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.
You're Drivin' Me Crazy
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why did you leave me lonely?
For here's a heart that's only
For nobody but you!
I'm burning like a flame, dear
Oh, I'll never be the same, dear
I'll always place the blame, dear
Yes, you
You're driving me crazy!
What did I do? What did I do?
My tears for you
Make everything hazy
Clouding the skies of blue
How true
Were the friends who were near me to cheer me
Believe me, they knew
But you
Were the kind who would hurt me, desert me
When I needed you!
Yes, you!
You're driving me crazy!
What did I do to you?
The lyrics of Louis Armstrong's song "You're Drivin' Me Crazy" express a feeling of sadness, loneliness, and heartbreak that the singer is experiencing due to the actions of a former lover. He addresses the person who left him and questions why they did so, expressing that his heart only belongs to them. The singer is consumed by the memory of the relationship and can't seem to let go, as evidenced by his burning desire for the person and his refusal to blame anyone but them for his sadness. He then goes on to describe how the relationship has affected him physically and emotionally, as he feels like he is going crazy, and everything around him is hazy and clouded because of his tears. Despite having friends who tried to help him during this difficult time, the singer feels that he was repeatedly hurt and abandoned by the person he loved the most.
The lyrics of this song capture a common theme of heartbreak and longing that can be found in many musical genres. Louis Armstrong's soulful delivery and the emotional lyrics help to convey the pain of heartache and the struggle to move on after losing a loved one. This song was popularized in the 1930s and became an enduring classic of the jazz and swing music scene. Today, the song remains a timeless example of the power of music to express deep emotions and connect with audiences.
Line by Line Meaning
You left me sad and lonely
Why did you leave me sad and lonely?
For here's a heart that's only
There is a heart that belongs to nobody but you
I'm burning like a flame, dear
I feel the intense pain of separation from you
Oh, I'll never be the same, dear
I can never be the same again after losing you
I'll always place the blame, dear
I will always blame myself for what happened
On nobody but you
Because it was only you who mattered to me
Yes, you
It was you who caused all this pain and hurt
You're driving me crazy!
Your absence is causing me extreme emotional distress
What did I do? What did I do?
I don't know what I did wrong to deserve this
My tears for you
My tears are flowing because of my love for you
Make everything hazy
My tears are clouding everything around me
Clouding the skies of blue
Even the sky doesn't seem clear anymore because of my tears
How true
It is so true that
Were the friends who were near me to cheer me
My friends were there to support me and make me happy
Believe me, they knew
They were aware of how much I loved you
But you
However,
Were the kind who would hurt me, desert me
You were the one who caused me pain and abandoned me
When I needed you!
Just when I needed you the most
What did I do to you?
I'm still trying to understand why you did this to me
Lyrics © DONALDSON PUBLISHING CO, TOBAGO MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: Walter Donaldson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alexandermarquis6197
This reminds of the good old days, having a radio bring in some type of entertainment. To our depressed lives was a treat to behold
@caiojuliocesar1
Genius
@JBCo2012
Thank for uploading this sonic gem.
@thendrjazz
Lionel Hampton's drums start off this great version of a new tune that will become a standard. Louis recorded with Les Hite's band that Louis was fronting at Fran Sebastian's Cotton Club in the Los Angeles area in 1930
@micaiahsmart998
This is louis? He sounds like fats weller
@paulluchter137
Waller