What a Wonderful World
Song written for Louis Armstrong, became a global standard.
"What a Wonderful World" is a song written by Bob Thiele, credited under the pseudonym George Douglas, and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong on August 16, 1967. The song was conceived during the mid-1960s, a period marked by the Kennedy assassination, the Vietnam War, and racial strife; Thiele and Weiss deliberately crafted it as an uplifting piece specifically for Armstrong, inspired by his ability to unite people across racial divides. Although one source claims Tony Bennett was first offered the song and declined, Armstrong biographer Ricky Riccardi disputes this. Armstrong recorded the song at Bill Porter’s United Recording studio in Las Vegas, following his midnight show at the Tropicana Hotel. Arranger Artie Butler, along with the songwriters, attended the session. ABC Records president Larry Newton, who wanted a lively pop song like Armstrong’s earlier hit "Hello, Dolly!", tried to halt the recording upon hearing its slow tempo. He was physically removed and locked out of the studio. The session was also interrupted twice by freight train horns, but Armstrong remained composed and laughed off the disruptions. To ensure the orchestra was paid overtime, Armstrong accepted only the musicians’ union minimum of $250. The song topped the UK Singles Chart in April 1968, making Armstrong the oldest male to achieve that feat, but it sold fewer than 1,000 copies in the United States due to Newton’s refusal to promote it. It eventually reached number 116 on the Billboard Bubbling Under chart. The song gained enduring popularity after being featured in the 1987 film *Good Morning, Vietnam*, leading to a reissue that reached number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988. Armstrong’s recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.
- Songwriters
- Bob Thiele (as George Douglas) and George David Weiss
- First recorded by
- Louis Armstrong
Lore & Background
Bob Thiele, using the pseudonym George Douglas, co-wrote the song with George Weiss. Thiele said the inspiration came during the mid-1960s amid the Kennedy assassination, the Vietnam War, and racial strife, aiming to write a 'different' song specifically for Louis Armstrong. George Weiss stated he wrote the song for Armstrong, inspired by his ability to bring together people of different races. One source claims the song was first offered to Tony Bennett, who turned it down, but Armstrong biographer Ricky Riccardi disputes this. Armstrong recorded the song at Bill Porter's United Recording studio in Las Vegas after his midnight show at the Tropicana Hotel. ABC Records president Larry Newton, who wanted a swingy pop song like "Hello, Dolly!," tried to stop the session upon hearing the slow pace. He was physically removed and locked out of the studio. Newton later refused to promote the song, leading to fewer than 1,000 copies sold initially in the US. The session was also interrupted twice by freight train horns, but Armstrong laughed it off. It made Armstrong the oldest male to top the UK Singles Chart.
Reader's Guide
The song’s initial commercial trajectory was sharply divided. ABC Records president Larry Newton, who had wanted a lively pop number similar to Armstrong’s earlier hit “Hello, Dolly!,” objected to the slow tempo of “What a Wonderful World” and physically tried to halt the recording session; he was removed and locked out of the studio. Newton subsequently refused to promote the single, resulting in fewer than 1,000 copies sold in the United States. In contrast, the song became a major success in the United Kingdom, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart and becoming the biggest-selling single of 1968 there, while also making Armstrong the oldest male artist to top that chart. The song gradually gained status as a pop standard through repeated media exposure: it was performed by Rowlf the Dog on *The Muppet Show* in the late 1970s, featured in the closing scenes of the BBC radio and television adaptations of *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy*, and was prominently used in the 1987 film *Good Morning, Vietnam* (despite the film’s 1965 setting, two years before the song was recorded). This film placement prompted a reissue as a single in 1988, which reached number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one in Australia. The song’s cultural significance also extended to legal precedent: in 2001, a lawsuit brought by the song’s owner, Abilene Music, against rappers Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, and the Alchemist for adapting three lines of the lyric into a marijuana-themed invitation was dismissed after a judge ruled the altered version constituted a parody. Armstrong’s original recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, and by 2014 it had sold over 2.17 million digital downloads in the United States.
Did You Know?
- ABC Records president Larry Newton was physically removed and locked out of the recording studio because he tried to stop the session.
- The recording session was interrupted twice by nearby freight train horns, forcing the orchestra to start over.
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