"What a Wonderful World" is a song written by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss, and it was first recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1967 as a single. The song was released on September 1, 1967. Although it performed poorly in the United States, it topped the pop chart in the United Kingdom in April 1968. The original plan in 1967 was for Armstrong to release the song as a piece that might quell some of the racial and political unrest in America, given its optimism and celebration of life.