Songfacts®:

• This is a folk standard, meaning no one knows who wrote it, but Leadbelly's version has become the most widely recognized. In the song, he's obsessively in love with Irene, but can't be with her, so he'll have to settle for dreaming about her. It takes a dark turn at the end when he sings:
  
  If Irene turns her back on me
  I'm gonna take morphine and die
• Leadbelly, whose real name was Huddie Ledbetter, developed the song while serving time on murder charges in Sugar Land, Texas from 1918-1925. He was pardoned by the governor after writing a song asking for his release.
  
  But in 1930, Leadbelly (Huddie Ledbetter) was once again jailed, this time in a state prison in Angola, Louisiana, convicted of attempted murder. In 1933, the anthropologist and music historian John Lomax came to Angola as part of a project for the Library of Congress: He was looking to record Black convicts to preserve their songs. The first several inmates he auditioned were unworthy, but Leadbelly had the goods. One of the songs that won Lomax over was "Goodnight Irene," which Leadbelly called "Irene."
  
  In 1934, Lomax made more recordings of Leadbelly at the prison, and later that year, he was released (Lomax claimed that once again, he earned a pardon from the governor, but there's no evidence of that). In 1935, Lomax made another recording of Leadbelly performing the song, this time entering it into the Library of Congress.
  
  "Goodnight Irene" became Leadbelly's signature; Lomax brought him north and showcased him as an authentic singing jailbird, reportedly making him wear striped clothes to simulate a prison uniform.
  
  Leadbelly had no interest in being promoted as a tamed savage, and parted ways with Lomax a few months later, going on to record hundreds of songs. He was a huge influence on many artists, but had a hard time shaking the image Lomax established for him. In 1937, he was featured in a Life magazine story called "Lead Belly - Bad Ni--er Makes Good Minstrel."
  
  He also didn't profit much from his efforts: Leadbelly was broke when he died in 1949.
• Most recorded versions are much more tame than Leadbelly's original, with the line "I'll get you in my dreams" replaced with "I'll see you in my dreams."
• In 1950, one year after Leadbelly died, "Goodnight Irene" was a #1 hit for the white folk group The Weavers. Other artists to record the song include Ry Cooder, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, The Chieftains, Tom Waits and Peter, Paul and Mary. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Bertrand - Paris, France