Worried Life Blues
"Worried Life Blues" is a blues standard and one of the most recorded blues songs of all time. Originally recorded by Big Maceo Merriweather in 1941, "Worried Life Blues" was an early blues hit and Maceo's most recognized song. The song was inspired by an earlier track and several artists have had record chart successes with their interpretations of the song.
Background
"Worried Life Blues" is based on "Someday Baby Blues" recorded by Sleepy John Estes in 1935. Estes' song is performed as a vocal and guitar country blues, whereas Maceo's is a prototypical Chicago blues. The two original songs have lyrical differences, such as in the first few verses:Over the years the differences have become blurred by various cover versions of the songs, which use elements from both songs, often combined with new lyrics and variations in the music.
Composition and recording
Big Maceo recorded "Worried Life Blues" June 24, 1941, shortly after arriving in Chicago. Lester Melrose produced the song and it became Maceo's first single on Bluebird Records. The song is a moderate-tempo eight-bar blues, with Maceo on vocal and piano, accompanied by frequent collaborator, guitarist and fellow recording artist, Tampa Red and bassist Ransom Knowling.Music writer Keith Shadwick identifies it a major hit and blues historian Jim O'Neal notes that it "eclipsed the song that inspired it". Several other renditions soon followed, including those by Bill Gaither, Sonny Boy Williams, and Honeyboy Edwards. In 1945, Maceo recorded a second version with additional lyrics, also accompanied by Tampa Red. Titled "Things Have Changed", it reached number four on Billboard magazine's Race Records chart.