We invited our readers via Facebook last week to submit some of the disaster songs they find most moving. Through those, and through some suggestions we got from others directly, we received some great suggestions. In an unusual turn for … Continue reading →
We thought it might be fun this week to share with you some of why we do what we do in this blog. Each of the writers here has their own story about hearing their first murder ballad. Each of … Continue reading →
This is Chapter 3 of Stagolee: A Digital Compendium. See also Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 4, and Chapter 5 Caveat – While I will make every reasonable effort to maintain propriety and decorum in writing this post, the language and … Continue reading →
Elvis Presley, 1970 In considering Chris Smither’s song “Every Mother’s Son” in preparation for this week’s first post, I kept being drawn to the contrast between it and Elvis Presley’s blockbuster “In the Ghetto.” The two songs appeared within three … Continue reading →
Bobby Darin I fear I’ve become a bit of a crank. My previous post likely creates the impression that I insist that somehow all songs that involve crime or murder must be serious, and that there’s no room for a … Continue reading →
In this interview mentioned in the last post, Nick Cave explained how his musical inclinations were forever changed when – as young boy in a small town in Australia – he started watching the Johnny Cash Show. The first episode of the show … Continue reading →
This week, I’ll 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 “Rose Connoley” ballad into two forms. The first is what Wilgus calls the “Come-all-ye” form, which normally … Continue reading →
As Ken commented, the role of the natural world is a significant element in “Young Hunting/Henry Lee.” Nick Cave may have removed the dialogue between the woman and the bird, but his original chorus uses the howling wind and the … Continue reading →
This week’s installment focuses on another American contribution to the genre, in the sense that “Henry Lee,” or “Love Henry,” is an Americanized take on an old ballad called “Young Hunting” (Child Ballad No. 68). The ballad tells … Continue reading →
