The thing I like about traditional murder ballads is that there doesnât have to be any motive for the murder. Thereâs just these two people and he takes her down to the river and he kills her and he throws … Continue reading →
In this interview mentioned in the last post, Nick Cave explained how his musical inclinations were forever changed when â as young boy in a small town in Australia â he started watching the Johnny Cash Show. The first episode of the show … Continue reading →
This week, Iâll explore the dialogue between Johnny Cash and Nick Cave, two great modern murder balladeers who wrestled with themes of redemption and retribution as they explored crime, death, love, isolation, religion and the myths and musical roots of … Continue reading →
The D.K. Wilgus article I mentioned in my first post this week divides the American versions of what it refers to as the âRose Connoleyâ ballad into two forms. Â The first is what Wilgus calls the âCome-all-yeâ form, which normally … Continue reading →
âDeath Gospel and the Heart of Saturday Nightâ The above-linked short essay on Adam Arcuragi and âDeath Gospelâ music came out today in âSightings,â an on-line journal of the University of Chicago Divinity Schoolâs Martin Marty Center for the Advanced … Continue reading →
    Holly Hunter and Nicholas Cage in âRaising Arizonaâ  Watching this pitch-perfect clip from Joel and Ethan Coenâs âRaising Arizona,â reminded me of Patâs introduction to âTwo Sistersâ , where he mentions that he first heard Clannadâs version … Continue reading →
  [Notes: Thanks to Pat for the title. Iâm going to add some songs in here that are not murder ballads, but they fire some of the same synapses, and their relevance to the story I tell below should … Continue reading →
âDown in the Willow Gardenâ brings us a tune with slightly different roots, and an interesting story about branches. Â Itâs the first ballad weâve taken up with distinctively Irish origins. Â For our first post this week, weâll introduce the ballad … Continue reading →
Glenna Bell For my final installment on âFrankie and Johnny,â I want to pick out two versions that, while not necessarily representing the kind of girl anthem (sardonic or otherwise) of Judy Henskeâs âLove Henry,â still present a womanâs voice … Continue reading →
Cyd Charisse as âFrankieâ in âMeet Me in Las Vegasâ   Going to the Movies:  Hipsters and Hootenannies  To paraphrase Lord Buckley,âFriends, blog-readers, countrymen, knock me your lobes.â  Sammy Davis, Jr. here takes a turn at Frankie … Continue reading →
