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What Is the Murder Ballad That Holly Hunter Sings to Nathan Jr. in “Raising Arizona”?

Early in the movie Raising Arizona (1987), after Hi (Nicholas Cage) and Edwina (Holly Hunter) have kidnapped Nathan Jr., Edwina is heard singing a song to the baby. If you listen carefully, you will notice that it is not a happy lullaby but a song about murder. What is the song?

The song has a long history and was not original to the film. It is called “Down in the Willow Garden,” although it is sometimes entitled after the murder victim, “Rose Connelly.”

“Down in the Willow Garden”

“Down in the Willow Garden” is a traditional Appalachian murder ballad, about a man who kills a woman named Rose Connelly. Much is ambiguous about the song, but it appears she was pregnant. And the singer tells us he killed her because his father offered to pay him.

My father he had told me,
His money would set me free,
If I would poison that dear little girl,
Whose name was Rose Connelly.

And so, the singer “drew a sabre through her” (and apparently poisoned her too). He then throws her body in the river and runs. But then he tells us what happened to him, with the twist that his father now must watch his son be hanged.

My father weeps at his cabin door,
Wipin’ his tear dimmed eyes;
For soon his only son shall hang
From yonder scaffold high.

My race is run beneath the sun,
My sentence is waiting for me,
For I did poison that dear little girl
Whose name was Rose Connelly.

We hear Holly Hunter sing that last verse to the baby Nathan Jr. in Raising Arizona. At the time, Hi has just awakened from a nightmare about the crime he and his wife just committed.

There is a bit of dark humor there in the movie scene: The kidnapper is singing about another crime and about the perpetrator being caught and punished.

Although it may seem odd to sing about a murder to a baby, it is not that unusual for murder ballads to be used this way. And a lot of songs we sing to children have dark undertones that only we as adults appreciate. I often sing “Goodnight Irene” to my newborn, but once you leave the chorus, the song is about a man losing his wife and contemplating suicide. I know others who sing “You Are My Sunshine” to their children. But again, once you leave the chorus, you realize the song is about a woman leaving the singer.

Here, in Raising Arizona, there is something sweet about Hunter singing the song. Its tune is comforting to the baby even as the words speak of something darker. The baby, who only hears the music, is reassured, while the lyrics reflect on the lingering guilt hanging over the adults.

Versions of “Down in the Willow Garden”

Early recorded versions of “Down in the Willow Garden” go back to the 1920s. And the song’s origins most likely go back through Appalachia to Ireland in the 1800s. The tune accompanying the lyrics reportedly come from the song “Old R o sin the Beau.”

In more modern times, the song has been recorded by Flatt and Scruggs, The Stanley Brothers, Jerry Garcia, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Art Garfunkel, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and the Chapin Sisters. Bringing it back the Coen Brothers’ movie Raising Arizona, Bon Iver and The Chieftains recorded a version used to close one of the episodes of the second season of The Coen Brothers’ inspired Fargo TV series.

One of the most famous groups to record the song was The Everly Brothers. They included the song on their 1958 album S ongs Our Daddy Taught Us.

More recently, on an album of songs in tribute to The Everly Brothers, Billie Joe Armstrong (of Green Day) and Norah Jones recorded their harmonious version of “Down in the Willow Garden.” Their version appeared on Foreverly (2013), which they recorded as Billie +Norah.

The timeless song continues to live through these modern recordings. And, as noted above, it has also appeared in movies and TV shows, including recently at the end credits of the HBO show Sharp Objects.

Why is “Down in the Willow Garden” so timeless? We do not know if there was a real Rose Connelly, but the story rings true. It reminds us of the stupidity, foolishness, and cruelty of humans. Something we are reminded of all too often. But it also finds some beauty in the way we do not let the tale be forgetten.

And that is the Story Behind the Song.

Image via YouTube. Leave your two cents in the comments.

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Gospel Medley With Dolly Parton, Donna Summer, Tom Jones, and Mac Davis

In the 1970s, singer-songwriter-actor Mac Davis showed off his talents on “The Mac Davis Show,” which once brought together Donna Summer, Dolly Parton, and Tom Jones.

I was sad to see that singer-songwriter Mac Davis recently passed away. In addition to writing memorable songs such as “In the Ghetto” and “Baby Don’t Get Hooked On Me,” Davis was one of those personalities who seemed everywhere in the 1970s. He even hosted his own variety show, The Mac Davis Show.

Davis often appeared on television and in movies, such as North Dallas Forty (1979) and The Sting II (1983). His bubbly personality combined with this multiple talents made him a part of American’s lives during the 1970s, along with similar multi-talented singer-songwriters like John Denver and Paul Williams.

Davis was born in Lubbock, Texas on January 21, 1942. His first popular successes came as a songwriter for artists like Elvis Presley (“A Little Less Conversation” and “In the Ghetto”) and Bobby Goldsboro (“Watching Scotty Grow“).

Many of us fell for his charms during the run of his own NBC variety show, The Mac Davis Show, from 1974-1976. The 1970s were also a time of wonderful variety shows hosted by such stars as Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, The Hudson Brothers, Tony Orlando and Dawn, and Sonny and/or Cher.

These shows often had magic moments of a type we would not see on television again, although perhaps we get them sometimes with the Internet. One such unusual moment occurred on The Mac Davis Show. Davis joined the unlikely grouping of Dolly Parton, Donna Summer, and Tom Jones singing a medley of gospel songs such as “I’ll Fly Away.”

Although the four are all extremely talented, something about the performance does not quite click with their different styles and voices. But that makes it all the more awesome to watch. Check it out.

What is your favorite memory of Mac Davis? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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Marty Stuart’s Celebration of “The Pilgrim” Through A Wall-to-Wall Odyssey

For the 20th anniversary of Marty Stuart’s concept album “The Pilgrim,” the artist released a remastered version with bonus tracks as well as a book about the album. Is it worth it?

In 1999, Marty Stuart released his tenth studio album, The Pilgrim. As Stuart has revealed, although the sales were initially a bit of a disappointment, the album “changed the course of [his] musical life.” To celebrate the landmark album, Stuart recently released a remastered version of the album with bonus tracks and also a book about the album, The Pilgrim: A Wall-to-Wall Odyssey. Often such books released by a musician about one of their past albums are full of fluff and not worth it for anyone beyond fans looking for photos of the artist. So, is A Wall-to-Wall Odyssey and the bonus tracks worth the money? The short answer is: “Go buy the book now.”

I have written earlier about my love for The Pilgrim and how I am a sucker for great concept albums. The Pilgrim — featuring a song cycle based on a tragic suicide, redemption, and love story from Stuart’s hometown — is one of the great albums of the last twenty-five years. The songs are stellar and the tale that ties them together is compelling.

The album features amazing guest stars like Johnny Cash, Ralph Stanley, Emmylou Harris, Earl Scruggs, Pam Tillis, and George Jones. Yet the guest stars and their mostly brief appearances never distract from the album that is dominated by Stuart’s voice and the music from him and his band at the time, Rock and Roll Cowboys (Brad Davis, Steve Arnold, Greg Stocki, and Gary Hogue).

Marty Stuart’s new book features plenty of photos taken by the singer-songwriter, whose career and talents have made him one of the living legends connected to many of the old-time greats. Who knew, though, that Marty Stuart is such a wonderful photographer? Photographs in the book capture much of the making of the album as well as other connected images.

Stuart also includes photos of the handwritten lyrics for many of the songs and pictures of the instruments he used on the album. But for those looking for more information about the album, it is a wonderful surprise that Stuart took great care in telling the story of the album in text too.

In A Wall-to-Wall Odyssey, Stuart explains how he came to record the music for The Pilgrim and what initially inspired him to turn to a story from his hometown. In one chapter, he goes into more detail about the true-life tragic story of Rita and “the Pilgrim” that forms the basis for the album.

Other chapters reveal key moments in the making of the album, such as Stuart’s trip to Jamaica to get Johnny Cash to record a few lines of poetry (as well as an interesting story about how Stuart found the poem). Stuart also discusses the release of the album and tells about the aftermath. All of the information is informative, well-written, fascinating, and pretty much essential for fans of The Pilgrim.

The original album is so perfect, one may not really need the additional ten bonus tracks with the new remastered album. But if you love the album, having more is always a good thing. And since the album and bonus tracks are included with the book, the new music is a nice bonus for anyone buying the book.

In short, the remastered album and the book The Pilgrim: A Wall-to-Wall Odyssey do The Pilgrim justice. And Stuart’s work also provides an outstanding example of how to celebrate the anniversary of any classic album.

Leave your two cents in the comments.

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Springsteen Releasing “Letter to You”

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are releasing a new studio album, “Letter to You.,” with the title track and a new video out now.

Here is some good news for 2020: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are releasing a new studio album, Letter to You. Springsteen also just released the title track and video.

According to the announcement for Springsteen’s twentieth studio album, it is a “rock album fueled by the band’s heart-stopping, house-rocking signature sound.” The album was recorded at Springsteen’s home studio in New Jersey.

Springsteen explained further about the album. “I love the sound of the E Street Band playing completely live in the studio, in a way we’ve never done before, and with no overdubs. We made the album in only five days, and it turned out to be one of the greatest recording experiences I’ve ever had.”

Letter to You includes nine new songs written by Springsteen, plus three previously unreleased songs from the 1970s. The track list is: “One Minute You’re Here,” “Letter To You,” “Burnin’ Train,” “Janey Needs A Shooter,” “Last Man Standing,” “The Power Of Prayer,” “House Of A Thousand Guitars,” “Rainmaker,” “If I Was The Priest,” “Ghosts,” :Song For Orphans,” and “I’ll See You In My Dreams.”

From my recollection of Springsteen’s unreleased back catalog, the three songs from the 1970s appearing on the new album are “Janey Needs a Shooter,” “If I Was the Priest,” and “Song for Orphans.”

The new black-and-white video for the title track “Letter to You” features Bruce and the E Street Band in the studio. The lyrics reveal an elder statesman of rock looking back on how his songs were all letters to his listeners. Check it out.

In my letter to you,
I took all my fears and doubts;
In my letter to you,
All the hard things I found out,
In my letter to you,
All that I found true,
And I sent in in my letter to you.

Letter to You hits the Internet on October 23, 2020.

Photo via YouTube. What do you think of the new Springsteen song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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When Dean and Jerry Reunited on the MDA Labor Day Telethon

In 1976, Frank Sinatra brought Dean Martin to the MDA Labor Day Telethon for a brief reunion between Martin and Jerry Lewis.

Many of us who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s have fond memories of the MDA Labor Day Telethon that raised money for the good cause of the the Muscular Dystrophy Association. During a time when many television stations signed off at midnight, the telethon was unusual. For Labor Day Weekend, host Jerry Lewis and various guests entertained us throughout the night. There were many memorable moments, perhaps none more than that time on September 5, 1976, when Dean Martin surprised his former performing partner Lewis.

Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin had teamed up in 1946, when according to Lewis, he had approached Martin with the question, “You workin’?” They worked together in movies, nightclubs, radio and TV and were extremely successful.

But then the partnership ended when the two split up ten years later on July 24, 1956 after their final nightclub performance. Various theories abound about the reasons for the split, ranging from jealously to an argument about an upcoming movie to just being tired of working together. They had been so successful, many fans dreamed for them to team up again.

There would be no more Martin and Lewis movies, although director Peter Bogdanovich in the early 1980s tried to put together a film in which they both would appear. But we did get to see them together in 1976 on our televisions thanks to Frank Sinatra.

In 1976, Sinatra was appearing live at the MDA Labor Day Telethon instead of remotely, as he had done since 1953. And he decided to bring along his friend Dean Martin to surprise Lewis. Nobody really knows why Sinatra concocted the scheme, although he told others what he said on the telethon. It was just time for Lewis and Martin to be together again. Others have also noted that Sinatra loved a good prank too.

The reunion was a stealth operation. Frank slipped Martin into the dressing room of Lewis’ co-host Ed McMahon. Few people knew about the plan beyond those enlisted to help. Jerry’s 30-year-old son, the pop singer Gary Lewis, was helping his dad at the telethon and happened to catch a glimpse of Dean Martin backstage. Gary wondered what was going on, but decided to keep his mouth shut.

And then when Sinatra went on stage with Lewis, he said he had brought a friend along. The look of surprise on Lewis’s face was real.

The hug between the two feels real too. Then, Lewis fumbles for something to say, realizing that people around the world are watching. After a few expressions of surprise, he brilliantly calls back to the old encounter between the two giants: “You workin’?”

Contrary to legend, it was not really the first time Martin and Lewis had seen each other in twenty years. But it was an unexpected and memorable public reunion for the two legends.

After the telethon, there would be a few more brief public encounters between the two men. Lewis went to the funeral of Martin’s son , and he surprised Martin on Martin’s 72nd birthday. By most accounts, the two men genuinely loved each other. But some reason — egos, old grudges, bad timing, or something else — kept the two men from being close friends again in their later years.

We all have people we once were close to and who now we never see. I will sometimes have a passing thought about someone who once was a major figure in my life and wonder why we no longer talk. Maybe there was no reason or maybe there was a slight that no longer seems so important. Most people have those past connections. That is why we all feel a kinship with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. It is why seeing them together at the MDA Telethon is so touching.

For that moment, we can imagine that the two friends will once again share their lives and be close friends. They will work together or maybe just have dinner once a week. But life is not a fairy tale. Sometimes it just has to be enough that two people still have that love even if they cannot be together. And if we get a brief encounter years later, we will have to settle for that bitter sweet moment that reminds us of what we once had.