Terraplane Blues
While Robert Johnson is now revered as a mythical pioneer, during his short life he only had one actual, regional hit: "Terraplane Blues." The song used the mechanics of a notoriously fast Hudson Terraplane automobile as an extended, highly explicit sexual metaphor. Johnson sang about flashing lights, grinding gears, and checking the oil, all delivered with a knowing, rhythmic bounce. The clever double-entendres made it a massive favorite in southern juke joints, moving around 5,000 copies and putting real money in the wandering musician's pocket.
The floating-verse lineage for this recording (who else recorded it, where the melody or lyric traveled, and how it was adapted) is still being mapped. This section will trace the song's DNA across the archive.
Contributions welcome at OlMrRead@ccblues.com.