about potentially improper behavior from the man, and seeks guidance from her mother. The lyrics depict a dynamic in which the woman is seeking permission and guidance from her mother, who acts as a voice of authority and a source of wisdom. Overall, the lyrics suggest that the woman is seeking approval and support from her mother as she navigates a potentially challenging romantic situation.
The lyrics of “Yes! Yes! My! My!” reflect a cultural moment in which societal norms placed significant limitations on the behavior of young women. The woman in the song is seeking permission and guidance from her mother, suggesting that her independence and agency are limited by cultural expectations. The song also reflects the gendered power dynamics of the time, in which men were often seen as the active party in a romantic encounter, while women were expected to be passive and obedient.
Overall, “Yes! Yes! My! My!” is a fascinating artifact of its time, reflecting the cultural norms and values of the early 20th century. By depicting a mother as an authority figure and a source of guidance for her daughter, the song underscores the limited agency and independence of young women at the time. At the same time, the song also reflects the anxieties and uncertainties of young women as they navigated the complexities of courtship and romance.
Line by Line Meaning
I've gotta be good or mama will scold me
I must behave well or my mother will rebuke me
Yes, yes, yes
Affirmative response
I asked her and this is what she told me
I inquired, and she gave me an answer
Mother, may I go out dancing? Yes, my darling daughter
May I attend a dance, mother? Yes, my beloved child
Mother, may I try romancing? Yes, my darling daughter
May I engage in romantic activity, mother? Yes, my beloved child
What if there's a moon, mama darling, and it's shining on the water
What if there's a moonlit night, dear mother, with its reflection on the water
Mother, must I keep on dancing? Yes, my darling daughter
Do I have to keep dancing, mother? Yes, my beloved child
What if he'll propose, mama darling, when the night is growing shorter?
What if he asks for my hand, dear mother, before the night is over?
Mother, what should be my answer? Yes, my darling daughter
What should I say, mother? Yes, my beloved child
Oh mama, oh mama, oh mama, oh mama
Affectionate address to mother
What if he should insist on one embrace, mama,
What if he's persistent for a single caress, mother
How can I keep him in his place
How can I stop him from crossing a line
If his manner becomes a shade improper?
If his behavior becomes slightly inappropriate?
Tell him that your heart belongs to papa
Tell him that your heart is already taken by father
Mother, will it be exciting? Yes, my darling daughter
Will it be thrilling, mother? Yes, my beloved child
Mother, do I look inviting? Yes, my darling daughter
Do I look appealing, mother? Yes, my beloved child
If he holds me tight, mama darling, and my knees just turn to water
If he embraces me intensely, dear mother, and I feel weak in the knees
Mama must I keep on dancing? Yes, my darling daughter
Do I have to keep dancing, mother? Yes, my beloved child
What if he'll persist, mama darling, doing things he hadn't oughta
What if he continues to behave improperly, dear mother
Mama, what should be my answer? Yes, my darling daughter
Mother, what should I say? Yes, my beloved child
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Sammy Cahn, Saul Chaplin
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