Absolutely Sweet Marie (1992) – George Harrison (Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Concert)

Posted on October 5, 2025 by observationblogger — 8 Comments

As much as I love you, Bob, George Harrison owned this song. George always brought a lucid, sunny disposition to whatever he touched, and that’s absolutely the case with his rendition of Absolutely Sweet Marie. He channels pre Dylan – 1950s rock ‘n’ roll energy here – especially in his vocal delivery and the rhythmic bounce of the music. It’s pure Gene Vincent & The Blue Caps – Be Bop A Lula spirit. This really was a perfect song for George.

There aren’t many covers of Dylan songs that surpass the originals, but in my estimation (as aforementioned), George’s Absolutely Sweet Marie is one of them. From the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Concert at Madison Square Garden, there are only three other performances I’d call true “keepers”: Lou Reed’s Foot of Pride, Neil Young’s Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues, and Nanci Griffith’s Boots of Spanish Leather.

I grew up on the music of John Lennon, and since his life was tragically cut short, my musical appreciation gradually leaned more towards George Harrison in recent years. My parents didn’t own any of George’s solo records, and it wasn’t until the Traveling Wilburys burst onto the scene that I really heard Harrison outside of the Beatles. Even then, for years I remained largely unfamiliar with his solo work – until I started this blog. It was thanks to other people’s music articles that I finally discovered just how wonderful George’s solo output truly is. George is the gift that keeps on giving since I’m yet to hear a bad song by him. It’s crazy to think how talented the Beatles were when this guy is considered their third best songwriter.

Now, some Dylan purists might get a bee in their bonnet over what I’m about to say, but if there’s one criticism I have of that “thin, wild mercury sound” record – Blonde on Blonde, from which Absolutely Sweet Marie appears – it’s that Dylan sometimes veers into parody. The stretched-out nasal phrasing and that bubblegum organ (thanks to Al Kooper) give it a kind of spaced-out, drug-fueled feel – similar to Rainy Day Women #12 & 35, a song I never particularly cared for. My point is, when you hear all those countless wannabes doing bad Dylan impressions, this is the sound they’re imitating. Songs like Absolutely Sweet Marie (Dylan’s original) – and Blonde on Blonde in general – are where they source their shtick.

The following was abridged from the Wikipedia reference below:
Absolutely Sweet Marie was recorded at around 1:00 am on March 8, 1966, at Columbia Studio A, Nashville. Some commentators have interpreted the song as being about sexual frustration. It was written by Dylan in the studio. The song has received critical acclaim; Rolling Stone placed the track 78th in their 2015 ranking of the 100 greatest Dylan songs. Dylan first performed “Absolutely Sweet Marie” live in concert on the first night of his Never Ending Tour, in Concord, California, on June 7, 1988.

I have presented below the superior original audio from the concert and the video performance below that. Cheers and thanks for reading.

Well, your railroad gate, you know I just can’t jump it
Sometimes it gets so hard, you see
I’m just sitting here beating on my trumpet
With all these promises you left for me
But where are you tonight, sweet Marie?

Well, I waited for you when I was half sick
Yes, I waited for you when you hated me
Well, I waited for you inside of the frozen traffic
When you knew I had some other place to be
Now, where are you tonight, sweet Marie?

Well, anybody can be just like me, obviously
But then, now again, not too many can be like you, fortunately

Well, six white horses that you did promise
Were fin’lly delivered down to the penitentiary
But to live outside the law, you must be honest
I know you always say that you agree
Well, where are you tonight, sweet Marie?

Well, I don’t know how it happened
But the river-boat captain, he knows my fate
Ev’rybody else, even yourself
Just gonna have to wait

Well, I got the fever down in my pockets
The Persian drunkard follows me
And I can take him to your house but I cannot unlock it
You see, you forgot to leave me with the key
Yeah, where are you tonight, sweet Marie?
Yeah, where are you tonight, sweet Marie?

References:
1. Absolutely Sweet Marie – Wikipedia

Tagged with: 12, absolutely sweet marie, blonde on blonde, Bob Dylan, bob dylan 30th anniversary concert, george harrison
Posted in Music

A Matter of Trust (1986) – Billy Joel

Posted on October 4, 2025 by observationblogger — 2 Comments

76-year-old Billy Joel is recovering from hydrocephalus (NPH), a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the skull and exerts pressure on the brain. He described his balance problems as feeling “like being on a boat” and noted that the condition was once known as “water on the brain.” His daughter, Alexa Ray Joel, has been providing updates on his recovery. In fact, Alexa appears as a baby in the music video for today’s song – A Matter of Trust – alongside her mother and Joel’s then-wife, Christie Brinkley. Joel even named his boat after Alexa, who was nine years old when it was built, and later turned it into a touching song ‘The Downeaster ‘Alexa’.

Billy Joel is no stranger to this blog, and there’s a story I often enjoy retelling – my apologies to those who’ve heard it before. I saw Billy Joel’s Storm Front tour in ’91 in Sydney with my schoolmate Gary, who also happens to be the artist behind the caricature of my family featured in the ‘Reflection’ menu. Gary was an enormous Billy Joel fan. We’d go back and forth over music – he was all about Billy, while I leaned more toward Elton John. I still remember when Elton’s Kiss the Bride came out; Gary would badger me by singing, “I want to kiss the bridegroom!” in place of ‘I wanna kiss the bride, yeah!‘. A clever jab, much like his caricature. So, yes – I went to the concert mostly to humour Gary, though I did (and still do) have a soft spot for some of Joel’s music, including today’s featured track.

A Matter of Trust differs from most Joel songs in that it is based on electric guitar rather than piano, which gives it a rock edge, compared to the soft-rock balladry with which he is more often associated. It was released as the second single from his The Bridge and became a top ten hit. The song gained major traction in the Soviet Union as part of a state-sponsored television promotion of Joel’s songs in preparation for his 1987 USSR concerts, recorded on his seventh studio album – Kontsert. The music video below also includes two quick cuts of both Ringo Starr (1:38) and Paul McCartney (2:01) watching from the street. It is the only Joel music video that features him on guitar, a factor he cited when saying it was his favourite of all his videos.

[Intro]
One, two
One, two, three, four

[Verse 1]
Some love is just a lie of the heart
The cold remains of what began with a passionate start
And they may not want it to end
But it will, it’s just a question of when
I’ve lived long enough to have learned
The closer you get to the fire the more you get burned
But that won’t happen to us
‘Cause it’s always been a matter of trust

[Verse 2]
I know you’re an emotional girl
It took a lot for you to not lose your faith in this world
But I can’t offer you proof
But you’re gonna face a moment of truth
It’s hard when you’re always afraid
You just recover when another belief is betrayed
So break my heart if you must
It’s a matter of trust

[Bridge]
You can’t go the distance
With too much resistance
I know you have doubts
But for God’s sake, don’t shut me out

[Verse 3]
This time you’ve got nothing to lose
You can take it, you can leave it whatever you choose
I won’t hold back anything
And I’ll walk away a fool or a king
Some love is just a lie of the mind
It’s make believe until it’s only a matter of time
And some might have learned to adjust
But then it never was a matter of trust

[Bridge]
I’m sure you’re aware love
We’ve both had our share of
Believing too long
When the whole situation was wrong

[Verse 4]
Some love is just a lie of the soul
A constant battle for the ultimate state of control
After you’ve heard lie upon lie
There can hardly be a question of why
Some love is just a lie of the heart
The cold remains of what began with a passionate start
But that can’t happen to us
‘Cause it’s always been a matter of trust

[Outro]
It’s a matter of trust
It’s always been a matter of trust
It’s a matter of trust
‘Cause it’s always been a matter of trust

References:
1. A Matter of Trust – Wikipedia

Tagged with: a matter of trust, alexa, billy joel, the bridge
Posted in Music

La Traviata: ”Libiamo Ne’lieti Calici” (Brindisi) 1853 – Giuseppe Verdi

Posted on October 3, 2025 by observationblogger — Leave a comment

So I raise today’s piece to you, dear reader. It’s been waiting 172 years to get here.

Libiamo ne’ lieti calici in Italian means Let’s drink from the joyful cups. I don’t know how cups can be joyful, but don’t let that get in the way of this most splendid and festive occasion. Let us revel in this fine Friday and bask in the celebration – just as the words implore: Let’s enjoy ourselves, fleeting and quick. This sparkling tune is more commonly known as The Drinking Song. On that subject, I haven’t drunk alcohol since the 10th of July, 2025, so my beverage will be of the non alcoholic variety, but a toast none the less. I have reached my longest period of cessation from alcohol in my adult life and here’s hoping it carries through to the end. Raise your glasses, dear friends, and hurrah to that!

This famous duet from Giuseppe Verdi’s opera La Traviata brims with exuberance and vitality – a piece that celebrates the sweet brevity of life itself. I heard it again on my player just the other day, and it swept me up in such a wave of lightness that I couldn’t resist sharing it here. In truth, I had been reluctant to present it before – precisely because it is so well known. From the outset of this project, my intent was to spotlight lesser-heard works that shaped my appreciation of music. But sometimes joy trumps obscurity. Hearing it once more in my still-tender state of sobriety, I felt that irresistible pull: “let this baby rip.”

I’ve presented two renditions of the Brindisi (Toast) below. The first comes from the 2018 Metropolitan Opera in New York (with English subtitles), where the set design, costumes, and colours gleam with such elegance and splendour. The second is the beloved version from the mega-popular Three Tenors concert (yes, Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, and the other guy), whom I previously featured singing Puccini’s Nessun Dorma (None Shall Sleep). Unsurprisingly, The Drinking song is such a popular performance choice (as is this opera itself) for many great tenors and sopranos.

Scene (Wikipedia)

The duet is performed in the first act of the opera, during a late-night party at Violetta Valéry’s house. It is sung by Violetta and Alfredo Germont, a young man who is in love with her. Alfredo is convinced by his friend Gastone and by Violetta to show off his voice. He begins this drinking song, later joined by Violetta and the rest of the company.

Alfredo
Let’s drink, let’s drink from the joyous chalices
that beauty blossoms.
And may the fleeting moment
be elated with voluptuousness.
Let’s drink from the sweet thrills
that love arouses,
because that eye aims straight to the almighty heart.
Let’s drink, my love: the love among chalices
will have warmer kisses.

Flora, Gastone, Barone, Dottore, Marchese, Chorus
Ah, let’s drink, my love: the love among chalices
will have warmer kisses.

Violetta
With you, with you I’ll be able to share
my cheerful times.
Everything is foolish in the world
which is not pleasure.
Let’s enjoy ourselves, for fleeting and quick
the delight of love is:
it’s a flower that blooms and dies
and can no longer be enjoyed.
Let’s enjoy ourselves, fervent
flattering voice invites us.

Flora, Gastone, Barone, Dottore, Marchese, Chorus
Ah, let’s enjoy the cup, the cup and the chants,
the embellished nights and the laughter;
let the new day find us in this paradise.

Violetta: Life means celebration.
Alfredo: If one hasn’t known love.
Violetta: Don’t tell someone who doesn’t know.
Alfredo: But this is my fate.

All
Ah, let’s enjoy the cup, the cup and the chants,
the embellished night and the laughter;
let the new day find us in this paradise.
Ah, ah, let the new day find us. (We shall let the new day find us.)
Ah, ah, let the new day find us. (We shall let the new day find us.)
Ah, yes… (Yes, we shall let, we shall let the new day find us…)

References:
1. Libiamo ne’ lieti calici – Wikipedia

Tagged with: Brindisi, Giuseppe Verdi, la traviata, Libiamo Ne’lieti Calici
Posted in Music

Things Have Changed (2000) – Bob Dylan

Posted on October 2, 2025 by observationblogger — 2 Comments

This song is pivotal – not only in Bob Dylan’s career but as a wider statement about human nature and our strange place in the modern world. Dylan, who almost never explains or interprets his own songs, made an uncharacteristic exception at the Academy Awards on March 25, 2001. Accepting the Oscar for Best Original Song with Things Have Changed, he stood before the biggest stage possible and told us:

“I want to thank the members of the Academy who were bold enough to give me this award for this song, which obviously [is] a song that doesn’t pussyfoot around nor turn a blind eye to human nature”.

I was lucky enough to see Dylan perform in Sydney in 2001, at Centennial Park – the very night before he won that Academy Award. Wonder Boys, the film for which he wrote Things Have Changed, remains terribly underrated. Dylan’s music is peppered throughout. Director Curtis Hanson, a longtime admirer, had personally sought Dylan for the project. Dylan, complied – and here we are today.

During his Oscar performance in the video at the end of this post, Dylan seems to wholly embody the persona. Allen Ginsberg once said Dylan could become “a column of air” on stage, with every fiber of his being focused on the breath carrying the words. That night was exactly that. My old man called me right after the broadcast and said: “Dylan’s eyes penetrated the TV screen. He didn’t sing that song, he was that song.” My dad wasn’t exactly full of his praises up until that point, so that is another reason this song holds such a special place in my heart. Also, I remember Bob parading that Oscar stature on his piano for many months; cheekily masquerading it to his audiences. He was beyond proud of his accomplishment.

I’ve written about Things Have Changed in bits and pieces before, but it feels like this article finally ties the whole puzzle together. Things Have Changed is my Bob Dylan post 2000’s Desert Island song. It resonates with me on two levels: first, instinctively and impulsively, like Freud’s Id; and second, as social commentary on the harsh, unpredictable world of politics and human behavior – the realm of the Super-Ego. The Ego, caught between the two, must somehow survive the strange pressures of modern life. In that sense, Dylan channels Freud’s idea of the central conflict of man in the modern age. We are torn between raw impulses, moral restrictions, and the uneasy compromises we make to exist. Dylan is staring right into the heart of it.

People are crazy and times are strange
I’m locked in tight, I’m out of range
I used to care, but things have changed.

This song is Dylan – him the writer prophesying with his pen, much as he once invoked the role of writers in The Times They Are a-Changin’. He also speaks closer to our ears than just about ever before. There’s a stark warning in his words: before you leap blindly into the lake – like Mr. Jinx and Miss Lucy – pause and think twice. The roles have reversed. Dylan, once the fiery young man urging progress forward, now steps back to caution us. The train of “progress,” never actually stopped at the station – it just thundered past, a runaway engine, more radical and uncompromising than even the movements he once championed in the early ’60s. We need to take stock – or else all hell will break loose.

It seems fitting to close with Dylan’s own parting words from that Oscar stage in 2001:

“God bless you all with peace, tranquillity and goodwill.”

[Verse 1]
A worried man with a worried mind
No one in front of me and nothing behind
There’s a woman on my lap and she’s drinking champagne
Got white skin, got assassin’s eyes
I’m looking up into the sapphire-tinted skies
I’m well dressed, waiting on the last train
Standing on the gallows with my head in a noose
Any minute now I’m expecting all hell to break loose

[Chorus]
People are crazy and times are strange
I’m locked in tight, I’m out of range
I used to care, but things have changed

[Verse 2]
This place ain’t doing me any good
I’m in the wrong town, I should be in Hollywood
Just for a second there I thought I saw something move
Gonna take dancing lessons, do the jitterbug rag
Ain’t no shortcuts, gonna dress in drag
Only a fool in here would think he’s got anything to prove
Lot of water under the bridge; lot of other stuff, too
Don’t get up, gentlemen, I’m only passing through

[Verse 3]
I’ve been walking forty miles of bad road
If the Bible is right, the world will explode
I’ve been trying to get as far away from myself as I can
Some things are too hot to touch
The human mind can only stand so much
You can’t win with a losing hand
Feel like falling in love with the first woman I meet
Putting her in a wheelbarrow and wheeling her down the street

[Verse 4]
I hurt easy, I just don’t show it
You can hurt someone and not even know it
The next sixty seconds could be like an eternity
Gonna get low down, gonna fly high
All the truth in the world adds up to one big lie
I’m in love with a woman who don’t even appeal to me
Mr. Jinx and Miss Lucy, they jumped in the lake
I’m not that eager to make a mistake

Tagged with: Bob Dylan, Things Have Changed, Wonder Boys
Posted in Music

Day After Day (1971) – Badfinger

Posted on October 1, 2025 by observationblogger — 8 Comments

Day After Day came on my random music player yesterday while I was out and about. I could have sworn it was a Paul McCartney track because of the voice, and I wondered how I hadn’t already included it in my Music Library Project. It’s not the first time I’ve confused Badfinger’s lead vocalist and songwriter Pete Ham’s voice with McCartney’s. I also once thought their Lay me Down was by McCartney. The resemblance is uncanny, especially considering Badfinger were signed to the Beatles’ Apple Records, with George Harrison producing this track and contributing the slide guitar part. Just a year earlier, Badfinger had also played on Harrison’s first solo album, All Things Must Pass.

Even Songfacts states:
This sounds a lot like The Beatles. Badfinger was one of the first bands to sign with The Beatles’ label, Apple Records. As a result, they got to know The Beatles quite well and picked up on their sound. Badfinger signed with Warner Brothers when Apple Records folded.

My friend Max over at PowerPop first got me hooked on Badfinger’s music – God knows when – but it was back when we were both still relative newbies on the music blog circuit. He’s such a fan that his blog nickname is “Badfinger,” which I used to call him at first – unlucky for him. Let’s be honest, the band’s name isn’t exactly one of their best features. Max said about their Apple Records connection:

They were signed to the Beatle’s Apple Records which was a blessing and a curse. It got them noticed with initial excitement but also hindered their development for their own sound.

Pete Ham, the Welsh singer, songwriter, and guitarist best known as a founding member of the 1970s rock band Badfinger, died tragically young at just 27 by suicide. His death placed him among the ranks of the so-called “27 Club,” alongside Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse. Ham took his life after Badfinger was financially ruined by their fraudulent manager, Stan Polley. Sadly, Tom Evans, Badfinger’s co-lead singer and songwriter, also died by suicide in 1983.

Day After Day is one of Badfinger’s best-known songs and it is from their 1971 album Straight Up. This was their biggest hit peaking at No. 4 in the Billboard 100, No. 2 in Canada, and No.10 in the UK Charts in 1972.

[Verse 1]
I remember finding out about you
Every day, my mind is all around you

[Chorus]
Looking out from my lonely room, day after day
Bring it home, baby, make it soon
I give my love to you

[Verse 2]
I remember holding you while you sleep
Every day, I feel the tears that you weep

[Chorus]
Looking out of my lonely gloom, day after day
Bring it home, baby, make it soon
I give my love to you

References:
1. Day After Day (Badfinger song) – Wikipedia

Tagged with: Badfinger, day after day, straight up, the beatles
Posted in Music

A Man Needs A Maid (1972) – Neil Young

Posted on September 30, 2025 by observationblogger — 4 Comments

“It’s overblown, but it’s great,” Young said of this song (A Man Needs a Maid). Featuring a dramatic Jack Nitzsche arrangement, “Maid” transcends its air of dated chauvinism to reveal a deeper core. Written for Young’s girlfriend Carrie Snodgress (who inspired the line “I fell in love with an actress”), it hangs on the fragile line “When will I see you again?” and remains a moving union of grandeur and vulnerability.

– The 100 Greatest Neil Young Songs – Rolling Stone Australia

Man, Neil Young must have some pretty great songs if A Man Needs a Maid only managed to reach No. 65 on Rolling Stone Australia’s list of his hundred greatest. I remember it being the very first Neil Young song I truly adored – even before I heard Helpless in The Last Waltz, which completely blew me away. Later, I went on a binge, devouring tracks from Prairie Wind (2005)- as showcased in Jonathan Demme’s Heart of Gold documentary. And yet, despite all that, I still feel like I’m only scratching the surface of Neil’s vast discography.

As RT’s synopsis notes, A Man Needs a Maid carries a dated chauvinism, and is not unlike Bob Dylan’s Is Your Love in Vain, released six years later. Both songs, which I hold dear, have long divided even their own fan bases, often criticized for alleged misogyny. Yet I’ve always felt that what comes through most strongly is not contempt, but vulnerability. These songs read less as exercises in dominance than as confessions of insecurity – unguarded attempts at connection. They feel raw, unprocessed, and disarmingly candid, capturing the narrator’s yearning for stability, routine, and the reassurance of being truly loved.

A Man Needs a Maid is from Neil Young’s 1972 album Harvest. It’s one of the two tracks on the LP where he’s joined by the London Symphony Orchestra. He recorded it with them at Barking Town Hall in London.

Young knew he’d be criticized early on because during a performance at the Boston Music Hall on January 21, 1971 which was a year before its release, Young introduced the song by saying:

“This is another new song. It’s called “A Man Needs a Maid.” It’s kind of a . . . it doesn’t really mean what it says. It’s just the idea that anyone would think enough to say something like that would show that something else was happening. [short laugh] So don’t take it personally when I say it. I don’t really want a maid.”

[Verse 1]
My life is changing in so many ways
I don’t know who to trust anymore
There’s a shadow running through my days
Like a beggar goin’ from door to door
I was thinkin’ that maybe I’d get a maid
Find a place nearby for her to stay
Just someone to keep my house clean
Fix my meals and go away

[Chorus]
A maid
A man needs a maid
A maid

[Post-Chorus]
It’s hard to make that change
When life and love turns strange
And cold

[Verse 2]
To give a love
You gotta live a love
To live a love
You gotta be part of
When will I see you again?

[Verse 3]
A while ago somewhere I don’t know when
I was watchin’ a movie with a friend
I fell in love with the actress
She was playin’ a part that I could understand

References:
1. The Story Behind ‘A Man Needs A Maid’ By Neil Young – Society of Rock

Tagged with: a man need a maid, harvest moon, neil young
Posted in Music

They Killed Him (1986) – Bob Dylan

Posted on September 29, 2025 by observationblogger — 5 Comments

Bob Dylan in Sydney 10 Feb, 1986
‘*I’m only Bob Dylan when I have to be Bob Dylan. Most of the time I can just be myself*‘

I was about 14 when I bought the cassette of Dylan’s much-maligned Knocked Out Loaded album. I got a kick out of some of its tracks – including today’s featured song, They Killed Him. Even now, whenever I hear it, the hairs on my arms stand on end. Dylan taking detours into unexpected musical territory was nothing new, but this song really did feel like it came out of left field at the time. It just wasn’t what listeners expected from him then, for several reasons. Let’s unpack them.

Firstly, They Killed Him wasn’t a Dylan original but a cover of a song written by his friend Kris Kristofferson. The two had worked together years earlier on Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Secondly, the song harks back in spirit to Dylan’s Christian trilogy: each verse is dedicated to a servant leader who died a martyr’s death – Mahatma Gandhi (SatyaGraha – Truth Insistence), Martin Luther King Jr. (“I Have a Dream”), and Jesus Christ (“Take nothing for the journey”). Thirdly, Dylan closed the track with a full-blown children’s choir – something utterly unlike anything else in his catalogue. Many fans found that part cringe-inducing; I never did. I still find it sweet.

Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven

– Mark 10, Luke 18, and Matthew 18

Kristofferson himself first released They Killed Him on his October 1986 album Repossessed, where he also added a final verse referencing the Kennedy brothers. Before Kristofferson’s own version appeared, however, Johnny Cash had recorded the song in 1984 as one of his last singles for Columbia Records. Dylan’s recording, released on Knocked Out Loaded in July 1986, also predated Kristofferson’s release by a few months. Later, Kristofferson’s supergroup The Highwaymen (with Cash, Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings) gave the song a memorable treatment on their 1990 album Highwayman 2.

As an aside, Knocked Out Loaded also features another cover (of an old hymn) that has long fascinated me – Precious Memories, which I wrote about back in March 2024. I’ve always been perplexed at how overlooked and underrated that track is, perhaps because the whole album was dismissed so harshly. Unlike other Dylan records, age hasn’t been especially kind to its reputation either.

[Verse 1]
There was a man named Mahatma Gandhi
He would not bow down he would not fight
He knew the deal was down and dirty
And nothing wrong could make it right away
But he knew his duty and the price he had to pay
Just another holy man who tried to be a friend
My God, they killed him

[Verse 2]
Another man from Atlanta, Georgia
By name of Martin Luther King
He shook the land like the rolling thunder
And made the bells of freedom ring today
With a dream of beauty that they could not take away
Just another holy man who dared to make a stand
My God, they killed him

[Verse 3]
The only Son of God Almighty
The holy one called Jesus Christ
He healed the sick and fed the hungry
And for his love they took his life away
On the road to glory where the story never ends
Just the holy Son of Man I’ll never understand
My God, they killed him

[Verse 4]
There was a man named Mahatma Gandhi
A man named Martin Luther King
The only Son of God Almighty
The holy one called Jesus Christ
On the road to glory where the story never ends
Just the holy Son of Man we’ll never understand
My God, they killed him

References:
1. They Killed Him – Wikipedia

Tagged with: Bob Dylan, knocked out loaded, Kris Kristofferson, they killed him
Posted in Music

Jackson (1967) – Johnny Cash & June Carter

Posted on September 28, 2025 by observationblogger — 10 Comments

Jackson is a high-spirited, playful, grassroots country song that I’ve returned to more than almost any other Johnny Cash performance over the years. But I shouldn’t just say Johnny – because it’s his wife – June Carter’s country twang and her playful vocal style set against Johnny’s deep, sultry baritone that gives the song its unmistakable flavour. The back-and-forth between them – the hollers, the teasing, the banter – fuels the song’s energy and chemistry. You can see this come alive in their performance on The Johnny Cash Show, featured at the bottom of this post, where June even announces the birth of their son, John Carter Cash.

Jackson was written in 1963 by Billy Edd Wheeler and Jerry Leiber. It is best known as the country hit single by Johnny Cash and June Carter, reaching number two on the Billboard Country Singles chart. It also won a Grammy Award in 1968 for Best Country & Western Performance Duet, Trio or Group. Jackson was previously recorded in 1963 by the Kingston Trio, Wheeler, and Flatt and Scruggs. An aside, it was The Kingston Trio’s 1958 recording of The John B. Sails that was the direct influence on the Beach Boys making of Sloop John B. Another version of Jackson was released by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood, which reached No. 14 on the Billboard.

Story (Wikipedia)
The song is about a married couple who find that the “fire” has gone out of their relationship. It relates the desire of both partners to travel to “Jackson” where the husband believes he will be turned loose, be with many women and be practically worshipped as he has his wild time. The wife says he is going to achieve nothing but the damaging of his health and that people are going to see him as a fool. She says she will be there waiting, having her own fun laughing at him.

Writer Billy Edd Wheeler recalled the making of the song:
‘Jackson’ came to me when I read the script for Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (I was too broke to see the play on Broadway)…When I played it for Jerry [Leiber], he said ‘Your first verses suck,’ or words to that effect. ‘Throw them away and start the song with your last verse, “We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout.”‘ When I protested to Jerry that I couldn’t start the song with the climax, he said, ‘Oh, yes you can.’ So I rewrote the song and thanks to Jerry’s editing and help, it worked.’

There has been much speculation regarding which city of Jackson the song is about, but Wheeler said: “Actually, I didn’t have a specific Jackson in mind. I just liked the sharp consonant sound, as opposed to soft-sounding words like Nashville.”

[Verse 1: Both, Johnny Cash]
We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout
We’ve been talkin’ ’bout Jackson ever since the fire went out
I’m going to Jackson, I’m gonna mess around
Yeah, I’m goin’ to Jackson
Look out, Jackson town

[Verse 2: June Carter & Johnny Cash]
Well, go on down to Jackson, go ahead and wreck your health
Go play your hand, you big-talkin’ man, and make a big fool of yourself
Yeah, go to Jackson, go comb your hair
Honey, I’m gonna snowball Jackson
See if I care

[Verse 3: Johnny Cash & June Carter]
When I breeze into that city, people gonna stoop and bow (Hah)
All them women gonna make me, teach ’em what they don’t know how
I’m goin’ to Jackson, you turn-a loose-a my coat
‘Cause I’m goin’ to Jackson
“Goodbye,” that’s all she wrote

[Verse 4: June Carter]
But they’ll laugh at you in Jackson, and I’ll be dancin’ on a Pony Keg
They’ll lead you ’round town like a scolded hound
With your tail tucked between your legs
Yeah, go to Jackson, you big-talkin’ man
And I’ll be waitin’ in Jackson, behind my Japan Fan

[Verse 5: Both]
Well now, we got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout
We’ve been talkin’ ’bout Jackson ever since the fire went out
I’m goin’ to Jackson, and that’s a fact
Yeah, we’re goin’ to Jackson
Ain’t never comin’ back

[Outro: Johnny Cash, Both]
Well, we got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout
Honey, we’ve been talkin’ ’bout Jackson, ever since the fire went

References:
1. Jackson (song) – Wikipedia

Tagged with: billy edd wheeler, jackson, Jerry Leiber, Johnny Cash, june carter, kingston trio
Posted in Music

Russian Inspired Music on the Bogotá Transmilenio (26-9-2025)

Posted on September 27, 2025 by observationblogger — 9 Comments

Yesterday I recorded a duo performing on the Transmilenio — Bogotá’s bus rapid transit (BRT) system. In the background of the video you can see the Bogotá Metro under construction: a 24 km (15 mi) elevated, driverless, automated rapid transit line. The inset image is a digital rendering showing how the Transmilenio below and the Metro above will look once the Metro opens, projected for March 2028.

One of the perks of being a regular TransMilenio passenger is getting to witness talented and sometimes unorthodox musical acts I’d never encounter otherwise. The duo I recorded yesterday was one such example. The passengers in attendance clearly enjoyed the performance, rewarding them generously with loose change.

The young man on the left of the video is playing a melodica, also known as a keyboard harmonica or Pianica. It’s a small, handheld, breath-powered keyboard instrument that produces sound when air is blown across thin metal reeds, much like a harmonica or accordion.

From the outset they sounded wonderful, and I felt compelled to capture the moment. It was hard to keep my phone steady – my legs wanted to bop along. They told us the second piece they performed (presented above) drew from Russian musical traditions, perhaps even Polka? – that lively, upbeat style rooted in frenzied folk dances. Any Russian or Balkan folk music experts in the house?

Of course, the video — obstructed by poles, barriers, and the limitations of a mobile mic – can’t quite replicate the live, in-person experience. Still, I hope you enjoy it. If you liked what you heard, I’ve also included below a longer clip of their first piece.

Anyway, signing off now from an overcast Saturday morning high up in the Andes. ‘Hooroo’ from your resident Aussie.

Tagged with: Bogota, Colombia, melodica, polka, Russian, transmilenio
Posted in Music

Can Can (Orpheus In The Underworld) 1858 – Jacques Offenbach

Posted on September 26, 2025 by observationblogger — 2 Comments

Apart from being one of the world’s most famous pieces of music, the Can-Can must also be one of the most joyfully mischievous. Its popularity became enduring when, 15 years after composer Offenbach’s death, the Moulin Rouge and the Folies Bergère adopted it as the regular accompaniment to their can-can dance. In case you were wondering like me, the can-can is a high-energy, physically demanding dance that became a popular music-hall dance in the 1840s, continuing in popularity in French cabaret to this day. Originally danced by couples, it is now traditionally associated with a chorus line of female dancers (see image inset).

The piece is the Galop Infernal from Act 2 of Jacques Offenbach’s Comic Opera – Orpheus in the Underworld.

Opera Overview (from Wikipedia)
The opera is a lampoon of the ancient legend of Orpheus and Eurydice. In this version Orpheus is not the son of Apollo but a rustic violin teacher. He is glad to be rid of his wife, Eurydice, when she is abducted by the god of the underworld, Pluto. Orpheus has to be bullied by Public Opinion into trying to rescue Eurydice. The reprehensible conduct of the gods of Olympus in the opera was widely seen as a veiled satire of the court and government of Napoleon III, Emperor of the French.

Some critics expressed outrage at the librettists’ disrespect for classic mythology and the composer’s parody of Gluck’s opera Orfeo ed Euridice; while others praised the piece highly. The original 1858 production became a box-office success, and ran well into the following year, rescuing Offenbach and his Bouffes company from financial difficulty. The 1874 revival broke records at the Gaîté’s box-office. The work was frequently staged in France and internationally during the composer’s lifetime and throughout the 20th century. It is one of his most often performed operas, and continues to be revived in the 21st century.

References:
1. Orpheus in the Underworld – Wikipedia

Tagged with: Can Can, Jacques Offenbach, Orpheus In The Underworld
Posted in Music

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