Louis Armstrong’s Musical Masterpiece: Embrace the Beauty of ‘What A Wonderful World
“What a Wonderful World” is a pop ballad written by Bob Thiele (under the pseudonym “George Douglas”) and George David Weiss. The song was first recorded by Louis Armstrong and released in 1967 as a single, topping the pop music charts in the United Kingdom. Both Thiele and Weiss were prominent figures in the music industry, with Thiele being a producer and Weiss being a composer and performer.
Louis Armstrong’s recording of the song was introduced in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. The song’s publishing is managed by Memory Lane Music Group, Carlin Music Corp, and BMG Rights Management.
Did You Know?
The song “What a Wonderful World” was initially introduced to Tony Bennett, who reportedly turned it down. However, there’s a dispute about this claim as Louis Armstrong’s biographer, Ricky Riccardi, opposes it. George Weiss, one of the songwriters, mentioned in the book “Off the Record: Songwriters on Songwriting” that he wrote the song specifically for Louis Armstrong. Weiss was inspired by Armstrong’s ability to bring people of different races together.
Louis Armstrong recorded the song in Las Vegas at the Tropicana hotel, in a recording studio owned by Bill Porter. The recording session was planned to coincide with Armstrong’s late-night show, and by 2 a.m., everything was set up and the recording was underway. Artie Butler, the arranger, was present along with songwriters Weiss and Theile. Armstrong was in the recording booth with the orchestra. At the time, Armstrong had recently signed with ABC Records, and the president of ABC, Larry Newton, came to take photos of Armstrong. Newton was looking for an upbeat pop song similar to “Hello, Dolly!” which had been a big hit for Armstrong during his time with Kapp Records.
When Newton heard the slow tempo of “What a Wonderful World,” he tried to stop the recording session and was eventually escorted out for disrupting the process. However, another issue arose: the sound of nearby train whistles interrupted the recording twice, causing the session to restart. Armstrong shook his head, laughed off the interruptions, and remained calm.
The recording session finally concluded around 6 a.m., lasting longer than expected. To ensure the additional time was compensated, Armstrong only accepted $250, following the standard union pay rate for the song.
This iconic song captures the sentiment of appreciating the beauty of the world despite its challenges and remains a beloved classic.
Song Video
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 worldI see skies of blue
And clouds of white
The bright blessed day
The dark sacred night
And I think to myself
What a wonderful worldThe colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Saying, “How do you do?”
They’re really saying
“I love you”I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They’ll learn much more
Than I’ll never know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful worldYes, I think to myself
What a wonderful worldOh yeah