Country Blues > SOTM - Song Of The Month
SOTM - Dec. 18, 2015 - Sittin' on Top of the World
waxwing:
Here?s one to warm your heart, Frank.
Apparently the version of 'Sittin' on Top of the World' we are familiar with was written by Walter Vinson and Lonnie Chatmon of the Mississippi Sheiks. Vinson claimed to have written it one morning after having played for a white dance in Greenwood, Mississippi. Perhaps the title was borrowed from the song 'I'm Sitting on Top of the World written by Ray Henderson, Sam Lewis and Joe Young, popularized by Al Jolson in 1926, but there are no similarities beyond that. Maybe there had been a request at the dance and Walter decided they needed to have something to play? The band recorded two takes of the song for Okeh on Monday, Febuary 17, 1930, (between 'The Jazz Fiddler' and 'Stop and Listen Blues') during their very first session as the Sheiks. The song became a cross over hit, catapulting the Sheiks into a pretty extensive recording career, and was co-opted by covers in various genre of American music, as we shall see.
Interestingly, Charley Patton recorded a version with different lyrics as 'Some Summer Day' a few months later in May. Perhaps he had heard the record by then, but I am always interested in any musical connections between Patton and the Chatmons as they are reputedly related by having the same father. This is actually the version that drew me to the song as I'll describe later.
There were two possible antecedents to the melody recorded as 'You Got to Reap What You Sow' in 1929, one by Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell and one, as an instrumental, by Tampa Red (no kazoo!). Both songs have the same 8 bar chord structure and a similar melody through the first six measures, but neither includes a lyric or melody for the final phrase, 'Because I'm sitting on top of the world' in the seventh bar. Tampa hints at it occasionally with a fill line but is not consistent. It is possible that this is a source, in part, for the Sheiks melody or perhaps there?s a common source for both.
Quite a few covers were recorded in the pre-war blues era. One pretty direct cover is this one by The Two Poor Boys (Joe Evans and Arthur McClain) in May, 1931.
Sam Collins also did a cover, using slide to get the fiddle melody, in October, 1931.
In March of 1932 Big Bill did two versions of the song as his 'Worrying You Off My Mind No. 1 and No.2'
Another interesting version with altered lyrics was Blind Blake?s last recording in June, 1932, 'Depression's Gone From Me Blues'. Altho Blake's technique on his last tunes is often considered perhaps debilitated by alcohol, I noticed that, backing his singing, he is using an up-DOWN syncopated strum in the treble, similar, say, to Jim Jackson's or William Harris's 'Kansas City Blues'. Yet at the same time it seems Blake is carrying an alternating bass with his thumb, leading me to think he was experimenting with a non-opposing technique, pretty late in his career. Very interesting, to me, anyway. Ironically the Great Depression was about to end his recording career. (Sorry for the digression, but couldn't resist)
Unfortunately the version by Milton Brown and His Musical Brownies, 'Just Sitting on Top of The World', has been removed from YouTube, but it marked the crossover into Texas swing where it became a staple. Here?s a version (with video) by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys recorded in 1951.
And this is a pretty well known take by Doc Watson that was on his first album in 1964.
No doubt the most well know post-war era blues version was by Howlin? Wolf, who had an even bigger hit with the Sheik's 'Stop and Listen Blues' as 'Smokestack Lightnin''. Clearly the first verse gives nod to Patton's 'Some Summer Day' and Burnett may well have learned it while playing with Charley.
And, of course, Wolf's version was the take-off point for the well known Cream version, which I admit, spent a lot of time on the Garrard in my house during late HS and college. <grin>
I?m sure there are many more versions out there, from other genre and with altered lyrics, too, and I look forward to seeing what other folks bring to the topic. I had fun finding and hearing all these versions.
So, to bring it back close to the source, my interest in the song stems from Patton's 'Some Summer Day' also. I have been trying to work out a few songs on the acoustic single-string diddley bow, and having worked on Rollin' and Tumblin'' and 'Banty Rooster', in which the lowest note of the melody is the root of the key, I noticed that the melody of 'SSD' (and 'SoTotW') goes down to the V note. To do so on the diddley bow I would have to play the root at the IV note position of the string, i.e. where the 5th fret would be. This required a different way of creating harmony fills and drones under the melody as the open string wasn't always as appropriate. Anyway, here's a very rough take of where I'm at now with it. No frets or markers of any kind on the broomstick neck, so I'm trying to play entirely by ear, while singing at the same time. I think it's fair to say that my arrangement is a little beyond my capabilities at present. Hope you enjoy anyway.
Wax
Prof Scratchy:
Great choice, Wax! Here's a favourite version of mine:
Johnm:
I agree with Scratchy, Wax, a great choice! Here is Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys' version from "Knee Deep In Bluegrass", complete with triple fiddles!
All best,
Johnm
Lastfirstface:
Nice post, Waxwing. I'm weirdly fond of the sort of the slightly disjointed Alabama Sheiks version:
Blues Vintage:
Thanks Wax, I love this song, particularly the spin-off "Things 'Bout Coming My Way"
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