Jazz
The song “What a Wonderful World” was written by jazz record producer Bob Thiele (credited as George Douglas), and songwriter/music business heavyweight George David Weiss. Louis Armstrong was the first to record it, and he released it as a single in 1967 backed with “Cabaret.” With its message of hope, “What a Wonderful World” aimed to be an answer to the violence and conflict occurring in the U.S. over racial issues and the Vietnam War. Thiele and Weiss felt that Armstrong was an artist who could bring people together. The song was an international hit. It went to #12 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary Chart, #1 in the U.K. and Austria. It was #2 in Denmark and Ireland and in the Top 20 in Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, and Norway. The song has been featured in many films (e.g., The Kennedy Years (JFK Remembered) and Good Morning, Vietnam) and television shows (e.g., House, MD, Moonlighting, and The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy).