What means "I love my baby, 99 degrees" in blues language ?
Knowing that R. Johnson's version is "I give my baby the 99 degrees".

"Stuff" is for "sex" or "drugs" ?

Like consumption killing me by degree.....Slowly/gradual
Preaching Blues(Up Jumped The Devil) - Robert Johnson

I give my baby the 99 degrees.....Full on/intense - sex/questioning
Stop Breaking Down Blues - Robert Johnson

Stuff...Sexual boasting

ROCKMAN



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-05-23 13:16 by Rockman.

I was wondering the same thing when I was hearing Stop Breaking down.Cool song by the way.

yes thanks Rockman!
I thought as much that his love is hot for her
but 99°F (37°2 C) is not a very high temperature
(normal body temperature, that is)

Maybe a clue:
[en.wikipedia.org]
So maybe he refers to anal sex (99°F is rectal temperature)
and the girl doesn't seem to appreciate because she got a pistol laid down on him

... here's another clue: outside, 99 degrees is a hot day, so maybe he means he's hot for her.
here's another: 99 degrees is just over 1/4th of a circle, so maybe she's not the only one he's hot for.
here's another: 99 is the highest two-digit number, so maybe he means "a lot".
here's another: "99 degrees" fits the rhythm, has assonance & good singable long vowels.
here's another: great lyrics resonate with layers of meaning/allusion. let them.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2007-05-27 11:10 by with sssoul.

Maybe we'll all die with 99 bucks in our
back pocket....How's that for one off the ton.
Hey Yeah a dollar to get inta hell....Hey Big Spender....Whooosh!!! burn ya cheap arse

ROCKMAN

Rockman Wrote:

> I give my baby the 99 degrees.....Full on/intense
> - sex/questioning

Hey Rockman, I know what you mean now.
I didn't know the expression "to give someone the third degree"
I suppose Jagger didn't know either what R. Johnson meant so
he changed it to "I love my baby, 99 degrees"

Keef upped the ante on that one on the first song on Main Offender, "999" ;-)

Also Muddy Waters had a song called "Nine Below Zero" that gave name to another blues combo from England (check them out sometimes - Mark Feltham plays a mean harp and their album "Don't Point Your Finger" is more than half decent)

Mark Feltham's a great harmonica player indeed! Good call!

Wild Slivovitz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Mark Feltham's a great harmonica player indeed!
> Good call!


Who is he playing for these days? I read somewhere that Nine Below Zero regrouped but not sure if he's in it?

mofur Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wild Slivovitz Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Mark Feltham's a great harmonica player indeed!
> > Good call!
>
>
> Who is he playing for these days? I read somewhere
> that Nine Below Zero regrouped but not sure if
> he's in it?

yes, they're still on, and they've got quite a tight tour schedule as well! You can read mark's blog here: [www.ninebelowzero.com] . He's great!

Jean-Paul LEVET who writes "Talkin' that talk" (le langage du blues et du jazz)
gives me the meaning:

NINETY-NINE (99)
Alcool fort :

The stuff I got'll bust your brains out, baby
Hoo hoo, it'll make you loose your mind
Now I give my baby, now, the ninety-nine degree
She jumped up and throwed a pistol down on me

Stop Breakin' Down, Blues, Robert Johnson (1937)

"We used to hang out at this place, drinking up his booze. We called it "a ninety-nine per cent", one more degree either way would bust your top, we said."
Duke Ellington, SHAPIRO & HENTOFF (1955)

i don´t know if posted somewhere already, but ninety-nine degree is slang for cocaine.