What a Wonderful World

"What a Wonderful World"
Single by Louis Armstrong
from the album What a Wonderful World
B-side	"Cabaret"
Released	October 18, 1967
Format	7"
Recorded	August 16, 1967
Genre	Traditional pop, ballad, Jazz
Length	2:21
Label	ABC 10982, HMV
Songwriter(s)	Bob Thiele (as George Douglas) George David Weiss[1]
Producer(s)	Bob Thiele[1]
Louis Armstrong singles chronology
"Mi va de cantare" (1967) "What a Wonderful World" (1967) "Hello Brother" (1968)
"Mi va de cantare" (1967) "What a Wonderful World" (1967) "Hello Brother" (1968)

"What a Wonderful World" is a pop ballad written by Bob Thiele (as "George Douglas") and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong and released in 1967 as a single, which topped the pop charts in the United Kingdom.^[1] Thiele and Weiss were both prominent in the music world (Thiele as a producer and Weiss as a composer/performer).^[2] Armstrong's recording was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. The publishing for this song is controlled by Memory Lane Music Group, Carlin Music Corp. and BMG Rights Management.

History

The song was initially offered to Tony Bennett, who turned it down.^[3] Thereafter, it was offered to Louis Armstrong. George Weiss recounts in the book Off the Record: Songwriters on Songwriting by Graham Nash that he wrote the song specifically for Louis Armstrong. Weiss was inspired by Armstrong's ability to bring people of different races together. The song was not initially a hit in the United States, where it sold fewer than 1,000 copies because ABC Records head Larry Newton did not like the song and therefore did not promote it,^[4] but was a major success in the United Kingdom, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart.^[1] In the US, the song hit No. 116 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Chart. It was also the biggest-selling single of 1968 in the UK where it was among the last pop singles issued by HMV Records before becoming an exclusive classical music label.^[5] The song made Louis Armstrong the oldest male to top the UK Singles Chart, at sixty-six years and ten months old.^[1] Armstrong's record was broken in 2009 when a cover version of "Islands in the Stream" recorded for Comic Relief—which included the 68-year-old Tom Jones—reached number one in that chart. Tony Bennett did go on to cover "What A Wonderful World" several times, as in 2003 with k.d. lang, paying homage to Bennett's friend, Armstrong.

ABC Records' European distributor EMI forced ABC to issue a What a Wonderful World album in 1968 (catalogue number ABCS-650). It did not chart in the US, due to ABC not promoting it,^[6] but charted in the UK where it was issued by Stateside Records with catalogue number SSL 10247 and peaked on the British chart at No. 37.

The song gradually became something of a standard and reached a new level of popularity. In 1978, Armstrong's 1967 recording was featured in the closing scenes of the first series of BBC radio's cult hit, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and was repeated for BBC's 1981 TV adaptation of the series. In 1988, Armstrong's recording appeared in the film Good Morning, Vietnam (despite the film being set in 1965 — two years before it was recorded) and was re-released as a single, hitting No. 32 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1988. The single charted at number one for the fortnight ending June 27, 1988 on the Australian chart. It is also the closing song for the 1995 movie 12 Monkeys.

In 2001, rappers Ghostface Killah, Raekwon and The Alchemist released "The Forest," a song that begins with three lines of lyric adapted from "What a Wonderful World", altered to become "an invitation to get high" on marijuana.^[7] The rappers and their record company, Sony Music Entertainment, were sued by the owners of "What a Wonderful World," Abilene Music. The suit was thrown out of court after Judge Gerard E. Lynch determined that the altered lyric was indisputably a parody, transforming the uplifting original message to a new one with a darker nature.^[7][8]

By April 2014, Louis Armstrong's 1967 recording had sold 2,173,000 downloads in the US after it was released digitally.^[9]

Charts and certifications

Peak positions

Certifications

Other notable versions

• 1967: Louis Armstrong, million selling original version
• 1989: Roy Clark, on his album of the same name (peaked at No. 73 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart)^[25]
• 1992: Nick Cave, single sung with Shane MacGowan, in 2005 also published on the album B-Sides & Rarities
• 1993: Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Hawaiian ukulele version (medley with "Somewhere Over the Rainbow") on the album Facing Future (sold over 2.5 million copies in the U.S. and Canada alone)^[26]
• 1999: Anne Murray, on her platinum release of the same name, which also spawned a book and video (the album reached No. 1 on the US CCM chart, No. 4 on the US Country chart, and No. 38 on the top 200)
• 2002: Joey Ramone's posthumous version was used for the ending credits of Michael Moore's film Bowling for Columbine
• 2002: Da Vinci's Notebook ended their album Brontosaurus with an a cappella version
• 2003: Sarah Brightman. Harem album
• 2004: Rod Stewart recorded a version of the song with Stevie Wonder for Stewart's album Stardust: The Great American Songbook, Volume III (released in the US as the lead single from the album and by early 2005 reached No. 13 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart^[27]
• 2007: Foxygen covered the song on their self-produced first album Jurrassic Exxplosion Phillipic
• 2007: Katie Melua, singing with Eva Cassidy's version to raise money for the Red Cross (reached No. 1 in the UK chart in December 2007)
• 2008: Ministry, along with other cover songs on their album Cover Up
• 2009: The Clarks's version was recorded for their album Restless Days. This version was also featured on The Simpsons's Season 27 premiere, Every Man's Dream.
• 2010: Ziggy Marley's version on The Disney Reggae Club
• 2012: Pat Byrne reached No. 3 in the Irish Singles Chart after appearing on The Voice of Ireland
• 2012: Playing For Change,the music charity, recorded this song featuring Grandpa Elliott^[28]
• 2015: Tiago Iorc's version was recorded to be used as the opening theme of the Brazilian telenovela Sete Vidas^[29]
• 2013: Renée Geyer on her album Swing (2013)
• 2016: Tally Koren's version was recorded to be used in her album "A Love Song for You"
• 2016: Violinist Vov Dylan recorded this song as part of a fundraiser album "World Lullabies" for the "Starlight Foundation" in Australia^[30]

Appearances in film and television

Film

Television

Sources

• Internet Movie Database^[31]
• Jim Henson's Red Book^[32]

References

External links

• How political is What A Wonderful World? BBC News article about history and meaning of song
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
• Barrueco & Balles Music play What a Wonderful World

Anne Murray
Studio albums	What About Me This Way Is My Way Honey, Wheat and Laughter Straight, Clean and Simple Talk It Over in the Morning Anne Murray / Glen Campbell Annie Danny's Song Love Song Highly Prized Possession Keeping In Touch Together There's a Hippo in My Tub Let's Keep It That Way New Kind of Feeling I'll Always Love You Somebody's Waiting Where Do You Go When You Dream The Hottest Night of the Year A Little Good News Heart over Mind Something to Talk About Harmony As I Am You Will Yes I Do Croonin' Anne Murray What a Wonderful World Country Croonin' I'll Be Seeing You Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends
Christmas albums	Christmas Wishes Anne Murray Christmas The Season Will Never Grow Old Best of the Season My Christmas Favorites What a Wonderful Christmas Anne Murray's Christmas Album Icon: Christmas
Compilations	Snowbird Country A Country Collection Anne Murray's Greatest Hits Country Hits Songs of the Heart Love Songs Greatest Hits Volume II From Springhill to the World The Very Best of Anne Murray 15 of the Best Her Greatest Hits and Finest Performances Now & Forever The Best… So Far An Intimate Evening with Anne Murray Ultimate Collection All of Me 10 Great Songs: Inspirational Classics Icon
No. 1 singles	"Snowbird" "Sing High, Sing Low" "A Stranger in My Place" "It Takes Time" "Talk It Over in the Morning" "I Say a Little Prayer/By the Time I Get to Phoenix" "Cotton Jenny" "Danny's Song" "What About Me" "A Love Song" "He Thinks I Still Care" "Son of a Rotten Gambler" "You Won't See Me" "You Needed Me" "I Just Fall in Love Again" "Shadows in the Moonlight" "Broken Hearted Me" "Daydream Believer" "Lucky Me" "I'm Happy Just to Dance with You" "Could I Have This Dance" "Blessed Are the Believers" "We Don't Have to Hold Out" "It's All I Can Do" "Another Sleepless Night" "Hey! Baby" "Somebody's Always Saying Goodbye" "A Little Good News" "Just Another Woman in Love" "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do" (with Dave Loggins) "Time Don't Run Out on Me" "Now and Forever (You and Me)"
Other songs	"Thirsty Boots" "Put Your Hand in the Hand" "Night Owl" "Robbie's Song for Jesus" "Everything's Been Changed" "Send a Little Love My Way" "Just One Look" "Day Tripper" "Uproar" "Sunday Sunrise" "The Call" "Golden Oldie" "Things" "Walk Right Back" "That's Not the Way (It's S'posed to Be)" "I Don't Think I'm Ready for You" "Who's Leaving Who" "Are You Still in Love with Me" "Anyone Can Do the Heartbreak" "Perfect Strangers" "If I Ever Fall in Love Again" (with Kenny Rogers) "Feed This Fire" "Bluebird" "I Can See Arkansas" "Make Love to Me" "The Wayward Wind" "Born to Be with You" "Over You" "That's What My Love Is For" "That's the Way It Goes" "What a Wonderful World"
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