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.
Youre Just In Love
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
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I smell blossoms and the trees are bare
All day long I seem to walk on air
I wonder why, I wonder why
I keep tossing in my sleep at night
And what's more I've lost my appetite
Stars that used to twinkle in the skies
Are twinkling in my eyes I wonder why
(You don't need analyzing)
(It is not so surprising)
(That you feel very strange but nice)
(Your heart goes pitter patter)
(I know just what's the matter)
(Because I've been there once or twice)
(Put your head on my shoulder)
(You need someone who's older)
(A rub down with a velvet glove)
(There is nothing you can take)
(To relieve that pleasant ache)
(You're not sick, you're just in love)
I hear singing and there's no one there
(You don't need analyzing)
(It is not so surprising)
I smell blossoms and the trees are bare
(That you feel very strange but nice)
All day long I seem to walk on air
(Your heart goes pitter patter)
(I know just what's the matter)
I wonder why
(Because I've been there once or twice)
I wonder why
I keep tossing in my sleep at night
(With your head on my shoulder)
(You need someone who's older)
And what's more I've lost my appetite
(A rub down with a velvet glove)
Stars that used to twinkle in the skies
(There is nothing you can take)
(To relieve that pleasant ache)
Are twinkling in my eyes
(You're not sick)
I wonder why
(You're just in love)
(And I know why)
And I know why
I'm just in love
Louis Armstrong's song "You're Just In Love" is a light-hearted tune about falling in love. The lyrics embody the feelings of love as they take the listener on a journey through the sensations experienced by someone who has fallen in love. The song speaks about hearing singing and smelling blossoms even though there is nobody around, and feeling like one is walking on air, unable to determine why. It goes on to explain the bodily effects of love such as losing one's appetite, tossing and turning in bed, and having twinkling stars in one's eyes.
As the song progresses, Armstrong offers advice to the lovesick listener, highlighting the need for an older, more experienced person to confide in for comfort. He also explains that there is nothing one can do to alleviate the pleasant ache of being in love.
Overall, the song reflects the ubiquitous feelings of falling in love and provides a comforting and lighthearted perspective on how to handle these emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
I hear singing and there's no one there
I am experiencing the joy of love, even though it is not visibly present
I smell blossoms and the trees are bare
I am sensing the beauty of love, even though it is not reflected in my surroundings
All day long I seem to walk on air
I feel the lightness and happiness that love brings throughout my day
I wonder why, I wonder why
I am curious about the intensity of my emotions and the reasons behind them
I keep tossing in my sleep at night
My mind is consumed by thoughts of love even when I am resting
And what's more I've lost my appetite
The excitement of love has taken priority over my physical needs
Stars that used to twinkle in the skies
The world around me has become imbued with the magic of love
Are twinkling in my eyes I wonder why
I am surprised by the depth and brightness of my emotions
You don't need analyzing
These sensations of love do not require explanation or justification
It is not so surprising
The intensity of these emotions is not uncommon or unexpected
That you feel very strange but nice
The unfamiliarity of emotions brought on by love is a pleasant sensation
Your heart goes pitter patter
The physical sensation of my heart beating faster reflects my emotional state
I know just what's the matter
I recognize these sensations because I have experienced love before
Put your head on my shoulder
I am offering comfort and support to someone experiencing these emotions
You need someone who's older
Experience has given me insight into how to navigate these emotions
A rub down with a velvet glove
Gentle handling and understanding is needed when dealing with these emotions
There is nothing you can take
These emotions cannot be eased by distractions or substances
To relieve that pleasant ache
The intensity of emotions brought on by love is a pleasant and fulfilling sensation
You're not sick, you're just in love
The overwhelming sensations brought on by love can feel foreign, but they are a natural and healthy part of being human
And I know why
I understand and relate to the experience of being in love
I'm just in love
My feelings of love are pure, intense, and consuming
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: IRVING BERLIN
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