What a Wonderful World … I am so grateful for this song, which I first heard in high school when it made a comeback in the U.S.A., and am amazed at its ‘wonderful’ and somewhat frustrating history.

George Weiss was inspired by Louis Armstrong’s ‘ability to bring people of different races together’ and wrote the song with Bob Thiele specifically for the jazz legend. “Because he was gigging at the Tropicana Hotel, Armstrong recorded the song in Las Vegas … The session was scheduled to follow Armstrong’s midnight show, and by 2 am the musicians were settled and tape was rolling. Arranger Artie Butler was there with songwriters Weiss and Thiele, and Armstrong was in the studio singing with the orchestra. Armstrong had recently signed to ABC Records, and ABC president Larry Newton showed up to photograph Armstrong. Newton wanted a swingy pop song like “Hello, Dolly!”, a big hit for Armstrong when he was with Kapp Records, so when Newton heard the slow pace of “What a Wonderful World”, he tried to stop the session. Newton was locked out of the studio for his disruption, but a second problem arose: nearby freight train whistles interrupted the session twice, forcing the recording to start over. Armstrong shook his head and laughed off the distractions, keeping his composure. The session ended around 6 am, going longer than expected. To make sure the orchestra members were paid extra for their overtime, Armstrong accepted only $250 musicians union scale for his work.”

WOW! What a man! And can you imagine locking out the president of your new record label??? What guts for the entire team. Unfortunately, Newman had a temporary revenge by refusing to promote the record and it didn’t become a hit in the U.S.A. until it was included in a soundtrack in the 80s (though it was a #1 hit in the U.K. at its release).

This song has meant so much to me over the years and I have taught it to a number of my students (sheet music). It’s hard to remember sometimes, but it truly is a WONDERFUL WORLD! Thank you for reading!

Find this video on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/uke.n.me/videos/833324954002064 .

Post filed under All UkulelePlay! Blog Posts.