Beale Street Mama
Bessie Smith
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Jenny Neale Down in Beale Gave her papa the air Left him cold Got him told Said she didn't care Old Joe, her beau Looked just like he would die If you was near him You would hear him Sob his mournful cry Beale Street Papa Why don't you come back home? It isn't proper to leave your mama all alone! Sometimes I was cruel, that was true But Papa, you know Mama never two-timed you! Boo-hoo, I'm blue So how come you do me like you do? I'm cryin'! Beale Street Papa, don't mess around with me! There's plenty pettin' that I can get in Tennessee I'll still get my sweet cooking, constantly But not the kind you served to me So Beale Street Papa, come back home! So how come you do me like you do? I'm cryin'! Beale Street Papa, don't mess around with me! There's plenty pettin' that I can get in Tennessee I bought a rifle, razor and a knife A full support [?] can't save my life So Beale Street Papa, come back home!
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_by_Carl_Van_Vechten.jpg/235px-Bessie_Smith_(1936)_by_Carl_Van_Vechten.jpg "Bessie Smith")
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Written by: J. RUSSEL ROBINSON, ROY TURK
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
10 facts about this song
Historical Context"Beale Street Mama" is a song by Bessie Smith, the Empress of Blues. Recorded in the 1920s, this song reflects the peak era of the Jazz and Blues movement during that time.
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Song ContentThe song is about Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Beale Street is a historic street that played a significant role in the birth and evolution of many musical styles, including blues and jazz.
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Performance StyleBessie Smith performed "Beale Street Mama" with powerful, gut-wrenching vocals that were a hallmark of her singing style. Her emotionally charged lyrics vehemently expressed the classic blues themes of heartbreak and hardship.
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Record LabelThe song was released under the Columbia Records label, an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subset of the Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation.
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Musical AccompanimentKnown for her ability to captivate audiences with her vocal prowess alone, Smith’s "Beale Street Mama" consists of a piano accompaniment.
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Cultural SignificanceThe song and the street on which it is based hold credentials as a UNESCO Creative City of Music because of the great number of notable musicians and music institutions that emerged from there.
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Trivial ConnectionThere is also a film released with the same name "Beale Street Mama" in 1941, but it has no direct connection to Bessie Smith's song.
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Skills RecognitionBessie's exquisite control of pitch and rhythm in "Beale Street Mama" is often admired by music critics till today.
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Artist's Life ReferenceSome fans and music historians believe that the lyrics of "Beale Street Mama" may have mirrored Smith's own turbulent love life and the domestic violence she experienced, highlighting her mastery in connecting personal experiences with her songs.
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Posthumous Recognition"Beale Street Mama", along with other Bessie Smith's songs, continues to live on, with covers from various modern artists, showing the timeless nature of her music.
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Citation
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"Beale Street Mama Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 17 Apr. 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/15867059/Bessie+Smith/Beale+Street+Mama>.
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