Joe Hartley wrote:
On Mon, 27 Jun 2005 12:04:38 PDT Russ Van Rooy <russvr@pop.nwnexus.com> wrote:> Richard Thompson -> . 1952 Vincent Black Lightning, Devonside, She Moves through the Fair (that might be trad)Even though young James Agee gets hit in the chest with a shotgun blast that left nothing inside, it's not a song that really makes one feel miserable. His "Behind Grey Walls" is, though - I always hit the skip button when it comes to that song on the disc.
"Behind Grey Walls" is kind of miserable, but also not prime RT - it's overwrought, IMHO.
Now if you're looking for truly miserable RT (and there's plenty to choose from), it's hard to beat "The End of the Rainbow." I mean, seriously: a lullaby - to a newborn - about how the world is and always will be horrible and cruel? There's also the very obscure "Bad News Is All the Wind Can Carry," said to have been inspired by the death of Richard's girlfriend Jeannie Franklyn (Phil Ochs's cousin) in the van crash that also killed Fairport Convention drummer Martin Lamble.* I've always found "Has He Got a Friend for Me" to be incredibly _sad_, but that's somehow not quite the same as miserable.
About "She Moves Through the Fair": As stated at http://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/~zierke/anne.briggs/songs/shemovesthroughthefair.html: "Many people think that this song is traditional but actually the words are by the Irish poet Padraic Colum set to a fine myxolydian melody by the collector/arranger Herbert Hughes based on a traditional Gaelic air - hence the confusion."
- Jesse* Franklyn, who made clothes for various rock musicians, was apparently a much-beloved figure: Jack Bruce's "Songs for a Tailor" was named in reference to her, and according to http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/sylviesimmonspage4.htm, Jack Nitzsche wrote a song called "I'll Bet She Knew It" about her. I've also heard that Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" is about her ("seamstress for the band"), but some Web research suggests that that's wrong.
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