This song was first recorded by Louis Armstrong in the late 1960's as an effort to help defuse tensions between generations. After its use in the soundtrack to the movie Good Morning, Vietnam in the late 1980's it became a pop standard and has been recorded many times since in versions ranging from Joey Ramone's punk-edged interpretation to Anne Murray's more formal style.

Performer

Chris Daughtry - April 18, 2006

Songwriters

Bob Thiele and George David Weiss

Notable Recorded Version

• Louis Armstrong - #12 Adult Contemporary (1967) #32 Pop (1988) (Listen)
• Anne Murray - Track from album What a Wonderful World (1999) (Listen)
• Tony Bennett and k.d. lang - Track from A Wonderful World album (2002) (Listen)
• Joey Ramone - Track from Don't Worry About Me album (2002) (Listen)
• Rod Stewart - Track from Stardust...the Great American Songbook, Vol. 3 album (2004) (Listen)

Key Lyric Phrase

I see skies of blue..... clouds of white
Bright blessed days....dark sacred nights
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world

CD Availability

• Rod Stewart - Stardust...the Great American Songbook, Vol. 3