April 15 is tax day, but it is also the birthday of great blues singer Bessie Smith, who was born April 15, 1894. Chimesfreedom has previously discussed Smith and her performance of “St. Louis Blues,” so today we consider a song about her that was written by Rick Danko and Robbie Robertson of The Band.
In “Bessie Smith,” the singer describes a trip to see Smith. It appears the singer is in love with her, but he questions whether or not the love is based on the way she could sing.
Now in my day I’ve made some foolish moves;
But back then, I didn’t worry ’bout a thing;
And now again I still wonder to myself;
Was it her sweet love or the way that she could sing?
Apparently, time has passed since the singer last saw his love. And he wonders how she will react when she sees him again (“When she sees me will she know what I’ve been through? / Will old times start to feelin’ like new?”). We first heard the song when it came out on The Basement Tapes made by The Band and Bob Dylan, although only The Band plays on the song and there is some debate about when the song was actually written and recorded. (Update: Unfortunately, the Band’s version of “Bessie Smith” is no longer available on YouTube.)
In a thorough discussion of the history of the song, Peter Viney quotes one of Danko’s obituaries describing “Bessie Smith” as “a sepia-styled valentine to the fine line between respect and adoration, and the ways in which music blurs them both into love.” Viney also raises the possibility that the song is about an “appointment with death,” because by the time it was written and recorded, Bessie Smith had been dead for decades.
Several artists have covered “Bessie Smith,” including Ray Lamontagne and Joe Henry. Norah Jones performs a nice cover of “Bessie Smith” in this video. Check it out.
Bessie Smith died from injuries from a car accident in 1937, just as she was starting a comeback. Although The Band’s song about her was not done in her style of singing, The Band was well aware of the history of American music, and “Bessie Smith” was a nice tribute to an important American singer. And so it is our birthday tribute too.
What is your favorite Bessie Smith song? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)