Crazy Blues
Mamie Smith
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I can't sleep at night I can't eat a bite 'Cause the man I love He don't treat me right He makes me feel so blue I don't know what to do Sometime I sit and sigh And then begin to cry 'Cause my best friend Said his last goodbye There's a change in the ocean Change in the deep blue sea, my baby I'll tell you folks, there ain't no change in me My love for that man will always be Now I can read his letters I sure can't read his mind I thought he's lovin' me He's leavin' all the time Now I see my poor love was blind Now I got the crazy blues Since my baby went away I ain't got no time to lose I must find him today Now the doctor's gonna do all that he can But what you're gonna need is an undertaker man I ain't had nothin' but bad news Now I got the crazy blues
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Written by: ARTHUR SMITH
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
7 facts about this song
Historical Significance"Crazy Blues" is recognised as the very first blues recording by an African American artist. Mamie Smith's song paved the way for the blues and R&B genres and created opportunities for other African American musicians.
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Groundbreaking Record SalesReleased in 1920, "Crazy Blues" was a commercial success. Within a month of its release, it had reportedly sold 75,000 copies – an unprecedented feat for a black artist at the time.
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Cultural ImpactThe unexpected success of "Crazy Blues" led to a boom in the recording of blues music and set off the so-called "race records" phenomenon – a period when recording companies began targeting advertisements and record production to African American audiences.
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TrailblazerMamie Smith, with her recording of "Crazy Blues," became the first black woman to record blues music. From then on, she was often referred to as the "First Lady of the Blues."
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In the LyricsUnlike the upbeat and cheerful sound of the jazz from the same era, "Crazy Blues" presents a more melancholic tone – an emotion evident in both Smith's vocal execution and the song's lyrics, such as, "I can't sleep at night, I can't eat a bite 'cause the man I love, he don't treat me right."
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Induction into Grammy Hall of FameIn 1994, "Crazy Blues" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honour recordings that are at least 25 years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance."
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Indispensable Piece of American CultureIn 2005, "Crazy Blues" was selected for permanent preservation in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
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"Crazy Blues Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Sep. 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/7513799/Mamie+Smith/Crazy+Blues>.
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