St. James Infirmary Blues
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"St. James Infirmary Blues" is an American folksong of anonymous origin, though sometimes credited to the songwriter Joe Primrose (a pseudonym for Irving Mills). Louis Armstrong made it famous in his influential 1928 recording.
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[edit] Authorship and history
"St. James Infirmary Blues" is based on an 18th century traditional English folk song called "The Unfortunate Rake" (also known as "The Unfortunate Lad" or "The Young Man Cut Down in His Prime"). There are numerous versions of the song throughout the English-speaking world. It also evolved into other American standards such as "The Streets of Laredo". "The Unfortunate Rake" is about a sailor who uses his money on prostitutes, and then dies of a venereal disease. Different versions of the song expand on this theme, variations typically feature a narrator telling the story of a youth "cut down in his prime" (occasionally her prime) as a result of some morally questionable actions. For example, when the song moved to America, gambling and alcohol became common causes of the youth’s death.
The title is derived from St. James Hospital in London, a religious foundation for the treatment of leprosy. It was closed in 1532 when Henry VIII acquired the land to build St. James Palace.[1]
The song was first collected in England in its version as "The Unfortunate Rake" by Henry Hammond by a Mr. William Cutis at Lyme Regis, Dorset in March 1906.
[edit] The song
The song involves a man telling the singer/narrator, at a bar, how he went down to St. James Infirmary (hospital) and tragically found his girl (the so-called "baby") dead.
Like most such folksongs, there is much variation in the lyrics from one version to another. As a representative version, here is the first stanza as sung by Louis Armstrong:
I went down to St. James Infirmary,
Saw my baby there,
Set down on a long white table,
So sweet, so cold, so fair.
Let her go, let her go, God bless her,
Wherever she may be,
She can look this wide world over,
She'll never find a sweet man like me.
[edit] Performers
Notable performers of this song include Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, King Oliver, Artie Shaw, Big Mama Thornton, Jack Teagarden, Billie Holiday, Cassandra Wilson, Bobby Hackett, Stan Kenton, Lou Rawls, The Limeliters, Bobby Bland, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Doc Watson, "Spider" John Koerner, Janis Joplin, The Doors, The Animals, and more recently The White Stripes, the Stray Cats, the Tarbox Ramblers, Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan, and Tom Jones with Jools Holland. Jazz guitarists Marc Ribot and Ivan "Boogaloo Joe" Jones have recorded instrumental versions.
Bob Dylan used the melody in his song "Blind Willie McTell" (released on Bootleg Series, Volumes 1–3), named for blues singer Blind Willie McTell (who recorded a version of the song under the title "Dying Crapshooter's Blues"); the song makes reference to a "St. James Hotel."
Van Morrison recorded a rendition on the (2003) Grammy nominated album, What's Wrong with This Picture? and a live version on the limited edition album, Live at Austin City Limits Festival (2006). Eric Clapton and Dr. John performed a rendition of the song during a 1996 concert. Arlo Guthrie performed a rendition on NPR's Talk of the Nation on November 14, 2001. Robert Crumb released a version on a CD included in the R. Crumb Handbook. Live versions appear on Joe Cocker's albums Something to Say (1972), and Live in L.A. (1976).
The Bing Crosby musical Birth of the Blues featured the song in 1941. In 2002, the song appeared in Osamu Tezuka's Dixieland-influenced anime film Metropolis as performed by Atsushi Kimura and arranged by Toshiyuki Honda. Cab Calloway can be seen singing it and dancing a slide dance in the Betty Boop cartoon Snow White. His performance was filmed, then transferred into the cartoon using rotoscoping.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- MP3 Download and Lyrics from Roger McGuinn's Folk Den
- Lyrics and Historical Info at the Mudcat Cafe
- Historical investigation by Rob Walker
- Suspense (1953) "St James Infirmary Blues" starring Rosemary Clooney.
- Huge collection of "St. James Infirmary Blues" songs
- Magical Mystery Tour Sarah Vowell discusses the song's history and affect
