The melody is from an old Scottish folk ballad (supernatural variety) called "The Silkie." It was on the first album by Joan Baez, and say what you will about Joanie, when I was a kid, her achingly pure soprano knocked me out, and this particular track was a revelation. For some reason a junior high school teacher of mine played it for my class one day, and I went bonkers.
I mean, I really went nuts. I actually spent hours trying to write a piano fantasia based on it, which I ultimately did; my old friend and musical colleague Allan Weissman informs me he can still play it from memory.
Anyway, cut to 1966 and The Byrds Fifth Dimension album. I'm listening to it for the first time, and suddenly this song -- with the same tune as the Baez thingie but with absolutely brilliant lyrics about a 7 year old who was fried at Hiroshima (gorgeously sung by Roger McGuinn and David Crosby, I should add) -- comes on. And I totally lose it. Where the hell did that come from?
So I look it up, and -- short version -- the lyrics are an anti-nuke poem by a guy named Nâzım Hikmet, a Turkish-Polish political writer and general activist artist guy, who was famous for his problems with the regime in his home country. The lyrics were apparently notorious in his day -- in a good way -- and folk genius Pete Seeger was savvy enough to graft them onto the melody of "The Silkie." And The Byrds were inspired to cover it, magnificently.
It still reduces me to tears, and many years later, I was moved to record a version of it myself -- with what success I leave you to decide.
Makes me weep still, despite my mediocre vocal.
Have a great weekend, everybody!!!
5 comments:
My wife is Scottish- I can hear it's roots. I would have been taken aback in the day having passed the
"bone" having listened to Mr.Spaceman, waiting for Eight Miles High and this song coming thru the speakers. A brave song to include- was lucky to see the Byrds in 1969 - rob
Who was the Jr. High teacher who played you the Baez song?? I don’t remember him/her playing it for me!
It was a woman but I don’t remember who
The Sun is Burning by Simon & Garfunkel is in a similar vein.
marginalt
The Coven, One Tin Soldier and Tin
Soldier by the Small Faces.
Who could forget
Eve of Destruction/Barry McGuire
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