How Blue Can You Get
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B.B. King singles chronology | ||||
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"How Blue Can You Get" (alternatively "Downhearted") is a blues song first recorded by
Earlier songs
In 1949, Johnny Moore with his brother, Oscar Moore, on guitars, Billy Valentine on piano and vocal, and Johnny Miller on bass recorded "How Blue Can You Get" in the West Coast blues-style.[1] It was included on the jazz and blues compilation album Singin' the Blues (1960).[2] Feather described the song as having "the type of intimate instrumental setting heard in so many best blues vocal performances of the 1940s".[2] In 1951, Louis Jordan recorded the song using a big band arrangement.[2]
B.B. King versions
B.B. King first recorded the song as "Downhearted", which was included on his 1963 Blues in My Heart album.[1] The song is performed at "a steady, stately pace, its groove punctuated by B.B.'s stinging runs and wailing, sustained notes", according to King biographer David McGee.[3] King later re-recorded the song as "How Blue Can You Get" and ABC-Paramount Records released it as a single in 1964.[1] It "stood out, thanks to the relative simplicity of its arrangement, and the caustic humor of the lyrics".[4] McGee adds that the remake featured "more propulsion from the horn section, and B.B. investing his vocal with far more outrage than can be detected on the laidback original".[3] It also added a "vehement stop-time interlude":[5]
I gave you a brand new Ford, you said 'I want a Cadillac'
I bought you a ten dollar dinner, you said 'Thanks for the snack'
I let you live in my penthouse, you said it was just a shack
I gave you seven children, and now you want to give them back
"How Blue Can You Get" reached number 97 on the
Other versions
The Swedish jazz group Swingsters recorded a cover version on their 1997 album Root Bag (Swamp Records SWCD 971).
Primitive Radio Gods sampling
In 1996, Primitive Radio Gods sampled the line "I've been downhearted baby, ever since the day we met" for the chorus of their single "Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand", which became a record chart hit.[11] In a review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine commented "With its loping, unthreatening hip-hop beats and its looped B.B. King sample, 'Standing' had all the appeal of an adult novelty for most listeners – it was something that was out of the ordinary, to be sure, but not something that you would want to investigate much further."[11]
References
- ^ a b c d e f
B.B. King. Ace Records. p. 44. Ace ABOXCD 8.
- ^ a b c Feather, Leonard (1960). Singin' the Blues (Album notes). Various Artists. New York City: RCA Camden. p. 1. CAL 588.
- ^ a b c
McGee, David (2005). B.B. King: There Is Always One More Time. ISBN 978-0-87930-843-8.
- ^
Danchin, Sebastian (1998). Blues Boy: The Life and Music of B. B. King. Jackson, Mississippi: ISBN 978-1-57806-017-7.
- ^
ISBN 978-0-393-33750-1.
- ^
ISBN 0-89820-068-7.
- ^ Gioffre, Daniel. "B.B. King: Live at the Regal – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ "B.B. King: 'How Blue Can You Get?' – Appears On". AllMusic. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ "B.B. King: 'How Blue Can You Get?' – Appears On". AllMusic. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Original Soundtrack Blues Brothers 2000 – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Primitive Radio Gods: Rocket – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
