Ma Rainey's "Bad Luck Blues"
Friday, October 9, 2009 at 10:51 AM From the Pre-War City Blues list, I have chosen the song entitled “Bad Luck Blues” By Ma Rainey for analysis. The song follows the form A, A’, B typical of many American songs, with some minor differences. The easiest way to describe these differences is to break the song down line by line. The first line is given the letter A with not much to say about it except that the last word “news” feels like it should “resolve”, or for lack of a better explanation, the note should go back down. In the next line, the resolve is heard, however rather than at the end of the phrase, where it feels most natural (in my opinion), it is found in the second word “people” and again the end of the phrase remains the same as the first line. The slight difference at the beginning of the phrase, however, makes it A’. The third phrase concludes with the same resolve I looked for as a listener at the end of the first phrase but did not find. This third line doesn’t follow the patterns in the first or the second line making it B. This same pattern continues throughout the rest of the song.
“Bad Luck Blues” is an expression, so it seems, of the call and response typical of religious services of Black Americans after the Civil War. Ma Rainey addresses the audience directly when she says, “Hey People” and “I wanna tell you people”. She also refers to “the Maker above” and the “Lord” which is another obvious expression of religious influence. Slightly less obvious perhaps is what the artist herself thinks is the most important message(s) of the song. Rainey repeats the lines: “Hey people, listen while I spread my news” and “What’s the use of living if you can’t get the man you love” and variations of the lines: “Did you ever wake up just at the break of day” and “Lord, look where the chump’s done gone”. Clearly these are the words she wants to resonate with her audience.
Reader Comments (4)
You have a good start towards an essay here. In analyzing the form here, you may want to take it a step further, and think about how the trumpet's "response" changes in relation to each line sung. Does it become more complex or longer? Does it imitate the voice or do something different? On the lines that you indicated were emphasized by repetition, does the trumpet respond differently when the line is repeated?
In expanding on the social aspect of the song, perhaps think about how different audiences would respond to this song (middle class whites, working class blacks, middle class blacks, etc.) The audience reaction was one way a singer would adapt each performance. Since this aspect has been taken away in the making of this recording, consider how might the performance be different depending on the audience?
You don't have to address all of these questions in your essay, I just wanted to give you a few possible ways to expand your thoughts.
Though the "call and response" is common in early African American music, how is it heard in this song? Is it simply because of the two repeating lines (A, A')?. Before the civil war, African Americans thankfully had the outlet of music, but only got to use this outlet either in church or through work songs. Does the tradition of religion carry on through almost all music created by black men and women? In my opinion, religion plays a large part of the blues due to the horrible conditions of slavery. God, it seems, was the only light for many suffering from oppression, as it shows through this song.
Original post: Wed 10/14 at 1:31pm by MarissaHoffman
Re-posted as comment.
The songs “Bad Luck Blues” and “Empty Bed Blues” both are in a AA’B verse form, and are accompanied by piano with one or two other instruments that “respond” to the singer. (In “Bad Luck Blues” there is a muted trumpet with a very faint clarinet in the background, and “Empty Bed Blues” has a trombone.) What is your reaction to the piano part? Does it it convey the same mood as the singer and instrument? How does the instrument (trumpet or trombone) respond to the singer? Lastly, you can talk about how the third line in each verse (the “knock-down” B line), works in the song. Is it effective or not? Here are two posts that address some of these questions well. Please comment on one of the two posts to add your thoughts to the discussion.
http://benleedscarson.com/ma-rainey-and-bessie-smith/bessie-smiths-empty-bed-blues.html
http://benleedscarson.com/ma-rainey-and-bessie-smith/ma-raineys-bad-luck-blues-1.html
In Bessie Smith's "Bad Luck Blues," the piano part definitely coveys different emotion and feel to the song that the singer and the trumpet. However, even though its sound is more upbeat it complements the singer and the other instrument well. The instrument emphasizes and almost agrees with the singer. Bessie Smith sings about her troubles and then the trumpet goes off almost as if saying "i feel ya" or "mmhhmmmm." To me, this is a key characteristic of blues music.