Our Blues Musical Examples

We will listen to and deconstruct these songs keeping in mind the emergence and aesthetics of blues music discussed in lecture. Thus, as you listen to these songs, try to identify the following in the lyrics and performance:

Lyrical Context:

• Blues rooted in Black, working-class consciousness
  
• Blues rooted in the politics of gender, sexuality, race, and place
  
• Blues often constitutes a personal narrative and thus may be thought of as auto-musicography
  
• Auto-musicography is an articulation of two things: autobiography and music as narrative
  
• Although blues narratives are decidedly personal, its themes are also universal
  
• Religious struggles of the secular and the profane; the supernatural
  
• Internal psychological struggles, depression, mental anguish
  
• Sexuality, inter-gender relationships
  

Aesthetics:

• Improvisation (riffs, breaks, etc)
  
• Scatting
  
• Talk-singing
  
• Voice as instrument
  
• Baritone voice tone (a sound higher than bass, but lower than tenor), timbre (distinct quality of sound that differentiates itself from other sounds), vibrato (pulsing sound; rapid variation in pitch)
  

Ester Phillips, "Home is Where the Hatred Is"
A junkie walking through the twilight
I'm on my way home
I left three days ago, but noone seems to know i'm gone
Home is where the hatred is
Home is filled with pain and it,
might not be such a bad idea if i never, never went home again

stand as far away from me as you can and ask me why
hang on to your rosary beads
close your eyes to watch me die
you keep saying, kick it, quit it, kick it, quit it
God, but did you ever try
to turn your sick soul inside out
so that the world, so that the world
can watch you die

home is where i live inside my white powder dreams
home was once an empty vacuum that's filled now with my silent screams
home is where the needle marks
try to heal my broken heart
and it might not be such a bad idea if i never, if i never went home again
home again
home again
home again
kick it, quit it
kick it, quit it
kick it, quit it
kick it, can't go home again



Johnny Lee Hooker, "I'm Bad Like Jessie James"
Spoken:
A little thing I'm going to do called
'I'm Bad Like Jesse James'

I'm bad
I'm bad
Like Jesse James, uh-huh

I had a friend one time
Least I thought I did
He come to me
Said, 'Johnny?'
Said, 'What man?'
'I'm outdoor'
I say, 'Yeah?'

I taken the cat in
Get him a place to stay
And I found out
He goin' 'round town
Tellin' ev'rybody that he
He got my wife

Then I gets mad
I goes to the cat
Like a good guy should
I said, 'Look man
'I'm gonna warn, you just one time'
Next time I warn you'
'I'm gonna use my gun'

'Cause I'm mad, I'm bad, like Jesse James

I'm so mad, I'm so mad.
I'm gonna ruin you this mornin'.
I've got three boys
Do my dirty work
Now, you don't see me
I'm the big boss
I do the payin' off
After they take care of you

In their on way
They may shoot you
They may cut you.
They may drown you
I just don't know
I don't care
Long as they take care of you
In their on way

I'm so mad, I'm bad this mornin', like Jesse James.

They gon' take you right down
By the riverside
Now four is goin' down
Ain't but three comin' back
You read between the line
We're gonna have a deal

'Cause I'm mad, I'm bad, like Jesse James.

They gonna tie yo' hands
They gonna tie yo' feet
They gonna gag your throat
Where you can't holler none

An cryin' won't help you none
Set you in the water
Yeah, the bubbles comin' up.
Whoa
Rrrrrrr
Rrrrrrr

Oh yeah, I'm so mad!