(Songwriter George David Weiss died last month at 89. This story ran in American Songwriter in 2003.)
“I see trees of green, red roses, too
I watch ‘em bloom, for me and for you
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world…”
By Steven Rosen
If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s not a wonderful world right now.
Yet at the same time, hardly a day goes by we don’t hear the song “What a Wonderful World” somewhere.
Recently, it was included on Rod Stewart’s Grammy-winning album of standards, “Stardust – The Great American Songbook: Volume III.” It was also an integral part of Celine Dion and Anne Geddes’ tribute to childbirth and babies, “Miracle.”
In 2002, it was the title of Tony Bennett’s and kd lang’s Grammy-winning album of duets. And that same year, it served as the unofficial theme of Michael Moore’s Oscar-winning documentary “Bowling for Columbine,” which spotlighted both Louis Armstrong’s famous original version and a buoyant punk-rock version by the late Joey Ramone.
The worse things seem to get in this world, the more popular this wistfully romantic ballad seems to get. As Bennett said to this writer via E-mail, “This song belongs to all humanists, pacifists, people who dream of peace in the world. Despite the evening news, there are many more people who feel this way than those who want war.”
The song isn’t really part of the Great American Songbook. It was written long after that golden era peaked. It owes its popularity primarily to its ironic use in Barry Levinson’s 1987 film “Good Morning Vietnam” – the song plays during footage of war atrocities.
The scene works as a blunt instrument of truth in a film that until that point had used comedy and distancing melodrama to disguise its disgusted attitude toward that war. The impact was so great that Armstrong’s song finally dented the U.S. Top 40 charts in 1988 – 21 years after Armstrong first recorded and released it.
George David Weiss, a professional songwriter whose biggest success had been Elvis’ “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” wrote the song at the request of Armstrong’s producer, Bob Thiele. A pioneering jazz trumpeter of great accomplishment, Armstrong had developed a second career as a pop crooner of sorts with 1964’s “Hello Dolly” and was looking for new material.
In a 2003 interview with this writer, Weiss recalled being thrilled at the prospect. “Bob Thiele said, ‘George, do a demo with yourself at the piano and I’ll bring it down to him.’ So I sat down and made a quick demo. I’m told that when Bob Thiele played it for him and his little group, they loved it and adored it. (Armstrong) said, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, sure.’”
Weiss meant the song as a hopeful racial allegory at a time when the country was being torn apart by racial and political strife. Weiss idolized Armstrong for being a goodwill ambassador who had become the first jazz musician to visit Africa when its colonies were becoming independent nations. (Armstrong toured Ghana in 1956.)
“When I wrote the song, I included the idea of blacks and whites – the colors. My whole metaphor for the song was based upon the fact it was (Armstrong) who went around and tried to bring people together. It meant the world to everybody.”
Although the song flopped in the U.S. upon release, it became a Number One hit in Britain. When Armstrong died in 1971 at age 69, it started to take on a bittersweet ironic meaning. The wistfulness became melancholy – a voice from the grave looking back on what it now missed. “Good Morning Vietnam” picked up on that.
Some of the more memorable recent versions have touched upon that melancholy – or tried to transcend it. One example is Nick Cave and Shane MacGowan’s ragged duet from 1992 – Cave, a former heroin addict, trying to help the heavy drinker MacGowan find strength to go on.
And Hawaiian vocalist Israel Kamakawiwo’s lilting “Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” medley, featured in 1998’s “Meet Joe Black and 2000’s “Finding Forrester,” became popular after he had died in 1997.
By now, the song has become its own life force – bigger than its mere-mortal singers. “It has surpassed ‘Cant Help Falling in Love,’ which was my biggest song,” Weiss said. “I love it, I love it, and I can’t get over it.”
WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD
Taken from this post:
George David Weiss on "What a Wonderful World"
