Oh play me a blues song and fade down the light
You know how it is. You're walking through the sitting room on a Sunday morning (or a Friday, if you're a lazy slacker like me), a bit of Radio 4 accidentally gets in your ears and, before you know where you are, it's out with the paper and pencil and you're committing your carefully considered 8 discs (plus luxury item and book other than the Bible or Shakespeare) to paper just in case you ever get famous enough to be asked to participate in a long-running British radio institution!
Or is that just me?
Anyway, having long ago failed to narrow down the possibilities of my Desert Island Discs to under 1000, I've recently taken to categorising them (being an ex-librarian) into subgroups: Desert Island Folk, Desert Island Patti Smith, Desert Island Classical,Desert Island Kazoo Orchestras and so on.
So today I offer for your entertainment Desert Island Weepies – the eight records which, above all others, make me blart my eyes up (or “cry” as I believe you call it on this planet) every time I hear them . If you have tears to shed, prepare to shed them now:
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1952 Vincent Black Lightning – Richard Thompson
Not the whole song (though it is damned good) but just the bit where he sings “I see angels on Ariels in leather and chrome/ swooping down from heaven to carry me home”. Even typing it now brings a lump to my throat.
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Bloody Motherf***ing A**hole – Martha Wainwright
She sings the refrain with such desolate passion – gets me every time -
Mama Hated Diesels So Bad – Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen
So corny, so cheesy – a real quesadilla of a track – but so very, very touching once you get past all that. -
Bridge Over Troubled Water – the Johnny Cash version
Not got much time for the original, which is far too sweet for my taste, but Johnny Cash plays a blinder and you just know he's singing it for June. -
No Man's Land – June Tabor
Quintessential WWI story, quintessential English folk voice. I love June Tabor so much I want to have her children. -
Bandera Del Sol – Tish Hinajosa
Not all my weepy songs are sad songs. This one is beautiful, triumphant, celebratory and makes you want to go “yeah!” very, very loudly. -
Beneath the Southern Cross – Patti Smith
What can I say - she is a god, I am her acolyte and this makes me cry. -
Individual – Rose Kemp
17-year-old scion of folk royalty sings about being as good as anybody else; “Every girl wishes she was/ thin like all the other girls and / pretty like all the other girls and/ smart like all the other girls are”. My own story exactly.
Luxury item; neverending box of tissues. Book: The Nation's Favourite Poems for Funerals. And bring on the blartathon.
OK, I've shown you mine, now you show me yours. You know you want to.
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Rose Kemp
Sounds like a modern day version of "At Seventeen" by Janis Ian.
Mama hated Diesels
Oh, Jen, such consummate taste. The joy of melancholy. Have you heard the live version, from "We've got a live one here", made even more maudlin thru' the mournful mouth organ of Norton Buffalo.
Here's 8
Single Father: Jackie Leven
Gresford Disaster: Albion Band
As I walked out: Planxty (Andy Irvine vocal and with uillean pipes, not whistle, demarcating the studio from the live version)
I am still here: Damien Jurado
Kilkelly: Mick Moloney, Jimmy Keane, Robbie O'Connell (from the fabulous "Bringing it all back home" irish american music series and CD)
And the band played Waltzing Matilda: June Tabor
If you see her, say Hello: Bob Dylan
Quitting Time: Mary Chapin Carpenter (studio version, not from Party doll)
Consummate taste, eh?
Well thank you kindly, passing stranger. And yes, I do have the live Norton-Buffalo-featurin' version.
I saw the good Commander once, back in the early 70s at Birmingham Odeon, supported, as I recall, by the splendid Country Joe MacDonald. Ah, happy times.
Hmm
Not a song I know too well, but yes, it is a bit.
Born To Cry
Here are my eight hastily assembled Desert Island weepies:
A Simple Twist of Fate - Bob Dylan
Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered - Ella Fitzgerald
I'll See You In My Dreams - Joe Brown
One Step Ahead - Aretha Franklin
For No One - The Beatles
Everybody's Talkin' - Nilsson
She Is Gone - Willie Nelson
I'd Rather Go Blind - Etta James
Here are three of 'em...
Ella:
Aretha:
Willie:
Luxury item: A bottle of pills and a loaded revolver.
Cryin'
Luxury item: A bottle of pills and a loaded revolver.
I guess with that as your luxury, a book would be a bit superfluous.
Sob, sniff
Downtown Lights by The Blue Nile brings a lump to the throat. I once cried on a bus whilst listening to it on my Walkman...
There, there, my dear
Here, have a tissue.
At least you're safe, crying on the bus. Many's the time the blarting has come upon my on the M6, which is not so good.
Warnings about reading blogs too quickly
Quickly scanning the page I frequently misread words with unexpected outcomes. From the main post i honestly 'saw'
Bloody Motherf***ing A**hole – Alred Wainwright
Mama Hated Danielle So Bad – Master and Commander
Bridge Over Troubled Water – The Johnny Cash Trio
No Man's Land – Jim Tarbuck
Individual – Ross Kemp
Just me or anyone else do that??
You should have gone to
Specsavers.
A song by Ross Kemp
Now that really would be upsetting.
You rascal, you
The thought of Ross Kemp singing about how "Every girl wishes she was/ thin like all the other girls and / pretty like all the other girls" etc - LOL as I believe the youngsters say these days.
In Alphabetical Order
Fiona Apple - Accross The Universe
Blur - Song 2
Rosalie Deighton - Lie To Me
Thea Gilmore - Inverigo
Aimee Mann - Invisible Ink
Nerina Pallot - My Last Tango
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
Michelle Shocked - Anchorage
Luxury Item - A Garfield "I Hate Mondays" poster
Book - Winter by Len Deighton
Fiona Apple
Blur
Michelle Shocked
Bit late but i've been busy you know
Anyway here are 8:-
Feel like going home - Notting hillbillies
Darling Lorraine - Paul Simon
Tank Park salute - Billy Bragg
First time ever I saw your face - Roberta Flack
Wont someone pick up the pieces - Bettye Lavette
Shades of scarlet conquering - Joni Mitchell
Your mother and I - Loudon Wainwright
Single Father - Jackie Leven (sorrry to copy Retro but this is a firm favourite)
I've come a bit late to this
But I'm realising that TheologyJen and I have similar tastes. And I can't resist posting a list of weepies. It's being so miserable that keeps me going. There are a lot more than this but these are what I thought of quickly.
"Why is everybody going home?" - Leo Sayer (from his first album before the makeover.
"Poison Words" - Mary Black. Listen to this after a relationship break up and try not to cry.
"Tell me it's not true" - Barbra Dickson. From the musical Blood Brothers. As Willy Russell says, he may not have written the best musical ever but he did write the best last five minutes.
"How weak I am" - Clive Gregson and Christine Collister. How weak I am, how cruel this life.
"My young man" - Kate Rusby. Heartbreaking, especially when the brass band comes in.
"Angie" - the Rolling Stones. Ah, me lost youth.
"Without you" - Nilsson. Don't need to spell this out.
"I'm your toy/Hot Burrito No 1" - Gram Parsons or Elvis Costello. I'm the one who taught you how to do the things you're doing now.
But, re "My Young Man"
The subsequent lament of "Bitter Boy", 2 albums and the divorce from John McCusker later, makes Linda Thompsons "Only a Boy" from the immedialely post Richard "One Clear Moment" seem almost forgiving.......
It's great being a man!