Continued Exploration: A Musical Analysis of "What a Wonderful World"
In America, this song became a beloved standard, but when it was first released in 1968, it barely dented the charts, peaking at #116. It was more appreciated 20 years later when it was used in the Robin Williams movie Good Morning, Vietnam; the song was re-released to coincide with the film, and this time charted at #32.
Armstrong's jazz style can be clearly heard in his performance of "What a Wonderful World."
Lyrics
The words which the writers used in this song are simple, yet meaningful. Rick Moore, in an article he wrote for American Songwriter: The Craft of Music, described the lyrics by saying, "'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' – that’s the first verse, and it says more in 25 words than many songs say in their entirety." I think the lyrics to this song are part of the reason why it became so popular.
Form
Although the chorus of "What a Wonderful World" is relatively short, I still consider the song to be written in a sort of verse-chorus form. After a short instrumental introduction, this song goes directly into the first verse. Following that, the song continues with the chorus, the second verse, and the chorus again. This is where there appears to be a bridge connecting the chorus to the third verse. Next, there is a fourth and final verse directly after the third verse. Finally, there is the chorus one last time and an outro. Unlike the intro, the outro is both lyrical and instrumental.
Tempo
The overall feel of this song is very relaxed and contemplative, and the tempo is no different. In fact, the tempo helps provide this feel to the song. The sheet music I found on Musicnotes: Sheet Music Anywhere says "Slowly" for the tempo marking. It also sounds like this varies slightly at the end of the song during the outro.
Dynamics
Overall, the dynamics are pretty consistent and moderate throughout the entire piece, but there are some brief changes at a few points. One of them happens during the third verse when Armstrong sings, "I see friends shaking hands,/sayin', 'How do you do!'/They're really sayin'/'I love you.'" It sounds like the the song grows slightly louder during this verse. At other times during the song, only one of the instruments will become louder or quieter. This happens often with the trombone in particular.
Meter
"What a Wonderful World" sounds like it is in 4/4 meter, or common time. This can especially be heard during the instrumental introduction. The sheet music I found on Musicnotes: Sheet Music Anywhere also says that the song has a 4/4 meter. This is another musical element that contributes to the overall feel of the song that I mentioned before.
Personal Reaction
When all these musical aspects are put together they help form a song that is somehow relaxing, energizing, and meaningful. It definitely has an appreciative tone to it as well which can help make the mood of a whole room more thankful for the little things in life. Personally, I love this song! I hope this analysis can help you enjoy listening to it as well.
Sources
Moore, Rick. "Behind The Song: Louis Armstrong, “What A Wonderful World”." American Songwriter: The Craft of Music. American Songwriter. Accessed November 25, 2020. https://americansongwriter.com/what-a-wonderful-world-louis-armstrong-behind-the-song/
Song Facts. "What a Wonderful World." Song Facts, LLC. Accessed November 25, 2020. https://www.songfacts.com/facts/louis-armstrong/what-a-wonderful-world
"What a Wonderful World." Musicnotes: Sheet Music Anywhere. Musicnotes, Inc. Accessed November 25, 2020. https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0019007&gclid=CjwKCAiAnvj9BRA4EiwAuUMDfxG3DYTuB2JX5D1H9_UYGFxseS49LWyf5Fri1L3giwp__8mTctKfWxoCi24QAvD_BwE
"What a Wonderful World" is quite a classic. In my family, we find ourselves singing the lyrics on occasion. I wonder why it wasn't as popular when it was first released? I bet it had something to o with the platform in which it was released. There's something about the way a song is represented or attached to something else that makes it popular. For example, if Frozen's "Let it Go" hadn't been attached to the movie Frozen, I wonder if it would have been as popular as it is?
ReplyDeleteWhat you mentioned about dynamics is true. I definitely notice a rise in volume and intensity as the third verse rolls around. This song is so easy going but sad too. There's just something about it that will always stick with me. Thank you for sharing your thoughts Hannah!
I never knew that "What a Wonderful World" came out so early but instead thought it first came out for the movie Good Morning , Vietnam. When I first played the song I immediately thought about Finding Dory when Dory, Hank and the rest of the fish come flying out the truck and back in to the ocean. However if I think back I remember really hearing the song for the first time when I watched Madagascar and it was playing in the background after they all had ended up in Madagascar and were just starting to have their melt downs. There is something about Louis Armstrong voice that makes the song good and rememberable because I think if someone with a more "plain" voice would have sang it then the song would have lost something important.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog! It is definitely a great song and the perfect song we could all listen to during this pandemic! Really helps us appreciate everything right in front of us. I did some research as to why it was not a hit in the US when it first came out and according to SmoothRadio, ABC Records head Larry Newton did not like the song and chose not to promote it. It really is a beautiful song. Great work!
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