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.
Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My, oh, my, what a wonderful day.
Plenty of sunshine headin' my way,
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay!
Mister Bluebird's on my shoulder,
It's the truth, it's "actch'll"
Everything is "satisfactch'll."
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay,
Wonderful feeling, wonderful day!
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay,
My, oh, my, what a wonderful day.
Plenty of sunshine headin' my way,
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay!
Mister Bluebird's on my shoulder,
It's the truth, it's "actch'll"
Everything is "satisfactch'll."
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay,
Wonderful feeling, feeling this way!
Mister Bluebird's on my shoulder,
It's the truth, it's "actch'll"
Everything is "satisfactch'll."
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay,
Wonderful feeling, wonderful day!
Louis Armstrong's "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" is a bright and cheerful song that captures the beauty of a perfect day. The lyrics are simple and straightforward but hold a deep meaning that everyone can relate to. The song starts with the repetition of "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay," which creates a happy and uplifting mood. The line "My, oh, my, what a wonderful day" emphasizes the goodness of the day and the feeling of happiness that comes with it. The chorus then continues to talk about the abundance of sunshine heading the singer's way, which exemplifies the idea of being blessed with good fortune.
The third line of the song, "Mister Bluebird's on my shoulder," is a metaphor for the singer's cheerful disposition, making everything "satisfactch'll." Essentially, the singer is saying that because everything is going well, even the little things like having a bird on their shoulder are making them happy. The repetition of "actch'll" emphasizes the innocence and light-heartedness of the song.
In all, "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" is an uplifting song that celebrates the joy and optimism that a perfect day brings. It emphasizes the importance of having a positive outlook on life and finding happiness in small things. The song is a reminder that even on bad days, good ones will come, and we should cherish them.
Line by Line Meaning
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay,
I am feeling happy and carefree.
My, oh, my, what a wonderful day.
Today is a great day, and I am grateful for it.
Plenty of sunshine headin' my way,
Things are going well for me, and I expect them to continue to do so.
Mister Bluebird's on my shoulder,
I am surrounded by nature, and it brings me joy.
It's the truth, it's "actch'll"
I'm telling the truth, and there's evidence to support that.
Everything is "satisfactch'll".
Everything is going according to plan and is satisfactory.
Wonderful feeling, wonderful day!
I feel good, and today is a great day.
Wonderful feeling, feeling this way!
I am experiencing a great sense of joy and happiness.
Contributed by Luke A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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