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 ve-been a good ole wagon
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
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I'm playin' quits now, right from this very night
You've had your day, don't stand around and frown
You've been a good ole wagon, daddy, but you done broke down
Now, you better go to the blacksmith's shop and get yourself overhauled
There's nothin' about you to make a good homin' for
Nobody wants a baby when a real man can be found
When the sun is shinin', it's time to make hay
I've seen 'mobiles operate, you can't make that wagon pay
When you were in your prime, you loved to run around
You've been a good ole wagon, honey, but you done broke down
There's no need to cry and make a big show
This man has taught me more about lovin' than you will ever know
He is the king of lovin', has manners of a crown
He's a good ole wagon, daddy, and he ain't broke down
The lyrics of Louis Armstrong's song "You've Been a Good Ole Wagon" depict a woman who is ending her relationship with her partner, telling him that he has "done broke down" and is no longer fit for her. She urges him to go to the blacksmith's shop and try to fix himself, but ultimately tells him that he is no longer what she is looking for. She contrasts her current partner with a new man who she believes is a better match for her, praising his "manners of a crown" and declaring him the "king of lovin'."
This song is a prime example of traditional blues music and the theme of a relationship ending due to one partner's inadequacy is a common theme in the genre. The title "You've Been a Good Ole Wagon" is a metaphor for the woman's partner, comparing him to a broken down wagon that is no longer useful. The song's upbeat tempo and Louis Armstrong's signature raspy voice add a layer of irony to the lyrics, making the song both humorous and relatable.
Line by Line Meaning
lookee here daddy, I wanna tell you, please get out o' my sight
Listen to me, father, I need you to leave my presence
I'm playin' quits now, right from this very night
I'm ending our relationship tonight
You've had your day, don't stand around and frown
Your time is over, don't linger and be unhappy
You've been a good ole wagon, daddy, but you done broke down
You were once reliable, but now you're no longer useful
Now, you better go to the blacksmith's shop and get yourself overhauled
You need to make some changes to yourself
There's nothin' about you to make a good homin' for
There's nothing desirable about you
Nobody wants a baby when a real man can be found
No one wants an immature person when they can have a mature one
When the sun is shinin', it's time to make hay
When there's an opportunity, take advantage of it
I've seen 'mobiles operate, you can't make that wagon pay
I've seen modern things in action, and you can't keep up with them
When you were in your prime, you loved to run around
When you were young, you enjoyed being wild and carefree
You've been a good ole wagon, honey, but you done broke down
You were once sweet and reliable, but now you're no longer useful
There's no need to cry and make a big show
There's no need to be overly emotional
This man has taught me more about lovin' than you will ever know
My new partner is a better lover than you
He is the king of lovin', has manners of a crown
He is an expert in love and has great manners
He's a good ole wagon, daddy, and he ain't broke down
He is reliable and still useful
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN WILLIE HENRY
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