Louis Armstrong’s Record Label Tried To Stop What Became His Biggest Hit in 1967

It’s hard to imagine a world without “What A Wonderful World” in it. The song, out by Louis Armstrong in 1967, remains among the biggest hits of his career. Written by Bob Thiele (initially credited as George Douglas) and George David Weiss, the song is the title track of one of Armstrong’s albums and a global success.

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So it’s ironic that the song almost didn’t see the light of day, thanks to Armstrong’s record label. “What A Wonderful World” says, “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.”

It’s a sentiment that Larry Newton, the head of Armstrong’s record label at the time, was adamantly against. So much so, he reportedly went to the studio in the middle of the night while “What A Wonderful World” was being recorded. His goal was to stop the song entirely. When it was still recorded, Newton refused to promote it to radio stations. His refusal is why “What A Wonderful World” did not initially become a hit in the United States. Fortunately, it did chart in other countries.

Newtown’s dislike of the song didn’t keep Armstrong, or anyone else in the studio, from having a good time while recording “What A Wonderful World”.

“I remember Louis and I laughing out loud till it hurt,” arranger Artie Butler says. “We actually hung on to each other to keep from falling over from laughter.”

How  Louis Armstrong’s “What A Wonderful World” Became a Hit Decades Later

“What A Wonderful World” was written with Armstrong in mind. The song was inspired by the strife in the mid-1960s in the United States, with the political unrest due to the Vietnam War, the tragic assassination of John F. Kennedy, and more.

Sadly, Armstrong did not get to see “What A Wonderful World” become a classic in the United States. Armstrong passed away in 1971. In 1987, “What A Wonderful World” was used in the blockbuster film Good Morning, Vietnam. The movie caused a resurgence of the song on the charts, becoming the posthumous hit for Armstrong that it should have been in the beginning. 

While Armstrong’s version remains the most well-known, he is far from the only artist to record “What A Wonderful World”. Willie Nelson, Roy Clark, Rod Stewart, and Anne Murray are among the many artists who also recorded “What A Wonderful World”.

In 2020, a video of “What A Wonderful World” was released on August 4. Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901.

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