Murrow - Black Betty

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by David

Interesting. I never knew Black Betty well enough to identify. Didn't Todd Rundgren write it?

I don't even think his Grandpa wrote it.

Can you really tell who writes songs like these? Aren't they just anonymously passed on down the generations by people to take their mind off of the hard labor they're performing. Like "I been working on the railroad, all the live long day" or you know the kind of song that the coal miners used to have about that one coal miner who got killed. Big Jim or something.

Michele

[David]

Originally Posted by michelej1

I don't even think his Grandpa wrote it.

Can you really tell who writes songs like these? Aren't they just anonymously passed on down the generations by people to take their mind off of the hard labor they're performing. Like "I been working on the railroad, all the live long day" or you know the kind of song that the coal miners used to have about that one coal miner who got killed. Big Jim or something.

I confused Black Betty with Black Maria.

I wish Stevie Nicks would sing The Erie Canal or -- two of my favorites -- The Bird Song & Drill Ye Tarriers.

[michelle2677]

here are some speculations re: the black betty reference, on nancy's site.


http://www.buckinghamnicks.net/bn/syw/murrow.html

VEE speculates:

I was watching Blow, with Johnny Depp (love him) last night and something freaked me out for a minute. There is a scene with Johnny depp walking through the airport and the song playing is "Black Betty" by , I think Ram Jam or something. Well it is clearly related to LB's Murrow Turning Over. The chorus is -whoa Black Betty (da na da na da na da) whoa Black Betty (repeat) Black Betty had a child, the damn thing went wild. The chorus sounded JUST like Murrow! I still think lindsey is the sun, moon and stars, but it freaked me out that another song sounds like that. I know I don't keep up with most of you on some things, but did anyone ever mention these extreme similarities or any kind of influence?



SNWRITER speculates:

In answer to VEE about "Murrow":

"Black Betty" is an old Leadbelly (the blues folk pioneer) song. Ram Jam and Lindsey are just experimenting with what has become an almost traditional tune down through the decades. Usually, as with Lindsey, these "antique" sources go uncredited in the new compositions. Led Zeppelin did this quite a few times.



JULES speculates:

I read in a review of Say You Will that Black Betty was in fact an old bluesy standard. Ram Jams 70's version was given a dance beat in the 90's. But yes, Lindsey can't deny "borrowing" textures from the song. Black Betty had a child ram a lam a damn thing ran wild = Ed Murrow had a child... damn thing ran wild. I sort of recognized the sound, but a friend who was familiar with the Ram Jam version pointed it out very clearly. Also, there seems to be some similarities between Paul Simon's Chorus in Kodachrome (Gives us such nice bright colors brings us the greens of summer) and the chorus in Peacekeeper (Peacekeeper take your time... Wait for the dark of night)




LIZABETH speculates:

That Black Betty song is very well known, and especially that line. I would feel sure that LB is "quoting" it.