"Rag, Mama, Rag"

      Blind Boy Fuller’s “Rag, Mama, Rag” is played in the Piedmont Style. The type of rhythm that the guitar plays throughout the song is reminiscent of the ragtime style as it is syncopated. More specifically the ragtime influences can be heard in the lyrics, especially in the refrain “Rag……..Baby, rag……Yeah, rag now mamma….Baby how I love it when ya do that rag” (von Dirk Hagemann).

        The style of the song remains constant. The way the lyrics are sung and the way the guitar is played are the same throughout the song. The refrain repeats after each verse and is sung in the same style each time.  I feel that this song would have been highly marketable to the people of the time, and perhaps would have been something people would have danced to at parties and played in their homes. It seems like it is popular music because it is enjoyable and has a portion, the refrain, which sticks with you even after the song is over.  I found it to be something that I enjoyed listening to, and it certainly made me want to dance.

 Sources:

von Dirk Hagemann , Geschrieben. “Blues Classics im Detail - The Rag Mama Rag .” Blueslessons.de.     

        Bluelessons.de, Web. 10 Oct 2009. http://www.blueslessons.de/index.php?   

        option=com_content&task=view&id=98&Itemid=51.

Comments

[AndrewPascoe]

Hi, Jeanne-Marie,

Certainly the overall style of the song is consistent. But there is a difference between the singing style between the verses and the chorus. How would you describe this difference? How do the different styles complement each other? What do you make of the scat singing in the middle?

What, in particular, about this song do you find highly marketable? What differentiates it from other songs that are good for dancing? People have been dancing for millennia -- what is inherent here that you think marks it as appealing to a wide audience?

--Andrew

[AndrewPascoe]

Hello, students,

As per Ben's instructions, I've divided the posts in this topic into groups. The divisions aren't perfect, but it seems like you would be interesting in discussing the aspects of culture and diaspora that has informed these songs.

How do you hear the affects of diaspora in these songs? What about these songs do you think made them popular? Is it some sort of shared American sentiment, or are they just great for dancing? How do you feel they reflected the culture of the day, and how do you feel the culture of the day reflected back onto the songs? Let's get a discussion going, and don't be afraid to argue. Just keep it respectful.

Here are a couple of posts you should look at:

Noemi thinks the popularity stems from a catchy tune. Well, there are lots of catchy tunes that have fallen out of favor in popular culture, right? So how did these catchy tunes capture the mind of the public?
http://benleedscarson.com/charlie-patton-blind-willie/2009/10/10/salty-dog.html

Benjamin thinks that at least "Stack O'Lee" is accessible to modern day listeners. Why is that? What does it take for a song to become popular, and how can that popularity transcend generations?
http://benleedscarson.com/charlie-patton-blind-willie/that-bad-man.html

--Andrew

[Jeanne-MarieVanFossen]

I think the songs in this category are accessible to modern day listeners because they follow a similar pattern to the popular music of today. The chorus is memorable and "catchy". (I'm not exactly sure why this song has stayed in popular culture over other songs... does anyone have any ideas?)

As I said before, I think that Rag Mama Rag would have been something to dance to, and I think the reason for this is because it has an even rhythm (as opposed to a more sporadic one seen in earlier forms of music) that people could dance to in the dance style of the time. The song is what could be called a "toe-tapper" because of its steady drum rhythm which is what compels people to dance.