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Versionality: “Season of the Witch”

Kelly Stitzel — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:00:09 +0000

A few months ago when the Popdose staff was voting on their favorite covers of all time, I placed Richard Thompson’s cover of ”Season of the Witch,” originally performed by Donovan and released 1966, at number two. I have been in love with that particular cover since I first heard it being used in an episode of the now-defunct NBC series Crossing Jordan and it really stuck with me. When the series’ official soundtrack album was released in 2003, I bought it solely based on the fact that Thompson’s haunting, frenetic and epically wonderful “Season of the Witch” was listed in the tracklisting. Once I got the album home, I proceeded to play it on a loop for hours, despite the fact that it was more than nine minutes long. I was obsessed.

But I have a confession to make: I didn’t know Thompson’s version was a cover. At the time, I’d never heard Donovan’s original — in fact, I really didn’t know much about Donovan’s oeuvre, outside of “Mellow Yellow.” So I thought that “Season of the Witch” was Thompson’s song and I started seeking out more of his work, wondering if there were more songs like that one to be discovered. You’re laughing at me right now, I can hear you. It’s OK — I’d laugh at me, too.

Eventually, after I learned the truth about the song’s origins, I figured I should probably hear the original. And while I do enjoy Donovan’s version, I actually don’t love it as much Thompson’s cover. Sacrilege? Maybe. But that’s how I feel. Deal with it.

Anyway, because of all this, I’ve wanted to write a “Versionality” column about this song for a while — in fact, I had originally intended it to be the second song I discussed, after “Stagger Lee.” But, for whatever reason, it’s taken me this long to finally get around to it and I figured that Halloween was a good (though admittedly cheesy) time to write about it, despite the fact that it really isn’t a song about witches in the truest sense. Whatever. I suppose I could just as easily have said I chose to discuss it now because the lyrics really seem to resonate with the current climate in this country — ominous, dark, confusing, full of discontent — particularly with the Occupy movement (I guess I am saying that because, well, I think it’s true).

Thanks to some of my Popdose colleagues, I’ve managed to compile 17 covers of “Season of the Witch.” Most are studio versions, but a few come from live performances — Hole’s version comes from their 1995 MTV Unplugged session; Robert Plant’s comes from a 2001 show in Detroit (interestingly, Led Zeppelin used to perform “Season of the Witch” during soundchecks back in the day); Karen Elson’s is from a performance at Third Man Records last year. Like Thompson, most turned the song into a long jam — 13 of the 17 covers I found are longer than the original, with several of them clocking in at eight minutes or longer (the longest is the Bloomfield/Kooper/Stills version, which is more than 11 minutes long).

As far as how the sound of each cover compares to the original, there’s a little bit of everything. Some of the artists take a pretty straightforward approach (Julie Driscoll, with Brian Auger and the Trinity, Luna, Robert Plant). Some of the artists amp up the dark tripiness (Terry Reid, Vanilla Fudge, Pesky Gee!). Some give it more of a rock edge (Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Hole). Some take a jazzier approach (Bloomfield/Kooper/Stills, Suck), while others go for a bluesier vibe (Sam Gopal, Lou Rawls, Dr. John and the Blues Brothers Band). And others somehow make the song annoying and boring (The Strangelings, Karen Elson). The versions that I like the most, besides Thompson’s, are the ones by Julie Driscoll with Brian Auger and the Trinity, Luna, Bloomfield/Kooper/Stills, Terry Reid, and Lou Rawls.

Which versions are your favorites? Which ones did I miss including? Let me know in the comments!

Versionality: “Into the Mystic”

Kelly Stitzel — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:00:14 +0000

Welcome to another edition of Versionality!

I had originally intented to make this a monthly feature, but, well, you know what they say about good intentions. So, this will more likely become a bi-monthly feature — or just a “when I have time” feature.

Since I’ve chosen March to post this next installment of the series, I figured it would only be appropriate to choose a song by an Irish artist. The first song that popped into my head was my favorite Van Morrison song, which also happens to be one of my favorite songs of all time, “Into the Mystic.”

I hesitate to admit this to you, but since I’m also the person responsible for Soundtrack Saturday, I doubt it will come as much of a surprise that the first time I heard this song was in a movie.

Growing up in the ’80s, I watched a lot of random movies on cable, most of which I stumbled upon and watched for no other reason than I was bored. One such movie was the 1989 dramedy Immediate Family. It stars Glenn Close and James Woods as an infertile couple who decide to adopt the baby of a teenage couple, played by Mary Stuart Masterson and Kevin Dillon, and their experience getting to know their baby’s birth parents while waiting for the child’s arrival.

In one scene, Close’s and Stuart Masterson’s characters bond over their shared love for “Into the Mystic,” lip synching and playing air sax as the song plays on the turntable. While this was certainly not my first exposure to Van Morrison, it was my first time hearing this particular song (I know, I know) and I was immediately enthralled. I had to own it, though it would be several years before I got my hands on my first copy of Morrison’s Moondance, the album on which which “Into the Mystic” first appears.

While I was researching this song and its many covers, I found some interesting quotes about it — from Morrison himself and from reviewers — that do a much better job summing up what makes it so wonderful than I ever could.

From Morrison, a quote from a book called Celtic Crossroads: “Originally I wrote it as ‘Into the Misty.’ But later I thought that it had something of an ethereal feeling to it so I called it ‘Into the Mystic’. That song is kind of funny because when it came time to send the lyrics in WB Music, I couldn’t figure out what to send them. Because really the song has two sets of lyrics. For example, there’s ‘I was born before the wind’ and ‘I was borne before the wind’, and also ‘Also younger than the son, Ere the bonny boat was one’ and ‘All so younger than the son, Ere the bonny boat was won’ … I guess the song is just about being part of the universe.”

And from a review by Lester Bangs and Greil Marcus in the March 17, 1970 issue of Rolling Stone:: “‘Into the Mystic’ is the heart of Moondance; the music unfolds with a classic sense of timing, guitar strums fading into watery notes on a piano, the bass counting off the pace. The lines of the song and Morrison’s delivery of them are gorgeous.”

“Into the Mystic” is one of those songs that I will never tire of hearing. It always cheers me up when I’m feeling down and never fails to calm me down when I’m stressed out. I love turning the volume up all the way while listening and singing along, while playing air sax, just as Glenn Close and Mary Stuart Masterson do in Immediate Family.

In choosing to discuss one of my all-time favorite songs for this column, I knew I’d run the risk of being very disappointed by the covers I’d find. And while I did find quite a few fantastic versions of “Into the Mystic,” most were pretty boring and not at all special. Many of them either recreated the song note-for-note without adding any kind of special flare or they slowed the song down so much it was practically coma-inducing. So, I’ve spared your ears and haven’t included any of these shitty versions.

Of the covers I’ve included, my favorites are performed by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, Ben E. King, Johnny Rivers, Esther Phillips, Greg Laswell, the Wallflowers and the instrumental take by the Vitamin String Quartet. And even though it’s entirely too short, I think Jackson Hawke’s version is kind of fun.

What really surprised me as I was researching this song is that not many women have taken it on — I don’t think I found more than six covers by female artists and of those, I only liked the two I’ve included here. I’d love to hear Rosanne Cash, Adele or Cat Power give it a go.

In addition to the covers, I’ve also included a live version performed by Morrison, recorded at the Fillmore West in 1970. Oh, and the Zac Brown Band’s version is bookended by the song “Free,” so if you only want to listen to their cover of “Into the Mystic,” skip to 4:00 and stop at 6:15.

Big thanks to some of the Popdose staff for donating a few of these tracks.

Versionality: “She’s Got You”

Kelly Stitzel — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 14:00:07 +0000

Songs about heartbreak have been around since the beginning of time. I can’t prove that, but I am pretty certain that it’s true. I mean, what better way to express the fact that someone has stomped all over your heart than by writing a song about your pain and agony? “Joe Lies,” right? Right.

While I’m not a musician, nor am I a songwriter, I do know what it feels like to have my heart dragged over a pile of broken glass, so I do appreciate a good break-up song every now and again. And one of my favorites — actually, it’s one of my favorite songs, period — is “She’s Got You.”

A lovely ballad written by Hank Cochran and originally released by Patsy Cline in 1962, “She’s Got You” is the quintessential song about post break-up sadness and longing. It’s about a woman whose man has moved on and is happy with his new woman and all she’s got are mementos — a signed picture, some records, a class ring — and memories of a relationship she just can’t seem to get over.

What makes this song so special to me is how deceptively simple it is. The lyrics are straightforward in expressing the sadness — but not anger — this woman is feeling about her lost relationship. However, the slightly upbeat jazz/country melody gives the listener the feeling that by lamenting the loss of her man in this way, she might truly be close to getting over him. Cline’s gorgeous, heartbreaking vocal really pulls you in and suddenly you’re feeling sad and wistful as well.

Patsy Cline – She’s Got You

Said to have been one of the few songs Cline loved immediately and actually enjoyed recording, “She’s Got You” was released in January of 1962 and was the third in a string of hits for Cline, after “I Fall to Pieces” and “Crazy” from the previous year. It shot straight to #1 on the Hot C&W Sides country chart and made it to #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and also gave Cline her first hit in the UK, reaching #43 on the singles chart there. The success of “She’s Got You” helped to cement Cline as a huge star and led to her first appearance on American Bandstand. In August of 1962, Cline’s third studio album, Sentimentally Yours, was released and included “She’s Got You.” Sadly, this would be Cline’s last chart-topping, crossover hit single before her death in 1963.

Of course, no hit song is truly a hit until it’s covered a bajillion times. From what I can tell, the first moderately successful cover of “She’s Got You” was recorded by British songstress Alma Cogan. While it didn’t do well in the UK, Cogan’s cover of the song did make the top ten in India.

Alma Cogan – She’s Got You

Possibly the most well-known, and most successful, cover of the song comes from one of Cline’s best friends, Loretta Lynn. Released as a single from her 1977 tribute album to Cline, I Remember Patsy, Lynn’s take on “She’s Got You” made it to #1 on the country charts and is a beautiful version of the song.

Loretta Lynn – She’s Got You

In my search for covers of this song, I found many. Some were great, some were OK and some I didn’t even bother listening to all the way through. Almost every cover I found featured female vocals except for one; unfortunately, that one cover done by a man was from Jimmy Buffett. I’m sorry.

Obviously, these aren’t all the covers of “She’s Got You” that are out there — I had to stop somewhere. Most of them stay pretty true to the original, but there are a few inventive takes on the song, such as the dark versions by Alice Wonders and Cat Power, either of which could easily fit on the soundtrack to a David Lynch film. Cid Bealer’s version is a little more jazzy and sounds so autotuned that I think Cid is actually a computer. Frally’s stripped-down take on the song is lovely and haunting. And then there’s Buffet’s version — I’m sure you can guess what that sounds like.

Of these, my favorite versions are those by Rosanne Cash, which is what inspired me to write this column, Cat Power, Frally, Dottie West, Sandy Posey and Timi Yuro. Obviously, I love Loretta’s version, too.

Versionality: “Stagger Lee”

Kelly Stitzel — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:30:11 +0000

About a month ago, while I was working on my Soundtrack Saturday post about Shag: The Movie, I tweeted that I never got sick of hearing Lloyd Price’s version of the blues folk song “Stagger Lee,” which is what Annabeth Gish and Scott Coffey’s characters dance to during the shag dancing contest at the end of the movie. In fact, I think I listened to it about 20 times just in the few hours it took me to write that post. The first time I’d ever heard any version of “Stagger Lee” was while watching Shag, and every time I hear Price sing it, I think of that scene and just want to put on my shaggin’ shoes and go to town. (Okay, so I don’t really know how to shag, but whatever.)

Seeing my tweet about my love for Mr. Price’s “Stagger Lee,” the lovely Jeff Giles asked if I’d ever heard the version by Chris Whitley & Jeff Lang. I replied that I hadn’t, and within the hour an MP3 was waiting in my in-box. After listening to it and telling Jeff how much I liked it, a discussion about some of the other versions of the song began, ultimately leading to the idea of this feature, which I hope continues with the thoughts of members of the talented Popdose staff on other oft-covered songs.

Now, much has been written about the Stagger Lee story and even about the many versions of the song; I’m certainly not going to try and rehash everything for you here. Instead I’d encourage you to read this and this, and if that’s not enough Stagger Lee history for you, there’s always Wikipedia. Rather, what I wanted to talk about here is what I love about the song and its many renditions.

As with any song, the way an artist interprets it can drastically change its meaning and how it makes the listener feel. For example, there are versions of “Stagger Lee” that make me want to get my ass out on the dance floor (Lloyd Price, Wilson Pickett, Ike & Tina Turner), some that make me want to curl up under a blanket on a rainy day with a big cup of hot cocoa (Mississippi John Hurt, Beck, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Mickey Baker), some that make me want to go spend the rest of my life in a smoky blues club (Jerry Lee Lewis, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Dr. John, the Black Keys), some that make me want to get in the car and go on a cross-country road trip (Bob Dylan, John Cephas & Phil Wiggins, Pacific Gas & Electric, the Grateful Dead), some that make me laugh (Neil Diamond, Samuel L. Jackson), and some that just make me want to get drunk and start a fight … or something (Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds).

What I love about heavily covered, traditional, old songs like “Stagger Lee” is that, even though the story is rooted in a true tale and the lyrics in some of the versions are the same — or at least very similar — for the most part each artist tells the story in a slightly different way by how they sing and play the song. And if you don’t like one version of “Stagger Lee,” there are bound to be five others you’ll adore. I mean, I only knew of two or three versions before I started this post, and now I have about 20 that I love. Hell, I didn’t know the Clash’s “Wrong ‘Em Boyo” was a version of “Stagger Lee,” and I’m not too much of a music snob to admit that, either.

With the help of the wonderful Popdose staff, I’d like to present you with multiple — and fantastic — versions of the story of Stag and Billy. This is nowhere near all of them, so if you have one that’s not included here that you think everyone should hear, please don’t hesitate to post it in the comments. To that effect, if there’s an artist or band who hasn’t covered “Stagger Lee” that you think should, please share your thoughts on that as well (personally, I think Prince could do a killer version).

And, hey, since I’m the soundtrack girl, I have to ask: where’s the Stagger Lee movie? I’m surprised Hollywood hasn’t jumped all over that shit yet — or have they? I couldn’t find anything about a film version of the tale, but if it was done right, I’ll bet it’d make an excellent movie with an amazing soundtrack.

Mississippi John Hurt – Stack O’Lee Blues
Lloyd Price – Stagger Lee
Grateful Dead – Stagger Lee [studio version]
The Clash – Wrong ‘Em Boyo
Mickey Baker – Stack O’Lee
Bob Dylan – Stack a Lee
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Stagger Lee
Taj Mahal – Stagger Lee
Woody Guthrie – Stackolee
Dr. John – Stagger Lee
Pete Seeger – Stagolee (Stagger Lee)
The Black Keys – Stack Shot Billy
Chris Whitley & Jeff Lang – Stagger Lee
Fats Domino – Stagger Lee (Live at Montreaux)
John Cephas & Phil Wiggins – Staggerlee (Stackolee)
Grateful Dead – Stagger Lee (Live in Egypt, 1978)
New Monsoon – Stagger Lee (Live)
Ike & Tina Turner – Stagger Lee and Billy
Pacific Gas & Electric – Staggolee
Samuel L. Jackson – Stack-o-Lee
Wilson Pickett – Stagger Lee
Beck – Stagolee
Neil Diamond – Stagger Lee
Jerry Lee Lewis – Stagger Lee
Huey Lewis & the News – Stagger Lee
The Fabulous Thunderbirds – Stagger Lee
Bill Haley & His Comets – Stagger Lee