Song · Louis Armstrong
“What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong
Released 1991
“What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong appears on 12 radio countdowns from 7 stations between 2001 and 2026. It was first released in 1991. Its best result is #23 on the WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #140 indie & aaa song of all time.
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Louis Armstrong cut "What a Wonderful World" on August 16, 1967, and its story shows how a great record can outlast the people who tried to bury it. Bob Thiele, writing under the pen name George Douglas, put it together with George David Weiss, and Armstrong sings it like a man counting his blessings out loud, that gravel voice gone soft and slow.
Britain caught on right away and sent it to the top of the pop chart in April 1968. America barely heard it, because ABC Records president Larry Newton couldn't stand the song and wouldn't lift a finger for it. Then Good Morning, Vietnam put it in front of a whole new audience, a 1988 reissue climbed to number 32 on the Hot 100, and in 1999 Armstrong's recording went into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 41 | WFPK | WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2000 |
| 2004 | 34 | WXPN | WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) | 885 |
| 2007 | 23 | WTMD | WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time | 897 |
| 2009 | 93 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Desert Island Songs (2009) | 885 |
| 2012 | 72 | WYEP | WYEP Top 500 Songs Countdown | 500 |
| 2014 | 47 | WXPN | WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) | 885 |
| 2018 | 47 | The Current | The Current's 893 Essential Songs | 892 |
| 2020 | 28 | WXPN | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2020 |
| 2023 | 36 | WYEP | WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 | 1229 |
| 2023 | 25 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time | 909 |
| 2025 | 173 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs | 800 |
| 2026 | 47 | WYEP | WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time | 1180 |
Also listed as: What A Wonderful World.
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