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.
sunset café stomp
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sunset stomp got folks
Jumpin' up and down, all around
They yell, band men play some more
Charleston, Charleston
I'll say it's hot
But your black bottom, it's got 'em
Lord, it's going
And the people strain
Created in the crazy house
It sets good folks insane
Gentlemen, ladies too
Push 'em round and round
They lose their head
They'll drop dead
Doin' that sunset stomp
I said, doin' sunset stomp
The lyrics to Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five's song Sunset Cafe Stomp are full of energy and excitement. The song is clearly about a dance that has the power to get people up and moving. The lyric "Sunset stomp got folks jumpin', jumpin' up and down, all around" paints a clear picture of the craziness and frenzy that the dance creates. The following lines, "Charleston, Charleston, I'll say it's hot, but your black bottom, it's got 'em," suggest that the Sunset stomp is even hotter than the popular Charleston dance. The Sunset stomp is so exhilarating that it has the power to make "good folks insane." The final lines of the song are an invitation to join in on the dance and feel the rush of excitement that it creates.
Overall, Sunset Cafe Stomp is a lively and up-tempo song that showcases Louis Armstrong and his band's ability to create music that gets people moving. It's clear from the lyrics that this song was written to be a dance anthem, and the energy and excitement in the words perfectly match the music.
Line by Line Meaning
Sunset stomp got folks jumpin'
The song 'Sunset Cafe Stomp' is so lively and upbeat that people cannot resist jumping and dancing to its rhythm.
Sunset stomp got folks
The song is causing a lot of excitement and energy among the people listening to it.
Jumpin' up and down, all around
The people are jumping up and down and moving all around to the music.
They yell, band men play some more
The audience is so enthusiastic about the music that they are urging the band to keep playing.
Charleston, Charleston
A reference to the popular dance of the time, the Charleston.
I'll say it's hot
The music is so good and intense that it feels like the temperature has risen.
But your black bottom, it's got 'em
Although the Charleston dance is popular, the 'black bottom' dance has its own appeal and is drawing people in.
But, oh, that sunset stomp
Despite the popularity of other dances, the Sunset Cafe Stomp is the true star of the night.
Lord, it's going
The music is really heating up and reaching its peak.
And the people strain
The audience is so caught up in the music that they are exerting themselves to their limits.
Created in the crazy house
The Sunset Cafe, where the song was likely performed, was known for its wild and exciting atmosphere.
It sets good folks insane
The music is so good that it is driving the normally well-behaved people in the audience a bit crazy.
Gentlemen, ladies too
The people enjoying the music come from all walks of life.
Push 'em round and round
The excitement of the music is causing people to dance and move around in frenzied circles.
They lose their head
The music is so intense that people are getting caught up in the moment and losing their inhibitions.
They'll drop dead
The music is so good that it is almost overwhelming, but not quite to the point of causing people to faint.
Doin' that sunset stomp
People are still dancing and enjoying the Sunset Cafe Stomp.
I said, doin' sunset stomp
The singer reiterates that people are still dancing and enjoying the song.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LOUIS ARMSTRONG, PERCY VENABLE
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