What a Wonderful World is a 1967 song made famous by Louis Armstrong - written by Bob Thiele (credited as George Douglas) and George David Weiss - and released as a single from the album What a Wonderful World. Armstrong recorded it on August 16, 1967 in Las Vegas, and the track blends pop and R&B with a hopeful, everyday imagery of blue skies, green trees, and red roses - a message of optimism amid turbulent times. The original US release struggled when ABC Records president Larry Newton disliked the song and refused to promote it, while it became a major hit in the UK in 1968 - Armstrong even became the oldest male to top the UK Singles Chart. A US re-release in 1988 after its use in Good Morning, Vietnam brought renewed success, peaking at number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. The tune has endured as a pop standard and, as of 2021, ranked No. 171 on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Songs of All Time. Notable later versions include a 2007 charity duet by Eva Cassidy and Katie Melua.
