Jen Kehl at My Skewed View and Kristi at Finding Ninee host Twisted MixTape Tuesday, a blog hop that’s all about music.  The premise is to create a five song mix based on the week’s theme.  (You can click on the button above if you’d like to play along). Here’s Jen’s instructions for today’s topic:

This week’s MixTape Theme is Cheating Songs.

The plague has run rampant throughout the Dream household over the past couple weeks in the form of strep throat.  Some of us were even “lucky” enough to get it twice before we actually knew what it was or that it required antibiotics.  Fun times.  Fun enough that I’m taking today’s theme at face value of infidelity and not digging deeper looking for cheating in other forms:  cheating in school, cheating death and so forth.  (This post is brought to you by Halls Honey Lemon Triple Soothing Action cough drops, Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup, Amoxicillin, and The Walking Dead.)

Once again, country music would be a treasure trove of songs to fit this theme.  Another genre would be rap/hip hop.  But I’m gonna go back.  Way back.  Back into time. Back to the heart of today’s cheating songs and take a trip through the blues with those that cheated, thought about cheating, were the one cheated on or cheated with.  I find myself kind of sentimental about using the blues genre since I used it for my very first Twisted Mixtape Tuesday post and since my blog just passed its six month mark, it seems kinda fitting to revisit one of my favorite styles.

1.  I’m Mad Again – John Lee Hooker.  Here’s a guy that was good enough to take his buddy in and the guy repays him by messing around with his woman.  Listen close.  Sound familiar?  It has the same sound as a modern quasi-famous blues song by George Thorogood called “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer.”  Even though John Lee Hooker did a cover of that song as well, George Thorogood’s version sounds more like the musical style that JLH used on this song.  You can especially hear it on the “Yes man/yeah man.”

2.  Hound Dog – Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton.  This singer’s big frame, countenance, and attitude made such an impression on Leiber and Stoller (the prolific song writing team of Brill Building fame), that they wrote this song for her in twelve minutes on the back of a brown paper bag after meeting her.  Its about her telling off a no-good, cheating, layabout man that won’t work and kicking him out of her home and life.  Its almost a shame that the woman that inspired such a classic rock n’ roll song only made $500 for her recording, even though it went on to make millions after being recorded by Elvis.  

3.  You Can Have My Husband (But Please Don’t Mess With My Man) – Irma Thomas & BB King.  This lady certainly knows what she wants.  She don’t care if another woman wants to mess around with her husband, but tells her she better keep her claws out of her man on the side.  Can you tell the song was written by a woman?

4.  Don’t Answer the Door – B.B. King.  Now Mr. King figures the best way to keep his little woman faithful while he’s gone is to keep her locked up at home with no visitors.  Seriously?  Not even her momma or her sister can come visit?  He don’t even want her to have the doctor make a house call if she gets sick!  Sounds like he’s got just a little bit of a jealousy problem.  Run girl, run!

5.  I Got Dreams to Remember – Otis Redding.  This one may technically be considered more soul than blues, but at the heart of the song, its blues through and through.  Poor guy finds out the hard way that his woman is cheating after seeing their PDA on the street.  Even after seeing it with his own eyes, he loves her so much that he still wants her because he remembers how good they were together.