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Hearing the Americas
Source: National Jukebox

Chinese Blues

ethnic humor

Title

Chinese Blues

Date

November 18, 1915

Performer

Irving Kaufman

Writer

Fred D. Moore (lyricist)
Oscar Gardner (composer)

Location

Camden, New Jersey

Description

The opening lyrics of this song, first recorded in 1915, showcase stereotypes around Chinese people’s occupations and supposed opium addictions: “Chinaman, Chinaman, wash ‘em laundry all day / Chinaman, Chinaman, smoke ‘em pipe they say.” The song uses woodblocks and parallel fourths but no twelve-bar blues forms; thus, it is a song that simply used “blues” as a marketing label.

Type

ethnic humor
The opening lyrics of this song, first recorded in 1915, showcase stereotypes around Chinese people’s occupations and supposed opium addictions: “Chinaman, Chinaman, wash ‘em laundry all day / Chinaman, Chinaman, smoke ‘em pipe they say.” The song uses woodblocks and parallel fourths but no twelve-bar blues forms; thus, it is a song that simply used “blues” as a marketing label.