When people think of the
classic song “What A
Wonderful World” by Louis
Armstrong, they usually
don’t think about the
difficulties and pain
experienced by African
Americans during the
Harlem Renaissance.
Instead, they think
about the beauty of
the world. Nevertheless,
the lyrics also hide the
pain African Americans
were suffered at the time.
Louis Armstrong sung
this song and popularized it
during the Harlem
Renaissance. This was an era marked by cultural celebration, as people allowed the arts to
create a light in a dark time. The African Americans were dealing with prejudice, and even
after slavery was abolished, they were still often held as slaves. The song, “What a Wonderful
World,” shows that even in a time of darkness, happiness can be found. Armstrong sings
about the beauty in the trees and flowers: “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.” Armstrong was the
grandson of slaves and a man born to a poor family. His father left the family and Louis
Armstrong was raised by his mother and grandmother. The beauty he was looking for and
singing about wasn’t just related to what was happening in his life at the time, but about the
past and his future.
Louis first discovered music when a musician named Joe "King" Oliver taught Louis to
play the cornet. In 1916, he played brass bands on the riverboats and steamboats of New
Orleans.
Joe Oliver kick-started Louis’s career in music. Louis’s knowledge of music allowed him to
perform beautiful pieces like “What a Wonderful World.” The music playing is a beautiful,
slow jazz that shows the pain that African Americans had to suffer, yet he sings about the
beauty found in the midst of the pain and difficulties. Jazz was used to bring people joy when
they were in hard times; it could let them get up and dance and allow them to forget their
problems for a little while.