Ain't Misbehavin'

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 This week I chose to analyze 'Ain't Misbehavin''. The lyrics were written by Thomas "Fats" Waller and the version at I will be analyzing is sung by Louis Armstrong. This was one of my favorite songs that we learned about this week!

 This song creates a happy, uplifting feeling. This is achieved by the up-beat tempo and rhythm of the song. To me, 'Ain't Misbehavin'' is a song that you could just get up and dance to. When I listen to it I imagine a couple dancing together back in the 30's. 

 There aren't many lyrics in this song, which makes me think that the emphasis of the song is on the music - the trumpet solos and melody, and the accompaniment of the piano - as opposed to the words that are sung. After listening to it a couple times, I looked up the lyrics and then listened again. I noticed that Louis Armstrong left out some words and added a few, like he was personalizing the song to him. I've noticed this about him in other songs that he sings too.

 I also think that this song fits into the societal part of the class theme Identity and Music. Louis Armstrong was one of the first singers to break the mold of singers having perfect voices. His voice has a unique roughness to it that I think is why he is so popular, and personally, I like that about his singing.  

Comments

  1. Nathan LeFevreJanuary 26, 2021 at 6:01 PM

    Hi Elizabeth, I have to agree with you 100% on the voice of Louis Armstrong, I love the imperfectness of his voice and I think it makes all of his songs very unique. I never noticed what you mentioned about the lyrics, and that interests me a lot. I now want to go listen to all of his music to see how he personalized it. Thank you for your comments.

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  2. Mackenzie WallJanuary 27, 2021 at 4:18 PM

    Liz, I found it really interesting what you thought about the lyrics to this song. I think it is brilliant that you looked up the lyrics and that you noticed Armstrong leaving out some. I totally agree with you that he is personalizing the song to fit him better and I’m really impressed that you noticed that. I really enjoyed your interpretation of this piece, great job!

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