Sweet Home Chicago
Of all the classic songs that reference Chicago-"My Kinda Town (Chicago Is)", "Lake Shore Drive", "Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)"- "Sweet Home Chicago" has always been my favorite. Originally written by Blues guitarist Robert Johnson in the 1930's, it was made famous by various blues performers including Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, and the Blues Brothers. The Blues Brothers version is the version that I rock out to on the car stereo when I drive into Chicago on 290 for a night on the town.
After doing some research on the original version of the song, it turns out that it is possible the song was never meant to reference Chicago. Robert Johnson's version contains the line "that land of California, my sweet home Chicago". Cover versions of the song changed this line to "back to that same old place, my sweet home Chicago" to make the song a true Chicago anthem.
Possible explanations for why Johnson would confuse listeners and reference both California and Chicago are:
1) It was a geographical mistake on Johnson's part (this theory is unlikely as Johnson was a sophisticated songwriter that often made geographical references)
2) Johnson was using a metaphorical description of a utopian city that combined elements of both California and Chicago (both places were safe havens for persecuted African Americans in the early 1900s)
3) Johnson was refering to the city of Port Chicago, CA where he had a distant relative and never intended for the song to be about Chicago, IL
posted by Toastmaster @ 1:44 PM
6 Comments:
YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO THE LYRICS. "FROM THE LAND OF CALIFORNIA TO MY SWEET HOME CHICAGO." PORT CHICAGO WAS ORIGINALLY BAY POINT AND ITS NAME WAS CHANGED IN 1931. SEE "IMAGES OF AMERICA-PORT CHICAGO", ARCADIA PUBLISHING.
I'm a former Port Chi resident (1950-1964). I knwe severla blakc families, including a Johnson family. Fourteen Johnsons were listed in the 2007 town memorial (former residents wh had died since the Navy bought the town in 1968) and in the book Port Chicago Isn't There Anymore--But we Still Call It Home, sevea Johnsons are quoted.
your forgot Led Zeppelin's reference in When the Levee Breaks, it is a small reference but still one to mention.
Get back to work, Marc.
Good job, Marc.
Booger -
Your turning into an historian and I love it. Maybe you can teach me a thing or two about researching. Were you at work while you amassed all of this knowledge? No matter what the song was intended to mean it will always be "Sweet Home Chicago" to me. Deep down I know that you feel the same way too.
t
Very nice text.Short, but written with great love.
MichaEL.
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