Women : Inspiration for music?

Right now, I'm hearing some ol' delta Blues music, rangin' from Robert Johnson, Skip James and Son House. And, it's kinda funny, days ago I started to see a kind of pattern that repeated constantly in every form of music, no matter what genre it is.

Delta Blues musicians, back in the 1920's, had to face some difficulties. Well, to be honest, any black men or women had to, 'cause at the time, the racial conflicts between them whites and blacks was quite fucked up, and hard. Those were times were the black people survived by getting their communities stronger, and at the same time, getting their arts refined, both blues and jazz in the end became the most influential music forms for the new genres to come up until now.

The same way they had to deal with some difficulties, they have to deal with women. Not trying to sound stupid, but it's no secret that sometimes, people do whatever it takes to get to the top, no matter if it's man or woman. Usually we say that women are the ones who suffer the bad traits of some motherfucker who has his head full of shit, but to be honest, it happens the other way also.

We ain't no saints.

Blues musicians know it well, specially the ones who played the Delta Blues, the one with the acoustic guitars and the slide sounds, the ones that could make you shiver the whole night... They know it better, either because they were street smarties, or either because they have seen so many things going 'round 'em so they got that knowledge.

So anyway, listening some of the songs of these three great bluesmen, I came across with interesting stuff. Let's start with Robert Johnson, my favourite bluesman. If you have ever heard Robert Johnson's "Complete Recordings", there's at least a couple o' songs that make references to both the devil, and feeling bad because a woman put a good man's reputation down.



"The Blue light was my blues, and the Red Light was my mind"

- Robert Johnson's Love in Vain. A possible reference for breaking up or feeling abruptly turned down by some gal you liked ? It's up to the listener... -

In "Sessions for Robert Johnson", Eric Clapton, when asked 'bout if whether or not, Robert had made a deal with the devil (Because of an explicit reference in the "Me and the Devil Blues"), he jokingly says "Maybe he was talking 'bout his girlfriend".

It could be true, that's Eric's interpretation and to be honest it kinda makes sense.



"Early this morning, when you knocked up on my door...
And I said Hello Satan, I believe it's time to go..."

Skip James' Approach is way more direct. In one of his songs he states the following "I'd rather be the devil, than be that woman man". I mean, how much hurt would Skip have felt to write such a line? I know the blues is not only an expression of pain, but also an spiritual kind of thing (Even while people thought it was sinful).

But in Skip James' song, you could hear a man angry and at the same time, feeling somehow deceived by the woman he probably loved at first. The Devil he talks in his song "Devil got my woman" could be, either a reference to a devil possesing her loved's soul, or a reference to some guy who got the interest of the woman he loved. So, instead of being him, he chooses to be the "Devil".



" Woman I loved, took her from my best friend ...
But he got lucky, stoled her back again "

Son House, said once that "Blues ain't nothing but about two people in love". To most of you fellas who will be reading this blog, Son House was married 5 times, so he know what he was talking 'bout. He also said "There's always 2 people in love, but sometimes, we men love a woman who doesn't love us back. And that's where the blues comes from also."



"You know, it's hard to love someone that don't love you ...
Ain't no satisfaction, don't care what in the world you do ... "

In modern music, clear examples of how women mess up with some men minds are present in the works of Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, and Kurt Cobain of Nirvana. Like the ol' school bluesmen, they had lots of things to say. But the difference, basically was that the bluesmen were somehow melancholic, in the way they delivered their message of sadness. Modern musicians, specially rock fellas like Trent and Kurt, they used an abrassive sound to drive those energies out their bodies, to set somehow themselves free, and to set free the people who listened their music.



"She has the blood of a reptile, just underneath the skin"



"Come, as you are... as you were, as I want you to be..."

Music inspired by women is not only the romantic-kinda thing that you learn in the guitar to get laid, it's not only "nice". It's also angry, so angry that the one you love became someone you hate, or forget.

But, either way, they do inspire us musicians. I guess I'll have to say thanks.