Death Letter
| "Death Letter" | |
|---|---|
1985 Edsel reissue
|
|
| Song by Son House | |
| from the album Father of Folk Blues | |
| Released | 1965 |
| Recorded | Columbia Studios, New York City, April 12–14, 1965 |
| Genre | Delta blues |
| Length | 4:19 |
| Label | Columbia (no. CS 9217) |
| Songwriter(s) | Son House |
| Producer(s) | John Hammond, Frank Driggs |
"Death Letter", also known as "Death Letter Blues", is the signature song of the Delta blues musician Son House. It is structured upon House's earlier recording "My Black Mama, Part 2" from 1930. House's 1965 performance was on a metal-bodied National resonator guitar using a copper slide.
One commentator noted that it is "one of the most anguished and emotionally stunning laments in the Delta blues œuvre."
Lyrically, the song is about a man who learns of the death of the woman he loves through a letter delivered to him early in the morning. The narrator later views her body on the cooling board at the morgue, attends her funeral, and returns to his home in a state of depression.
House's lyrics draw from traditional sources. Other blues musicians recorded related songs, including Lead Belly ("Death Letter Blues"), Ishman Bracey ("Trouble Hearted Blues"), Ida Cox ("Death Letter Blues"), Robert Wilkins ("Nashville Stonewall") and Blind Willie McTell ("On the Cooling Board").
"Death Letter" was the centerpiece of Son House's live performances during the blues revival of the 1960s. House often altered the tempo and lyrics for different performances of "Death Letter", occasionally playing the song more than once during the same concert. Some renditions exceeded fifteen minutes in length.
The song has been reworked by other major bluesmen. Skip James reworked the music and lyrics into his song "Special Rider Blues". Avant-garde blues artist Jandek reworked a verse from "Death Letter" into his song "I Went Outside". Muddy Waters's closely related song about the same subject is "Burying Ground". Captain Beefheart worked an extensive reference to it into "I Feel Like Ahcid" on the album Strictly Personal.
...
Wikipedia