DESCRIPTION:
Columbia 14083-D Recorded 5/26/1925 New York, New York. Song Written by Will Handy (lyricist (W.C. Handy).
Bessie Smith (vocalist)
Louis Armstrong (instrumentalist : cornet)
Charlie Green (instrumentalist : trombone)
Fred Longshaw (instrumentalist : piano)

"Careless Love" is a traditional song, with several popular blues versions.
The death referenced in an old version was the son of a Kentucky governor. Although published accounts have cited 1926 as the copyright date, W. C. Handy copyrighted "Loveless Love" in 1921 under Pace & Handy Music Co.


Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 -- September 26, 1937) was an American blues singer.
Sometimes referred to as The Empress of the Blues, Smith was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s. She is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era and, along with Louis Armstrong, a major influence on subsequent jazz vocalists.
Bessie died from injuries sustained in an automobile accident.
Smith's grave was unmarked until a tombstone was erected on August 7, 1970, paid for by the singer Janis Joplin and Juanita Green, who as a child had done housework for Smith.

Lyrics:
Love, oh love, oh careless love
You've fly through my head like wine
You've wrecked the life of a many poor girl
And you nearly spoiled this life of mine
Love, oh love, oh careless love
In your clutches of desire
You've made me break a many true vow
Then you set my very soul on fire
Love, oh love, oh careless love
All my happiness bereft
You've filled my heart with weary old blues
Now I'm walkin', talkin' to myself
Love, oh love, oh careless love
Trusted you now, it's too late
You've made me throw my old friend down
That's why I sing this song of hate
Love, oh love, oh careless love
Night and day, I weep and moan
You brought the wrong man into this life of mine
For my sins, till judgment I'll atone