The True Story of 'What a Wonderful World'

The inspiring journey of an inspired song

The year was 1967.

If this were a movie … you’d see a montage of violent images! (war, protests, racial injustice, civil unrest, etc.) Era-appropriate rock music playing in the background! (Hendrix! The Byrds! The Doors! etc!)

This, though, is not a movie. It is a Substack note/email thing from me to you.

So, to set the scene for our story, here is an image:

Feels like you’re in 1967 now, right?!?

I now bring your attention to a phone call. If this were a movie … the camera would pan from the exterior of a building and into a cluttered office.

Since it is not, here’s an image of two guys on the phone:

George, a songwriter, is on the phone with Bob, also a songwriter. They’ve each had some success, but you wouldn’t know it at the moment. At the moment, they are wondering if their best work is behind them.

There is a bit of hope, though.

The two have an opportunity to work on an album for Louis Armstrong! The Louis Armstrong. Music legend Louis Armstrong.

They knew this was a huge deal, but also knew Louis Armstrong was in, what the papers called, his ‘twilight years’.

Jazz music was mostly out of popular favor by 1967. Even so, Louis Armstrong had improbably recorded one of the biggest hits of his career: Hello Dolly. It was such a huge deal that the song bumped The Beatles from their then number 1 spot making him the oldest performer, at the time, to achieve chart success like this. He was 62.

Declining health (complications from a heart attack) had slowed him down. He’d been continually performing, but his heart had seen better days. Years of trumpet playing had done a number on his lips, too.

To generate some much-needed additional income (and help heal his busted mouth), Armstrong officially endorsed lip balm during this season which he sold and used:

George and Bob looked at the social and political upheaval around them. They looked at Louis. They looked at the state of things and saw this as an opportunity to meet the moment with beauty.

The songwriting duo were inspired to create something Louis could sing from his soul. They looked at Armstrong’s distinct voice and storied history of bringing people together. Bob was particularly moved by the idea of crafting something that would provide hope and optimism to listeners. Together, they aimed for this to be a song that would celebrate the wonders of the world, from the beauty of nature to the kindness of people. The two wanted it to be a song that could bring people together in the same way Louis always had over the years.

So, they wrote it.

There was just one problem. Larry hated it.

Here is Larry:

Larry Newton was president of the record company. He wanted another upbeat hit like Hello Dolly. After hearing the demo for ‘What a Wonderful World’ he nearly lost his mind. It was slow. Sentimental. It was the exact opposite of what he’d hoped for. So Larry told them to drop it.

Except… well … George and Bob couldn’t drop it.

They loved the song.

Louis loved the song.

They had even already made plans to record the fully realized version of the song with Louis.

Larry’s distaste for the song wasn’t the only setback. The team would have to record in the evenings after Armstrong’s performances in Las Vegas. They made arrangements to accommodate his busy schedule and set up a makeshift studio. It was a workable studio, but unfortunately was also just above some very active train tracks. Stops and starts repeatedly delayed their recording because, well… you couldn’t hear the song over the sound of freight trains.

This wasn’t the worst of their worries, though. Larry was still furious. So furious, in fact, he flew all the way to Nevada to try and stop the recordings. Stories differ on the specifics here, but apparently, some drastic measures were taken. It’s been said that the team’s belief in this song was so strong that they locked Larry out of the studio.

But … you and I know how this story ends, right?

The song was recorded and became an instant classic!

A HUGE hit!

Well … not yet.

The song had modest success.

In his anger, Larry refused to give it a proper release in the United States. Some stories say the original vinyl single only sold around 1,000 copies. It did fairly well in other countries but was far from the world-uniting-burst-of-global-hope its creators had dreamed it would be.

After Louis Armstrong died in 1971, the song had a slight surge in popularity. It wasn’t really until 1987, though, that a massive audience finally recognized the song for the gem it truly was and is. The song’s inclusion on the soundtrack for Good Morning, Vietnam began its journey into the hearts of people for many years to come. It has gone on to become one of the most widely recorded, performed, licensed, and celebrated pieces of music of all time.

Here’s why I think it’s an important story to tell today:

‘What a Wonderful World’ came to life while a war raged in Vietnam, injustice sparked riots in the streets, a busy train barrelled over the studio and the president of a record company banged on a locked door demanding they stop recording.

It was created against a backdrop of uncertainty and adversity.

It went contrary to trends. It went against the direction of higher-ups.

It joyfully rebelled against what was to share what could be.

We need reminders of the world that is and the even better world that could be. We can tell those kinds of stories. We can sing those kinds of songs. It isn’t easy and I don’t always know how, but I do believe it’s possible.

In 2019 at the Story Conference in Nashville, TN I told this story on a stage. Thanks to some encouragement from my friend Harris III, I shared the journey this little song took to find its way to us.

At the end of my talk, I stood alone on stage.

I began to sing the first verse of the song.

“I see trees of green… red roses, too …”

Slowly people began to take the stage behind me.

I’d invited 100 folks from my hometown to be part of a surprise. We’d been practicing for months. (Because we live in a small town, we got to use the courthouse for free every Thursday night to work on it!) It was young people, old people; folks who knew each other and folks who didn’t. We called ourselves the Wonderchoir.

In the process of cleaning out my laptop recently, I found the video of this performance. I wasn’t prepared for how emotional it would be to watch. There I was: Pre-pandemic Brad. Hopeful Brad. About-to-release-a-book Brad.

I was all alone on a stage, but then suddenly surrounded by incredible people I know and love. Singing. Smiling. Together.

I need to be reminded that moments like this are possible. I continue to try and make things out of hope, but sometimes it’s lonely. Today I thought I’d share this reminder with you: a wonderful world is possible.

This newsletter has helped me discover I’m not alone.

You are not alone.

We are all creating against a backdrop of uncertainty and adversity. We have serious issues to face. The headlines are rarely hopeful. How do we proceed?

Today, I’m going to dare to listen. I want to hear the voice of Louis Armstrong and believe it. His urgent invitation for us to cherish each other remains timely. With every reason to be weary, he sang with deep wonder and joy. That warm, gravelly voice pointing us toward what’s possible.

It’s a song reminding us what could be and maybe what already is.

There was so much noise around them and, yet, the creators of this song were able to hear music.

What a wonderful world.

Hear it. Create it. Sing it. Share it.

I’m so happy you’re here.

• Store! We’ve got freshly signed books with limited edition prints in stock now! Including the new one: The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination!

• Speaking! Trying to fill the calendar in 2024! Let’s team up and make a great event happen!

• Question! What are some other songs or works of art that make you think of defiant hope and joy? Please send them my way! Comment below or message me.