| "Sitting on Top of the World" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single byMississippi Sheiks | |
| B-side | "Lonely One in This Town" |
| Released | 1930 (1930) |
| Recorded | February 17, 1930 |
| Genre | Country blues |
| Length | 3:10 |
| Label | Okeh |
| Songwriters | Walter Vinson, Lonnie Chatmon |
"Sitting on Top of the World" (also "Sittin' on Top of the World") is acountry blues song written byWalter Vinson and Lonnie Chatmon. They were core members of theMississippi Sheiks, who first recorded it in 1930. Vinson claimed to have composed the song one morning after playing at a white dance in Greenwood, Mississippi.[1] It became a popular crossover hit, and was inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame in 2008.[2]
"Sitting on Top of the World" has become astandard of traditional American music.[3] The song has been widely recorded in a variety of different styles – folk, blues,country,bluegrass,rock – often with considerable variations and/or additions to the original verses. The lyrics of the original song convey a stoic optimism in the face of emotional setbacks, and the song has been described as a "simple, elegant distillation of the Blues". In 2018, it was selected for preservation in theNational Recording Registry by theLibrary of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[4]
The title line of "Sitting on Top of the World" is similar to a well-known popular song of the 1920s, "I'm Sitting on Top of the World", written byRay Henderson,Sam Lewis andJoe Young (popularized byAl Jolson in 1926). However, the two songs are distinct, both musically and lyrically. Similarities have also been noted between "Sitting on Top of the World" and an earlier song byTampa Red.[5]
Lyrically, "Sitting on Top of the World" has a simple structure consisting of a series ofrhyming couplets, each followed by the two-line chorus. The structural economy of the song seems to be conducive to creative invention, giving the song a dynamic flexibility exemplified by the numerous and diverse versions that exist. The song has astrophic nine-bar blues structure. Bar nine provides rhythmic separation between stanzas, the end of one stanza and the relatively large pickup at the beginning of the next.[6]
After the Mississippi Sheiks original, renditions of "Sitting on Top of the World" were recorded by a number of artists.[3] Following a recording forBluebird Records byMilton Brown and His Musical Brownies, the song became a staple in the repertoire ofcountry andbluegrass artists, such asBob Wills and his Texas Playboys andBill Monroe.[1]
Howlin' Wolf reworked the song as aChicago blues, whichChess Records issued as a single in 1957 and later included on the popular compilation seriesThe Real Folk Blues (1966).[7] For the recording, he was backed by a typical blues ensemble consisting of electric guitar (Hubert Sumlin), piano (Hosea Lee Kennard), bass (Alfred Elkins), and drums (Earl Phillips).[7] During performances later in his career, Howlin' Wolf often closed his sets with "Sitting on Top of the World".[8] As with several of his songs, it was adapted by rock groups during the 1960s.[8] Some rock-oriented versions showed considerable variation: a version by theGrateful Dead was played at a very fast tempo of 252beats per minute (bpm), whileCream performed it at a very slow 44 bpm on their 1968 albumWheels Of Fire.[9]
Jack White recorded an acoustic version for thesoundtrack to the 2003 filmCold Mountain. AnAllMusic review included "For the most part, theWhite Stripes frontman successfully transplants himself into the [traditional country and Americana] genre, utilizing his throaty warble on Howlin' Wolf's 'Sittin' on Top of the World' like a dust-bowl carny."[10]
Beth Hart &Joe Bonamassa included a copy on their 2018 albumBlack Coffee.
the composition of the song is problematic (the melody was first recorded by Tampa Red).
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