B.B. King - "3 O'Clock Blues"

The performance of B.B. King’s ‘3 O’Clock Blues’ illustrates a true gospel in both singing and playing a guitar. You can see what I mean when I say there is no other B.B. King. As soon as he starts, he reduces the audience to tears through the blues singing voice and his instrumental performance of the blues guitar.

B.B. King – 3 O’Clock Blues – Live

It shows you don’t have to shred a guitar solo to play great guitar. It’s all about the feel and soul you put into it.

Her guitar is called Lucille and she speaks in deep and twangy tones which sound absolutely romantic against his insystematic voice. Throughout the video, stains of emotion are spread from King as he showcases his techniques which involve bending notes or adding an intensive vibrato to achieve the deep sense of feeling. Each note renders the blues into its fullest as his solos are clean yet moldy .

The heavy and raspy tones cut and stories of the blues songs get more transformed as the voice of the king tells loneliness and longing in ‘3 O’clock blues’. If such a performance and such a stance existed within the real blues form, the fusion and the originality of King’s interpretation have made blues a pleasure above time.

This factor is also present when King performs live; the audience contributes to the level of intensity in which king expresses himself. King performs tight arrangements with his band in a supportive role, allowing him to dominate the performance without taking away from fullness of sound.

Lyrics:
Well now it’s three o’clock in the morning
And I can’t even close my eyes
Three o’clock in the morning baby
And I can’t even close my eyes
Can’t find my baby
And I can’t be satisfied

I’ve looked around me
And my baby she can’t be found
I’ve looked all around me, people
And my baby she can’t be found
You know if I don’t find my baby
I’m going down to the Golden Ground
That’s where the men hang out

Goodbye, everybody
I believe this is the end
Oh goodbye everybody
I believe this is the end
I want you to tell my baby
Tell her please please forgive me
Forgive me for my sins

Writer(s): Riley B. King, Jules Bihari