Give piece a chance.....

It truly is a Wonderful World, but it took a bit to get there.

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

Bob Thiele (as George Douglas) and his buddy George David Weiss wrote this song in 1967.  According to Lyrics Genius, it was written during the time of the Vietnam War to try and bring hope to the millions of victims suffering the effects of the war like the loss of many loved fathers, sons and husbands - as well as for the 'half cast' children who were sent away from their mothers to a foreign land with foreign people.

Weiss wrote the song specifically for Louie Armstrong to sing as he was inspired by Louie's ability to bring together people of different races.

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

Armstrong had a gig at the Tropicana in Vegas - but it didn't get over until Midnight.  Still, he agreed to meet Thiele and Weiss to record it at a nearby studio AFTER his performance at the Tropicana.

Armstrong had recently signed with ABC Records, and president Larry Newton showed up to snap pics of Louie. Nelson wanted a swingy song like "Hello Dolly" so when he heard the lyrics and the slow pace of Wonderful World, he tried to stop the show and he had to be physically removed and locked out so recording could continue, ie, "give the piece a chance" Larry!

The 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"

Just when it was thought all was well and good (2am by now), Louie would start singing, the musicians would start playing, then "CHOO CHOO", whistles from nearby trains would stop the recording. (Ever been to Knuckleheads!)..  Louie shook his head, laughed, and kept his composure throughout.

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 world

Finally... finally.. recording was finished at 6am.  To make sure the folks in the orchestra were paid extra for their overtime, Louie accepted only union scale for his work.

Yes, I think to myself
What a wonderful world

Oh yeah

Ceptin', Nelson tweren't happy about his removal, thus, he refused to promote the song.. it reached #1 in England, but not so in the US.  There was an episode of The Muppet Show in 1978 had Rowlf the dog singing it, but it wasn't until the film "Good Morning, Vietnam" used it and was re-released in 1988 that it FINALLY hit the charts in the US.

Finally, finally, Rolling Stone, in 2021, ranked it as song #171 in "The Top 500 Best Songs of All Time."

Louie got knocked down, but he got up again.  My take, that one guy didn't know shit from Shinola. (And, as long as today is back to school, we ain't too old to learn, Shinola was a popular boot polish in the first half of the 20th Century.)

Kinda like life, and, the 440 yard hurdles, there be some obstacles in the way sometimes.  Louie jumped 'em.

I've always loved this song, loved Louie's expressions, vigor, smiles, happiness....... Now that the piece has been given a chance, I love it even more.

Now you know the rest of the story,

Harvey Paul <-- so I won't get sued for plagiarism.

Love, Victurd