Sugar Blues is a song that became popular by Clyde McCoy featuring the sound of the growling wah-wah mute. He recorded it no less than four times. It became his trademark song. It was written in 1920 by Clarence Williams and recorded for the first time by Leona Williams and her Dixie Band in 1922. Although McCoy's version was strictly instrumental, there are lyrics, written by Lucy Fletcher. It was recorded with vocals by both Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, Fats Waller and Ella Fitzgerald.
- I got those sugar blues,
- Everybody's singing those sugar blues,
- The whole town is ringing;
- My lovin' mama, sweet as she can be,
- But the doggone gal turned sour on me!
- I'm so unhappy, I feel so bad,
- I could lay me down and die;
- You can say what you choose,
- But I'm all confused;
- I've got those sweet, sweet sugar blues,
- More sugar,
- I got those sweet, sweet sugar blues!
Other people who recorded versions are Clarence Williams, Johnny Mercer, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
Famous quotes containing the words sugar and/or blues:
“To one who habitually endeavors to contemplate the true state of things, the political state can hardly be said to have any existence whatever. It is unreal, incredible, and insignificant to him, and for him to endeavor to extract the truth from such lean material is like making sugar from linen rags, when sugar-cane may be had.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The blues women had a commanding presence and a refreshing robustness. They were nurturers, taking the yeast of experience, kneading it into dough, molding it and letting it grow in their minds to bring the listener bread for sustenance, shaped by their sensibilities.”
—Rosetta Reitz, U.S. author. As quoted in The Political Palate, ch. 10, by Betsey Beaven et al. (1980)