Spoonful Blues

[NormanKliman]

Not sure where to post this, so here it it. Last night, I had another listen to Charlie Patton's "Spoonful Blues," and I realized he never actually says the word "spoonful." Kind of impressive, considering that it's the refrain of the song and, by the end, anyone listening is saying that word to themselves over the little slide bit that Patton plays to suggest it.

I can't think of another song that omits and simultaneously suggests the most important word in the lyrics. How about you?

[JonPR]

Tommy McClennan does something similar in Bottle Up and Go. He does sing the title a fair amount, but he also plays it on the guitar instead several times.

Like the Charlie Patton it's a great example of what I call "reverse call and response".


It's also nice illustration of the theme, which is about "bottling up" something you were about to say but thought better of.

[NormanKliman]

Originally Posted by JonPR

He does sing the title a fair amount, but...

Not what I'm looking for.

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by NormanKliman

Not what I'm looking for.

Not quite, obviously.

But the same idea: using the guitar to mimic a title phrase instead of singing it oneself. Just not replacing the title entirely, as in Spoonful.

[NormanKliman]

Originally Posted by JonPR

Not quite, obviously.

But the same idea: using the guitar to mimic a title phrase instead of singing it oneself. Just not replacing the title entirely, as in Spoonful.

No, it's not the same idea. I thought the word "omit" made clear what I'm looking for. If it's sung even once, it's not omitted.

[Kittoon]

Day In The Life -Beatles
Annie’s Song -John Denver
After The Gold Rush -N. Young

[NormanKliman]

Originally Posted by Kittoon

Day In The Life -Beatles
Annie’s Song -John Denver
After The Gold Rush -N. Young

No, those are examples of songs whose titles don’t appear in the lyrics.

Patton’s version has lines like, “I need my...”, “Just about a...” and “I’m a fool about my...” that should end with “spoonful,” but he doesn’t say it.

I think it's remarkable because it leaves a huge hole in the music that listeners mentally complete, which is very often the point of good music.

So, I’ll ask again:

Can anyone think of another song that systematically omits and suggests the most important word in the lyrics?

I can’t think of any, but I’m guessing it’s such a simple device that it must have been used in other songs. Maybe novelty songs?

[pegleghowell]

Patton was the best.

[Kittoon]

If the listener or audience was not privy to the title beforehand, how could this work? This is interesting.
-My wife has been dealing with kids/other ECFE teachers over the computer/internet (due to Covid) and they have “digital” singalongs (if you will)

One song they repeatedly sing seems to address the notion you’re referring to.

It’s kind of a neat song! I will dig a bit deeper!

[pegleghowell]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq-3HWujW24
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq-3HWujW24
Blind Willie McTell does a similar thing on this tune,omits words and suggests them with a bottleneck fill.He never ever sings the full"Cross the River Jordan"phrase.Not exactly what you`re after though but it`s beautiful..like he`s deep in conversation with his 12 string.

[NormanKliman]

Originally Posted by Kittoon

If the listener or audience was not privy to the title beforehand, how could this work?

Well, the singer might introduce the song by saying the title, or, if it falls on completely uninformed ears, someone might figure out the missing words from the clues in the rest of the lyrics.

In this case, I don’t know if “(just about a) spoonful” was a common enough expression for people to fill in the blank immediately, although it’s also worth noting that he’s clearly referring to some kind of vice, which might have been another reason to skip that word. Of course, it has just the opposite effect, as the word and its meaning become conspicuous by absence. I think that’s the whole charm of the song and Patton was fully aware of it.

Originally Posted by pegleghowell

Blind Willie McTell does a similar thing on this tune,omits words and suggests them with a bottleneck fill.He never ever sings the full"Cross the River Jordan"phrase.Not exactly what you`re after though but it`s beautiful..like he`s deep in conversation with his 12 string.

Hey, that’s a good one. He also omits “by myself” and other parts. Not exactly the same and maybe a little more in line with Jon’s example, but it’s close enough.

I’ll bet there are more and none will be as remarkably effective or as artistic as Patton’s.

[godfreydaniel]

Originally Posted by Kittoon

If the listener or audience was not privy to the title beforehand, how could this work? This is interesting.

In this case Patton does announce it at the beginning, before starting to sing. He starts off saying “I’m about to go to jail about this spoonful.”