In his book The Signifying Monkey, Henry Louis Gates Jr. describes a practice that he saw as common in black culture. At its simplest it comes down to saying one thing and meaning another. For example When Peggy Lee, a white woman, sings “The Man I Love” it is a romantic song about hope and love. When Billie Holiday, a black woman, sings it, the song is pure tragedy. The words are the same but their presentation, as well as their context, changes their meaning. It is interesting to note that the song was originally written by George Gershwin who was Jewish. He was trying to write a song that would sound like the black singers who originated the blues form and style. Then again the blues style was made from a hybrid of christian hymns, white country music, and African traditions. Its an endless regression that will never result in a purely discrete entity or cause.
