"The Bourgeois Blues" is a blues song by American folk and blues musician Lead Belly. It was written in June 1937 in response to the discrimination and segregation that he faced during a visit to Washington, DC to record for Alan Lomax. It rails against racism, the Jim Crow laws, and the conditions of contemporary African Americans in the southern United States. The song was recorded in December 1938 for the Library of Congress and re-recorded in 1939 for commercial release.

"The Bourgeois Blues" is regarded as one of Lead Belly's best original works, but it also drew controversy. Questions have been raised over his role in the American Communist Party and whether he and the song were used to further the party's political goals.

Background and creation

thumb|left|Lead Belly and Martha, whose experiences inspired the song|alt=Lead Belly, on the left, with his arm around and Martha

Most music historians date the writing of "The Bourgeois Blues" to Lead Belly's June 1937 trip to Washington, DC, when he was invited by the folklorist Alan Lomax to record for the Library of Congress's folk music collection. On the first night Lead Belly and his wife Martha spent in the city, they encountered racially discriminatory Jim Crow laws similar to those found in their native Louisiana: most hotels refused to rent rooms to African Americans and the few that would were either full or refused to serve him because he was with a white man (Lomax). Lomax, in some versions of the story described as an unnamed "white friend", offered to let the couple stay for the night in his apartment near the Supreme Court Building. The next morning, Lead Belly awoke to Lomax arguing with his landlord about the presence of a black man, with the landlord threatening to call the police.

While in Washington, Lead Belly encountered several other incidents of segregation that are believed to have contributed to the impetus of the song. For instance, when Lead Belly, Lomax, and their wives wanted to go out to dinner together, they discovered that it was impossible for the mixed race group to find a restaurant that would serve them. Lead Belly was told that if he returned later without Lomax, he would be served. The song came together quickly; one account claims that it only took a few hours for Lead Belly to write it.

"The Bourgeois Blues" is a blues-style protest song that criticizes the culture of Washington, DC. The song, particularly in the refrain, relates race and economics by describing white people as "bourgeois". despite this, by "spreading the news" of his poor treatment in a song, the speaker uses what power he has to tell both southern African Americans and northern whites that the status quo is deeply flawed and that something needs to change. It is written in time but annotated to note that the song rhythmically should swing at medium shuffle. The song was written in B. It uses twelve measures with verses one to four repeating, followed by the final two verses and a coda. He re-recorded the song in April 1939 for Musicraft Records, for release the same year as a 78 rpm record. The version that was commercially released features Lead Belly singing and playing the twelve-string guitar without any other accompaniment. Taj Mahal, Tav Falco's Panther Burns, and Hans Theessink. Seeger recorded and released both live and studio versions of the song on several of his albums. In Australia, the song was reworked as "Canberra Blues" by The Bitter Lemons, an R&B band. The lyrics speak of the problems faced by young Australians in the Australian Capital Territory in the 1960s. Theessink adapted the song to his style of European blues for the album Journey On in 1997.

The Fall covered the song on their 2001 album Are You Are Missing Winner. In 2006 Billy Bragg reworked the song as "Bush War Blues", a topical protest song about the Iraq War. In one verse, he claims that the Iraq War was not for democracy but instead was to "make the world safe for Halliburton". In another, he takes on the Christian right, asking where the moderates are. Finally, Bragg chides the United States government for not dealing with poverty at home before going to war. and the FBI subsequently opened a file on him in the 1940s. This led to the accusations that the Communists were taking advantage of him and using him as a platform. The party claims, to the contrary, that they were some of the few people who respected him and gave him a chance to perform. Titon's claim was acknowledged, but not agreed with, by historian Steven C. Tracy stating "perhaps the term bourgeois is what seems out of place to those who doubt Leadbelly's authorship."

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

  • Original Library of Congress recording