Louis Armstrong, who was nicknamed "Satchmo," was a popular figure who made an impact in the jazz world. What exactly is jazz and what is the meaning of jazz? Some think of jazz simply as a genre of music that was born in New Orleans. Others say jazz comes straight from the rhythm of the heart. However, Louis Armstrong defines jazz differently; according to the article called “Miles Davis — Music as Emotional Instability,” when Armstrong was questioned about what jazz is, his reply was “If you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know.” What is meant by his answer is that jazz is something that one has to find out by him or herself and in order to know jazz, one must feel the music, not ask for the meaning. Three of his songs, “What a Wonderful World,” “We Have All The Time in the World,” and “La Vie en Rose,” introduce a similar topic and share a common theme: love and the world. Midnight in Paris, directed by Woody Allen, is a romantic comedy movie about a screenwriter and novelist by the name of Gil Pender. He and his fiancée were vacationing in Paris, where one day, Gil meets a strange group of people who apparently took him back in time to the 1920s for one night with some Jazz Age’s icons of art and literature. In the end, Gil bumps into Gabrielle, an antique dealer, and learn that they both share the love of Paris.
Jazz musician Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901, in New Orleans in one of the poorest sections. According to William Ruhlmann, a contributor to the All Music website, Armstrong had a rough childhood because “his father, [who] was a factory worker, abandoned the family soon after [Armstrong’s] birth.” He began to show an early interest in music and was later mentored by Joe “King” Oliver, an American jazz cornet player. An article called "Satchmo: The Life of Louis Armstrong” offers a saying from trumpeter and jazz musician Wynton Marsalis: “Louis Armstrong is jazz. He represents what music is all about.” Armstrong influenced the direction of jazz music and earned the reputation as the best jazz player of his time. The 1920s was when Armstrong’s performance revolutionized the jazz world when he introduced the extended solo as he was playing with other musical groups. This article also explains that even though “the history of jazz is filled with ... innovative musicians,” no one had such a profound influence in the jazz world as Armstrong did. His performances changed the jazz world dramatically.
In addition to being a performer, Armstrong was a composer as well. According to the Louis Armstrong House Museum website, “he wrote more than fifty songs, many of which have become jazz standards.” Some of Armstrong’s famous and popular songs include “What a Wonderful World,” “La Vie en Rose," and "We Have All the Time in the World.” These songs intertwine in which they share a common topic of the world and love. In "What a Wonderful World," which suggests that one should enjoy life and enjoy what is around you because nothing lasts forever, the tone is optimistic and poetic. The mood created is serene, calm, and cheerful because of how Louis Armstrong describes the world as a beautiful place to live in. Armstrong’s song shows that even though there is so much hatred and violence in the world, the world is still a beautiful world to live in and enjoy and that there is a chance for pain to cease and make life peaceful again. The song has a metaphor: "Colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky are also on the faces of the people passing by." The comparison shows that the people are looking cheerful as they are walking. In "La Vie en Rose," the tone is also optimistic. The song’s title literally translates into “Life in Pink." The part of the song that goes “When you kiss me, heaven sighs” is a personification that shows that love is the most wonderful thing that makes someone feel jubilant about life.
"We Have All the Time in the World" is a song that suggests that the time that we have in the world is enough time for us to live. He speaks specifically about love and how everyone has enough time to spend just for love. The tone is joyful since he feels enthusiastic about loving someone. This song in the way interconnects the other two songs together because "What a Wonderful World" describes a world that is beautiful while "La Vie en Rose" describes love that Armstrong cherishes because he says if he is given the heart and soul of the one he desires, then life will forever be in "La Vie en Rose." In "We Have All the Time in the World," the song brings both elements, the world and love, and combines them together saying that the world is beautiful when one has love. One of Armstrong's saying which is mentioned in the article “Smashed Hits: How political is What a Wonderful World” describes both those elements: “Seems to me it ain't the world that's so bad but what we're doing to it, and all I'm saying is: see what a wonderful world it would be if only we'd give it a chance. Love, baby — love. That's the secret.” He is basically saying the world is beautiful if one tries to love the world the way the world is now because this all depends on one's perspective. If one looks at the world negatively, then there is no beauty in the world.
