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At the time of its release, the iconic ‘What a Wonderful World’, sung by the gravelly-voiced Louis Armstrong, was not a hit for the audience it was originally intended for. Written by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss, the song was written to offer hope and optimism to Americans, in a time that saw an increasing amount of strained political and racial tension throughout the country.
The song describes the simple pleasures in life – the colours of nature, love, watching a baby cry and develop and grow- simple things which, incidentally, were also celebrated a few years previously in the song ‘My favourite Things’, from the musical ‘The Sound of Music’.
The hopefulness of both songs rests on reminding people of the bigger picture. It must be stated however that ‘The Sound of Music’ is set in Nazi occupied Austria. In 1968, race relations were causing controversy throughout America. These two painted pictures were obviously both very bad, whether one was loosely based on World War 2 and the other portraying current struggles – but the music was there to comfort those who would embrace it.
Had this song been publicised properly, many Americans may have found solace in it. The main publicist at ABC records sadly did not take to the song, and it only managed to sell less than 1,000 copies in the States upon its release.
Across the pond however it was a different story. It was an instant hit and stormed the top of the UK charts on 24th April 1968, staying there for almost a month before being knocked off the top sport by Union Gap Ft. Gary Pucket, and their song ‘Young Girl’.
In Europe, ‘What a Wonderful World’ became the biggest selling record of that year. Due to the success of the song there, (sadly not before Armstrong’s death in 1971), the song was re-released in the US where it quickly became a top-ten hit.
The association that immediately springs to mind when thinking about ‘What a Wonderful World’ is ‘Good Morning Vietnam’. The song was often played over scenes of extreme violence, used in an ironic way to show the two extremes of human disposition.
The song has also been used countless times since 1968, with most radio stations and artists respecting the original recording, but a remixed version by ‘Beatbox vs. DJ Miko’ can be found on a dance simulation game.
‘What a Wonderful World’ has been sung by various contestants on talent shows and been described by many professionals as a ‘classic’. Last year Stacey Solomon sang it on her first audition of the X Factor (British version) and then again when she made it into the final.
The positive connotations of the song have also drawn the family orientated Disney brand to it, often being used to promote all that the company has to offer.
One thing is for certain – although Louis Armstrong’s greatest-selling song was released over 40 years ago, it is inevitable that ‘What a Wonderful World’ will live on in the hearts of many for decades to come.
Sky Matthews is a freelance writer with a passion for musical history. She is very interested in how music has interacted and shaped the course of history and if important historical events can be told through the medium of music alone. Aside from being a writer, Sky moonlights as a croupier at a Casino.
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