The Meaning of the Blues is a 1957 jazz composition with music by Bobby Troup and lyrics by Leah Worth. It was written for Julie London for her album About the Blues (1957) and was recorded soon after by Miles Davis and Gil Evans for the album Miles Ahead. Although titled a blues, the tune is a 32-bar ABAC jazz standard with a minor overall tonality and modulations to the major in the B and C sections. The melody has no accidentals aside from the raised leading tone at bar 16 when the B section returns to A, and it is usually performed as a ballad at about 66 bpm or slower. Notable recordings include Julie London’s vocal version and Miles Davis’s instrumental take on Miles Ahead, with many other artists later interpreting the tune.
