LOUIS ARMSTRONG - “What A Wonderful World”
(#249, 27th April 1968)
I went to a wedding at the weekend and this was their choice of first song. In that context, an occasion anyhow suffused with goodwill, it works fine. Otherwise, it’s too cloying for me - an overload of wide-eyed sincerity. Armstrong’s voice, taken just as a sonic event, is really quite strange: all phlegm, growl and chuckle, every line wheezing out but never quite ending. He overplays the wise old grandfather angle - he sounds parodically ancient, preposterously kindly, a giant threadbare teddy bear stuffed with mucus. On the similar, but better, “We Have All The Time In The World”, the obvious contradiction between hopeful sentiment and wizened performance gives the song some bittersweet weight, but this is like a relative’s overlong hug and I’m happy when it ends. 4
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Tom on August 15th, 2006
I posted this twice, have attempted to delete one but it refuses to budge from my frontpage. I hope nobody else is suffering from double Armstrongs.
FT's Pete Baran on August 15th, 2006
One Armstrong is enough for me.
I think you might be being a little bit harsh here, though I understand why. Not sure if there is a contradiction between wizened performance and sentiment: surely the old are allowed to be (and often are) more sentimental than the rest of us.
Though I hated it as the bookend to Hitch-Hikers Guide To The Galaxy, (I hated what I saw as Adams using it ironically - not so sure now).
FT's Admin on August 15th, 2006
Sorry about that Tom! the front page is cached, and i’ve set the cache to clear when a new item is published, but forgot to clear it when an item is deleted! gone now anyway.
Tom on August 15th, 2006
Sorry Pete, my ambiguity: of course the elderly can be sentimental. I meant that there’s a fruitful (if a bit obvious) part-contradiction between ‘having all the time in the world’ and ’sounding as old as the hills’.
Chris Brown on August 15th, 2006
Actually, I’ve grown to love this one. Maybe not a 10 for me but at least a 7. Yes, it’s an unusual voice but I think that’s exactly why it works… if (and indeed when) it’s sung by a more normal singer it’s just schlocky but this performance is what makes it work. Ironically, Cliff had a hit with it (in a medley with ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’, which wasn’t even an original combination).
This also made him (probably) the oldest living chart-topper, although I don’t think he knew exactly when he was born anyway.
By the way, I presume that isn’t the original cover. It’s still a bit odd, because this is the one hit he doesn’t play trumpet on.
Erithian on August 16th, 2006
Pete - using this song ironically was also done in “Good Morning Vietnam”. This is one of those Number 1s it’s interesting to consider in the context of the time - it reached the top three weeks after the assassination of Martin Luther King, and with the other goings-on in the spring of 1968 it was probably reassuring to reach for a bit of unironic sentiment. Beautiful piece of music too.
Chris - yes, he’s the oldest living artist to reach number 1 at 66 (a little older than Hilda Woodward of Lieutenant Pigeon), but everyhit.com gives an honourable mention to Kenneth Wolstenholme, who was just short of 70 when his “they think it’s all over - it is now” World Cup Final commentary was used in “World in Motion”!
FT's Martin Skidmore on August 16th, 2006
I thought John Lee Hooker beat the age record with Boom Boom, but I might be misremembering that.
I think this is a beautiful song.
Brian on August 16th, 2006
I wouldn’t have much to say about this song had I not seen a mini-biography on TV last week.
Considering Armstrong’s life and all he had to put with , it’s quite remarkable that he retained any sort of hope or love left.
Interesting tid-bit was that he placed in an orphanage at a very young age for allegedly shooting a gun into the air at a New Orleans party. In the orphange he made to join the marching band as form of discipline and he was given a trumpet/coronet to play. And went on , depending on who you believe , to ” invent ” jazz.
The voice reflects the hardship and through the lyric re-affirms a faith that really has no right to be there.
Brian in Canada
FT's pˆnk s lord sükråt cunctør on August 16th, 2006
armostrong is one of my all-time cultural heroes — all the things g.marcus sez abt ELVIS apply to satchmo AND MORE (ok and minus some)
FT's Doctor Mod on August 16th, 2006
I agree completely with Tom, especially regarding the cloyingness of this song.
It is sad, I think, if this recording is ALL that some nowadays know of Armstrong’s huge recorded output. I say “nowadays” because this song has never gone away. It’s one of those that follow you around via muzak and other public media. Ah, well–sentimentality sells.
As to age records, I read something a couple of years ago about Yoko Ono having her first (and only) number one at 70 on one of the US Billboard charts (dance music, I think).
blount on August 16th, 2006
yeah a ‘walking on thin ice’ reissue topped billboard’s always bizarre dance chart; obv recorded well before she was 70 though. armstrong famously knocked beatles off the top in 64 w/ ‘hello dolly’, hit #7 on the adult contemporary (who knew ac existed in 68 - surely this is a retcon rename of another format right?) w/ ‘mame’ - did ‘what a wonderful world’ appear in a musical? strange intersection between ‘jazz - w/ strings!’ and mancini goo - never the tension of the former or the ridiculousness of the latter, probably would’ve benefited from one or the other. i’m trying to think of what contemporary might’ve bettered armstrong w/ this - judy garland maybe? nearly anyone else would’ve made it unlistenable, either of his high society costars try it and you’ve got the smuggest record ever made maybe.
blount on August 16th, 2006
btw any chance ‘tell it like it is’ or ‘gris-gris gumbo ya ya’ topped the britcharts in 68? wondering how many new orleans connex might pop up yet (’what a wonderful world’ > ‘lady madonna’ ie. 6 > 5).
intothefireuk on August 16th, 2006
Can’t agree with the rating. This is surely one of the least pretentious & cynical recordings to reach number one. Louis is hopelessly sincere and that’s what lifts this record out of sclock-dom.
ITF
Chris Brown on August 16th, 2006
Specialist charts don’t count. And neither do re-issues (if they did, Elvis would be the winner, because he topped the charts 70 years after he was born).
I have to admit I hadn’t thought of Ken Wolstenholme, although he’s sort of on the borderline between being a member of a chart act (which I would count) and just being somebody who appears on a record (which I wouldn’t); it’s sort of ambiguous because of the one-off nature of Englandneworder.
Brian’s comment up there reminds me that I heard James Morrison (he’s a bit like James Blunt, but not as bad) explain that his song of the same title was distantly inspired by this, but that he was trying to show the downside of life too. He appeared to think that Louis Armstrong was unaware of suffering, and that he was thus improving upon the original.
FT's pˆnk s lord sükråt cunctør on August 16th, 2006
armstrong never heard morrison!! in a key sense he WAS unaware of suffering!!
Tom on August 16th, 2006
More than most songs the mark for this one was reliant on my mood on the day I did the write up - I was in a bad one so a 4 it is. Without Armstrong’s sincerity (and the intriguing strangeness of his voice) it wd have been 2 or 1!
I like sincerity, but I like cynicism too - both can make for great or bad pop. It’s no coincidence surely that this track was covered by the Flaming Lips, who have spent a career using sincerity as an annoying bludgeon.
As a child of the 1980s I think sincerity allied to ‘pretension’ is my favourite thing of all.
blount on August 17th, 2006
the flaming lips covered ‘lady madonna’ too! i suspect!
FT's Doctor Mod on August 17th, 2006
As a child of the 60s reborn in the 80s–it’s a long story that needn’t be told–I, too, am quite fond cynicism and pretention.
Ergo, I have no problem accepting Yoko Ono’s #1 as a REAL #1.
I’d rather listen to a cynical and pretentious old woman (who can really do the mock sincerity thing while she’s at it) than a sentimental old codger any day.
I’d go raving mad if I had to listen “Wonderful World’ repeatedly, but just keep on dancing to “Thin Ice.”
Marcello Carlin on August 17th, 2006
“Tell It Like It Is” made #49 in Britain in ‘67.
Dr John has never had a British hit single.
Chris Brown on August 19th, 2006
I wasn’t attempting a critique of ‘Walking On Thin Ice’ (I can’t really remember what it sounds like) but I take it straight out of contention as a Number One because it was only Number One on the dance chart, and in America anyway. On the basis we’re looking at here, it was a Number 35 (both times, in fact).
Mary on February 11th, 2007
I ‘m doing Louis Armstrong on my music assignment. So I need to know a few things…so I think it’s cool if you did some interesting info as well
PS: How many pieces did he perform and compose? And what were they?
PPS: My mum’s fav song is what a wonderful world
Kaylee wintersgill on May 10th, 2007
ure songs are beast put some on a web site ……mmm please put what a wonderful world on if you make a site because its my favourite song you are elish and singing xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Al Ewing on May 11th, 2007
Always remember: URE SONGS ARE BEAST and YOU ARE ELISH
Hal on October 1st, 2007
“I never tried to prove nothing, just wanted to give a good show. My life has always been my music, it’s always come first, but the music ain’t worth nothing if you can’t lay it on the public. The main thing is to live for that audience, ’cause what you’re there for is to please the people.”
– Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong