WEISS_Armstrong – What a Wonderful World (song) – FOUR CELLOS

Other Identification:
“What a Wonderful World” is a song written by Bob Thiele (originally with the alias “George Douglas”) and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong and released in 1967 as a single. It topped the pop chart in the United Kingdom, but performed poorly in the United States due to Larry Newton, the president of ABC Records, who disliked the song and refused to promote it! However, the song made Armstrong the then oldest male to ever top the UK Singles Chart.
The song gradually became something of a standard and reached a new level of popularity. After Armstrong’s recording was used was heard in the film Good Morning, Vietnam, it was reissued as a single in 1988. It charted at number 1 in June 1988 on the Australian charts. It was also the closing song for the 1995 movie ‘12 Monkeys’ and the 1998 film adaptation of ‘Madeline’. Armstrong’s recording was inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.
After it was released digitally, Armstrong’s 1967 recording had sold well over two million downloads in the United States by April, 2004.

Also mentions of note:
** 2004: Rod Stewart recorded a version of the song with Stevie Wonder
** 2018: Barbra Streisand blended the song with Lennon’s “Imagine” for her album Walls.
** 2021: The song was featured and performed as the finale segment of closing ceremony at 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo.
** In 2021, it was ranked at No. 171 on the Rolling Stone’s “Top 500 Best Songs of All Time”.