Just got curious about the origins of the Louis Armstrong classic "Christmas Night in Harlem," and ... yow. Armstrong's lyrics are very much not the original ones.
"Christmas Night In Harlem" was written in the 1930s and first recorded by the Paul Whiteman orchestra, an extremely popular all-white band of the era. The original lyrics were full of references like "coal black Joe," and that recording added some dire spoken word stuff too.
Armstrong's version drops all but one of the original's explicit (and generally hackneyed/racist/creepy) references to blackness, transforming it from a song that's outside Harlem looking in to one that's rooted in the tradition of sentimental songs about the place you're from.
(The only racial reference Armstrong's version retains is "with a kiss and a hi-de-ho," a tip of the hat to the great Cab Calloway and the Cotton Club. Not an accident.)
Anyway, all this reminds me what an extraordinary place Armstrong carved out for himself in American popular culture. If you're in, or going to be visiting, NYC, you should stop by @ArmstrongHouse, particularly at Christmas.
(I'm gonna go check out the history of "'Zat You, Santa Claus?" now. Pray for me.)
A little more: Turns out that "Christmas Night in Harlem" was written for a show called "Blackbirds of 1934," a vaudeville style revue with strong minstrel-show overtones. Black performers, including some giants, but leaning on racist tropes and playing for white audiences.
The show was widely panned when it appeared, from what I can glean, with the NY Times reviewer cringing almost audibly on the page.
"Zat You, Santa Claus?" on the other hand appears to have been written for Armstrong—or at least, he was the first to record it. Can't find anything on the guy who wrote it, in a quick search.
Oh, and @ArmstrongHouse—are y'all doing the period Christmas decorations again this year, or was that a one-time thing the year that I went in December? Can't find anything on your website, but it was a hoot when I was there.
Ah, wonderful! The Louis Armstrong museum has a bunch of old 1970s-era ornaments from Louis' next door neighbor donated as part of her estate when she died, and they're a glorious seasonal addition to the house.
Here's a piece from a few years back about how the @ArmstrongHouse does Christmas—it really is a lot of fun. cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/04/goi…
