Dream Blues Ma Rainey
Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 11:56 PM The song I choose to analyze is “Dream Blues” by Ma Rainey from the Pre-war City Blues. The first thing that attracted me to this song is the melody and the meaning behind the lyrics. I am still not truly able to decipher the lyrics and am very interested in what other people in the class have come up with. My first initial thought of this song was that it does sound very depressing and I instantly noticed a string instrument in the background (maybe a banjo). She seems to be singing about her worries and whether or not her life is a dream or if it is reality. What I got from the lyrics is that she feels mistreatment from men from different parts of her life and does wish that it is a dream that she could wake up from so that it will be all over.
Musically, we have learned that blues has an AA’B format. To me this song stays true to the format and is very apparent in the first verse. I do feel that the song doesn’t change much in melody, but the way Ma Rainey sings it shows deeper emotion as the song progresses. The melody or tune of the song matches perfectly to the lyrics.
Reader Comments (1)
Many of you that wrote about “Dream Blues” and “Black Eye Blues” mentioned the portrayal of women in abusive relationships. Do you think the women in these songs are strong or weak? What part of the music makes you feel that way? (the lyrics, the singer’s expression, the instruments, etc.) Are these songs meant as a warning to the listener or are they meant for commiseration between women in the same situation? or both? Here are three posts that address some of these questions well. Please comment on one of the posts to add your thoughts to the discussion.
http://benleedscarson.com/ma-rainey-and-bessie-smith/2009/10/10/dream-blues.html
http://benleedscarson.com/ma-rainey-and-bessie-smith/ma-rainey-dream-blues.html
http://benleedscarson.com/ma-rainey-and-bessie-smith/what-it-means-to-have-the-black-eye-blues.html