Blues in the Night
Johnny Mercer, Jimmy Witherspoon
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My mama done tol' me, When I was in knee pants, My mama done tol' me, Son! A woman'll sweet talk And give ya the big eye; But when the sweet talkin's done, A woman's a two face A worrisome thing Who'll leave ya t'sing The blues in the night Now the rain's a-fallin', Hear the train a-callin' Whoo-ee (my mama done tol' me) Hear that lonesome whistle Blowin' `cross the trestle, Whoo-ee (my mama done tol' me) A whoo-ee-duh-whoo-ee, ol' clickety clack's A-echoin' back the blues in the night The evenin' breeze'll start the trees to cryin' And the moon'll hide its light When you get the blues in the night Take my word, the mockin' bird'll Sing the saddest kind o' song He knows things are wrong and he's right From Natchez to Mobile, From Memphis to St. Jo, Wherever the four winds blow, I been in some big towns, An' heard me some big talk, But there is one thing I know A woman's a two face, A worrisome thing Who'll leave ya t'sing the blues in the night. My mama was right, There's blues in the night.
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Written by: Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
12 facts about this song
Origin"Blugs in the Night" was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer in 1941 for a movie also named "Blues in the Night".
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AwardsThe song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1942.
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PerformanceThe original film-version was sung by William Gillespie.
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StyleThe song is classed as a blues ballad, melding elements of jazz and blues in a popular format.
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Musical StructureHarmonically, "Blues in the Night" is more complex than the average pop song of its day, borrowing elements from the blues to heighten the sense of melancholy in the song's melody.
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CoversOver the years it has been covered by numerous artists including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Shore and Katie Melua.
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FormulaThe song uses the blues' "AAB" formula in its lyrical structure, each of the lyric's first two lines are identical (AA), and the third, set to a different melody and a rapid staccato, is the punch line or 'answer' (B).
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Cultural InfluenceThe song has been recorded by countless singers and remains one of the standards of the Great American Songbook, it is also used in many films and TV series.
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Famous QuotationMercer's lyric used rhymed conversation and the often quoted lines, "my mama done tol' me, when I was in knee pants" in the song.
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Popular ReceptionThe song became a hit during World War II, capturing the mood of disillusionment and loss that many people felt.
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Unique CollaborationAlthough Mercer and Arlen collaborated on numerous projects, "Blues in the Night" is considered their strongest collaboration.
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Different VersionsBing Crosby and Woody Herman recorded the most commercially successful versions in 1942.
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Citation
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"Blues in the Night Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/35576512/Johnny+Mercer/Blues+in+the+Night>.
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