Something Blues

Common method of naming things "The (Something) Blues". Very prevalent in Blues music, although there are also many, many non-blues songs with a title like this.

See also The Something Song and Ballad of X.

For the "something blue" worn at a wedding, see Old, New, Borrowed and Blue.

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Examples:

Anime

• Cowboy Bebop: The episode title "Asteroid Blues," and the credits song, "The Real Folk Blues," named after the famous album series.
• The Sailor Moon DiC North American dub had a large number of episodes titled "Something-or-other Blues".

Comic Books

• Judge Dredd story "Hell Street Blues".
• Comic strip Baby Blues.

Film

• Mo' Better Blues
• Postman Blues
• Habana Blues
• Miami Blues
• Varsity Blues
• The French title of Analyze This was "Mafia Blues".
• Undercover Blues
• Biloxi Blues
• There have been three movies called St. Louis Blues. The first was a jazz short in the 20's that depicted the only film footage of Bessie Smith, singing W.C. Handy's iconic song (see the Music entry below). The next one was made in the 30's. It was a musical comedy starring Dorothy Lamour. The third was a musical bio-pic about W.C.Handy made in the 50's with Nat King Cole as the lead. Because of this last film, the aforementioned 1930's St. Louis Blues was retitled to Best of the Blues for television.
• "The Weary Blues" from Summer Holiday.
• Israeli film Metallic Blues (which is a Pun-Based Title on the color metallic blue).
• G.I. Blues
• Basmati Blues
• Bilbao Blues
• Oxford Blues
• Gangnam Blues
• Paris Blues
• Berlin Blues
• LA Blues
• Mali Blues
• Taxi Blues
• Navy Blues (1929 and 1941)
• Steelyard Blues
• Outlaw Blues
• An unusual example is found in Adventures in Babysitting, when Chris and the kids accidentally wander onto the stage of a blues club and are told that "Nobody gets off stage without singing the blues." The teenager is forced to make up a song on the spot, which is of course called "The Babysitting Blues." It works.

Literature

• Spaceman Blues: A Love Song
• Clive Barker's Pig Blood Blues
• Bizarro author Jordan Krall's Squid Pulp Blues
• Derek Robinson did two, not related: Red Rag Blues and Kentucky Blues. Both could be puns, with "blues" in the first title contrasting with "reds" (i.e. Communists), and "blues" in the second one alluding to the American Civil War.
• Richard Lupoff's novel Space War Blues.
• The novel Shaman Blues. Makes sense, seeing how it was named after The Doors song below.
• Joe Haldeman's short story "Lindsay and the Red City Blues".
• Cornell Woolrich's "New York Blues".

Live-Action TV

• Hill Street Blues, punning on blue uniforms.
• Family Matters episode Wedding Bell Blues.
• Bay City Blues
• In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Andorian Blues gets mentioned. (Andorians are aliens with blue skin.)
• The Julekalender features a song named "The Dæjlig News Blues". The title is in the show's usual Intentional Engrish for Funny, and sounds like "The Daily News Blues" even though it's a mistranslation of something that meant "The Good News Blues" in the original Danish.

Music

• "Cross Road Blues" by Robert Johnson Of course, that's not taking into account more than half of the songs he recorded.
• "Talkin' Dust Bowl Blues", "Dust Bowl Blues" and "Dust Pneumonia Blues" by Woody Guthrie from Dust Bowl Ballads.
• Bob Dylan: "Subterranean Homesick Blues" from Bringing It All Back Home, "Talkin' World War III Blues," "Bob Dylan's Blues," "North Country Blues," "Black Crow Blues," "Outlaw Blues," "Orange Juice Blues" (The Basement Tapes), "Tombstone Blues," "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" and dozens of others. Most common on his earlier, folkier albums.
• Louis Armstrong: "Gut Bucket Blues", "Lonesome Blues", "Wild Man Blues", "Potato Head Blues", "Weary Blues", "Keyhole Blues", "S.O.L. Blues", "Gully Low Blues", "Put 'Em Down Blues", "Got No Blues" (which is an interesting subversion we must say), "Savoy Blues", "West End Blues", "Basin Street Blues", "Dallas Blues" and "St. Louis Blues" (all from The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings)
• "Dallas Blues" by Hart A. Wand.
• "St Louis Blues" by W.C. Handy.
• Both Utah Phillips and Grandpa Jones have a song called "Cannonball Blues".
• There are numerous songs called "Freight Train Blues".
• "D.B. Blues" by WASP.
• "Nursing Home Blues" by D.R.I.
• "Whorehouse Blues" by Motörhead.
• "Stepped in Cow Shit Blues" by Anal Blast.
• Just "The Blues" by Switchfoot.
• "Roadhouse Blues", "Shaman Blues" and "Runnin' Blues" by The Doors.
• "Wolverine Blues" by Entombed.
• "My Melancholy Blues" by Queen.
• "A Junkie's Blues" by Queensrÿche.
• Moby's "Natural Blues" from the album Play. It's actually a remix of "Trouble So Hard", a blues song from 1937.
• "Nodding Donkey Blues" and "Black Bart Blues" by Iron Maiden.
• "Empty Bottle Blues" and "Apple Juice Blues" by They Might Be Giants.
• "Slow Lane Blues" by Saxon.
• "Slow Blues" by Thin Lizzy.
• "Down Payment Blues" and "Satellite Blues" by AC/DC.
• "Buckingham Blues," "Dead Car Battery Blues," and "Generic Blues" by "Weird Al" Yankovic, the latter of which is Exactly What It Says on the Tin.
• "Bell Bottom Blues" by Derek and the Dominos.
• "Yer Blues" by The Beatles, from The White Album. "For You Blue" could also count.
• George Harrison's solo career has produced "P2 Vatican Blues", "Sue Me, Sue You Blues" and "Marwa Blues".
• "Birmingham Blues" by Electric Light Orchestra.
• Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album
  • Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus.
  • From Cave's Grinderman side project, "No Pussy Blues."
• Arcade Fire have '(Antichrist Television Blues)'.
• Jimi Hendrix: "Earth Blues", "Country Blues", "Catfish Blues", "Slow Blues"
• "Red Army Blues" by the Waterboys.
• "Blues For Baby And Me" and "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" by Elton John.
• "More Blues" and "Jugband Blues" by Pink Floyd
• Steely Dan's "Deacon Blues"
• "Shotgun Blues" by Kenny Wayne Shepherd
• Shotgun Blues by Guns N' Roses
• "City Boy Blues" by Mötley Crüe.
• "St. James Infirmary Blues", a traditional number with varying versions of lyrics.
• "Zombie Apocalypse Blues" and "SYSTEM ERROR Blues" by Rock, Paper, Cynic.
• Running Gun Blues from The Man Who Sold the World by David Bowie.
• Long Island Blues by Julian Casablancas.
• "Sanguinary Blues" by The Black League.
• The White Stripes have "300 M.P.H Torrential Outpour Blues", "Catch Hell Blues" and "Instinct Blues".
• "Scumbag Blues" by Them Crooked Vultures.
• About a dozen songs by The Grateful Dead fall into this trope.
  • And the studio album Blues For Allah.
• "The Dead Flag Blues" by Godspeed You! Black Emperor, one of the occasional non-Blues songs with such a title.
• Johnny Cash had several throughout his career, including his hit, "Folsom Prison Blues." In addition, his 64th album was called Rockabilly Blues.
• "Travelling Riverside Blues" by Led Zeppelin.
• "Traveling Riverside Blues" by Robert Johnson.
• "Dachau Blues" and "My Human Gets Me Blues" by Captain Beefheart on Trout Mask Replica.
• "Desperate Man Blues" from Daniel Johnston's Hi, How Are You and "Chord Organ Blues" from his album Yip/Jump Music.
• "Pacific Ocean Blues" by Dennis Wilson from Pacific Ocean Blue.
• The Rolling Stones' unreleased "Cocksucker Blues" from Exile on Main St..
• Talkin' Seattle Grunge Rock Blues by Todd Snider.
• A subversion: a blues from Chicago Transit Authority titled "South California Purples".
• "Blues for Alice", by Charlie Parker.
• "The Cape Verdean Blues", Horace Silver.
• Blues for the Red Sun, Kyuss
• "ProzaKc Blues", King Crimson
• "Rich Kid Blues", The Raconteurs.
• "Helplessness Blues" by the Fleet Foxes.
• "Summertime Blues", originally performed by Eddie Cochran, later covered by many acts, including Blue Cheer, The Who, and Rush.
• "Short White Blues" and "Them Old Songwritin' Blues" by Eric Bogle.
• "Talkin' Alien Abduction Blues," "Talkin' Woody, Bob, Bruce, & Dan Blues," and "Airplane Blues" by Dan Bern.
• "Fighting Man Blues" by THE BACK HORN.
• From Neil Young, we have "Revolution Blues," "Vampire Blues," "Barstool Blues," and "Ambulance Blues."
• "(Shell Blues)" by Kurt Vile
• "Arcade Blues" by Neon Indian
• "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" by Skip James
  Chris Thomas King's version is famously featured in O Brother, Where Art Thou?
• "Fraternity Blues", "White Freight Liner Blues", "Talking Thunderbird Blues", "Rex's Blues", "Chauffeur's Blues", and a cover of "Cocaine Blues" all appear on Townes Van Zandt's Live at the Old Quarter Houston, Texas
• Good ol' Screamin' Jay Hawkins gives us a song about real pain with the Constipation Blues.
• Tom "T-Bone" Stankus' "Existential Blues," "Existential Blues Part 2," and "Working at the K-Mart Blues"
• Peter, Paul and Mary's "San Francisco Bay Blues" and "Talkin' Candy Bar Blues"
• King Oliver's "Canal Street Blues"
• Bix Beiderbecke's "Jazz Me Blues," "Royal Garden Blues" and "Talkin' the Blues".
• "Land Locked Blues" by Bright Eyes.
• The album I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama by Janis Joplin.
• The Original Memphis Five's "The Great White Way Blues" and "Meanest Blues"
• Beatrice Kay's "The Ol' Piano Roll Blues"
• "Blues from a Gun" by The Jesus and Mary Chain
• While their songs don't have blues in their names, Sloan does have an album called Navy Blues.
• Soul Coughing have "Screenwriter's Blues".
• Hank Williams' "Weary Blues from Waiting" and "Honky Tonk Blues"
• Oliver Naylor's "Slowin' Down Blues"
• Glenn Frey's "Smuggler's Blues", popularized by Miami Vice.
• "You've Got The Blues (Not Me)" by David Lee Roth.
• "L.A. Blues" from Fun House (Album) by The Stooges.
• "Fumblin' With The Blues" from The Heart of Saturday Night, "Tom Traubert's Blues" and "Invitation To The Blues" from Small Change by Tom Waits.
• "Blues from Down Here" by TV on the Radio from Return to Cookie Mountain, which puts the "blues" part right up front.
• The Allman Brothers Band's "Come and Go Blues"
• John Zorn: The track "Alhambra Blues" on "Alhambra Love Songs" (2009).
• The Simpsons' "Moanin' Lisa Blues" from The Simpsons Sing the Blues.
• The Virginians' "Teddy Bear Blues"
• Mamie Smith's "Crazy Blues"
• Katie Lee's "Repressed Hostility Blues"
• Jim Croce's "Working at the Car Wash Blues"
• Rory Gallagher's "Loanshark Blues"
• Chicago's "Mississippi Delta City Blues"
• Jimmie Rodgers: Rodgers had quite a few of these including "The Brakeman Blues" "Never No Mo' Blues" "Blue Yodel No. 4 (California Blues)" "Tuck Away My Lonesome Blues" and "Those Gambler's Blues"
• Nancy Sinatra's "Limehouse Blues"
• "Beverly Hills Blues" by Bobby McFerrin, with ad-libbed lyrics by Robin Williams.
• Lead Belly's "Jim Crow Blues"
• The Fifth Dimension's "Wedding Bell Blues"
• Against Me!'s "Transgender Dysphoria Blues", about founder Laura Jane Grace's struggles of growing up with gender dysphoria, the struggles of transitioning and the divorce of her now ex-wife, and the death of her friend Pope.
• The Fendermen's "Mule Skinner Blues"
• The White Stripes: "300 MPH Torrential Outpour Blues", "Catch Hell Blues","Instinct Blues"
• U.K. have "Caesar's Palace Blues". An unusual example in that it is also a song with a Title-Only Chorus.
• Lucille Bogan's "Pot Hound Blues"
• Fats Waller had quite a few recordings with this sort of title including Basin Street Blues, Birmingham Blues and Sloppy Water Blues.
• Apollo 440's "Bulletproof Blues"
• Dave Van Ronk's "Bed Bug Blues"
• Snooks Eaglin's "Death Valley Blues"
• Furry Lewis' "Judge Harsh Blues"
• J. B. Lenoir's "Eisenhower Blues"
• "Electric Razor Blues" by Power Salad is about an electric razor no longer holding a charge. This is most emphatically not a metaphor.
• Blind Willie McTell's "Last Dime Blues" and "Statesboro Blues"
• Woody Guthrie's "Mean Talking Blues"
• Bob Miller's "Farm Relief Blues"
• Brownie McGhee's "High Price Blues"
• Andy Kirk and His 12 Clouds of Joy's "Big Jim Blues"
• Ted Heath's "Swingin' Shepherd Blues"
• Humphrey Lyttelton's "Bad Penny Blues"
• "El Blues del Hijueputa" by Los Xheles.
• "Mi Blues" by Khaoticos.
• Viva Belgrado: "Cerecita Blues"*] and [[https://vivabelgrado.bandcamp.com/track/amapolita-blues "Amapolita Blues".
• Hoagy Carmichael was in the Guinness Book of Records for longest song title: "I'm a Cranky Old Yank in a Clanky Old Tank on the Streets of Yokohama with my Honolulu Mama Doin' Those Beat-o, Beat-o, Flat on My Seat-o, Hirohito Blues"
• Amen Corner's "Gin House Blues"
• Frank Ifield's "Lovesick Blues"
• Jellyfish splinter group The Lickerish Quartet has "Sovereignty Blues".
• "Young Man Blues" by Mose Allison, covered by The Who.
• Half Man Half Biscuit's "Worried Man Blues" and "Hair Like Brian May Blues"
• "International Small Arms Traffic Blues" by the Mountain Goats
• "Deacon Blues" by Bill Callaghan & Bonnie "Prince" Billy
• "Killing The Blues" by Deacon Blue
• "Barfruit Blues" by The Hold Steady
• "Talking Reality Television Blues" by Tom Jones
• Machines of Loving Grace's "Golgotha Tenement Blues" from The Crow soundtrack
• Ronnie Self's "Pretty Bad Blues"
• Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota: "Blues de la Artillería", from La Mosca y La Sopa; "Blues de la Libertad", from Luzbelito; "Blues del Noticiero", from En Directo; the Cut Song "Para Monona Blues"...
• James Taylor: "Steamroller Blues" is a blues parody Taylor wrote to mock all the many inauthentic pretentious white blues bands he had heard performing in music clubs and other venues in Greenwich Village, NYC in the late 60's.
• Tom Paxton's "Talking Vietnam Potluck Blues"
• Alan Jackson: ""Mercury Blues," "Summertime Blues," "The Talkin' Song Repair Blues." Punned in "She's Got The Rhythm and I've Got the Blues," in which the "blues" is how he feels after seeing his ex dancing at their local bar, feeling no pain from their break-up.
• Neil Innes did "Short Blues" for Monty Python's City Center show in New York in 1976. It consisted of a grinding blues guitar opening, the line "I woke up this morning," followed by an ending sting and Innes quipping "Right on."

Puppet Shows

• Fraggle Rock: Convincing John, with help from his trio of backup singers, the Fragglettes, sings "Choose-Right (Up-Tight Move-Now) Blues", a lament about John's trouble making up his mind about everything, including which foot to put out of bed first.

Radio

• One game in I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue was to improvise a blues song. The title would always be in this form (eg, "The Trichologist's Blues" or "The Kerry Packer Blues"). In one case the song was called "The West Indies Blues", but was sung as a calypso.

Sports

• The St. Louis Blues, named for the W.C. Handy song of the same name.

Theatre

• "Women's Club Blues" from Love Life.
• "Homesick Blues" from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
• "The Red Blues" from Silk Stockings.
• "Buddy's Blues" (also known as "The God-Why-Don't-You-Love-Me Blues") from Follies.
• "L.A. Blues" from City of Angels.
• "Papa's Blues" from Starlight Express.
• "The Fatherhood Blues" from Baby.
• "'The Half Of It, Dearie' Blues" from Lady, Be Good!.
• "The Where-Has-My-Hubby-Gone Blues" from No No Nanette.

Video Games

• Little unrelated, but Proto Man's Japanese name is Blues.
• The third Fallout: New Vegas DLC is Old World Blues. The DLC mentions it as an in-universe term for extreme, crippling nostalgia to the point that you can't really operate in the here-and-now — though a good karma ending has it evolve into a more positive term, with greater respect for the potential of Old World Blues to turn to New World Hope (an evil karma ending solidifies the old meaning and pairs it with New World Misery).
• Interactive Fiction games Tinseltown Blues, Cowboy Blues, Chunky Blues and Castonegro Blues.
• A series of hack-and-slash mods for Neverwinter Nights called Underdark Blues.
• "Grinder's Blues," Poets of the Fall's Rockabilly Theme Song to the space opera Platformer Rochard, where the Asteroid Miner protagonist laments that he and his crew are barely skating by.

Web Comics

• Afterlife Blues
• The Order of the Stick book No Cure for the Paladin Blues
• Sordid City Blues
• Fall City Blues

Web Original

• "Blood Gulch Blues", theme of Red vs. Blue.
• Metropolitan Blues
• The Thinking Ape Blues

Western Animation

• Metalocalypse pokes fun at this in one episode, with an old man telling bizarre circumstances in which various songs with these kind of title, which are often massively convoluted, were made, including one that a person apparently composed as they were being killed by a train.
• The Tom and Jerry short "Blue Cat Blues." Told in Jerry's narrative, it revolves around Tom's failed romance with a girl cat resulting in him about to commit suicide.

Tropes

• Something Blues

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