The original is by David Ackles, one of Elton John's favourite artists. Tumbleweed Connection is dedicated to Ackles. One of Bernie Taupin's favourite artists as well.
Timeless, I listen while memories that had been fading away slowly rise again and fill my heart with that bittersweet feeling of happy being there at the time it was released and sad that it is a part of my past...... it feels like all the years gone by in a blink of an eye.
So that's what '68 feels like in '23👍😎 - great, maybe I'll suggest this number to a friends band tomorrow (or even to our own repertoire - LONG LIVE R&B)
psychedelic soul and gear, and some sterling vocal majesty. I remember exactly from this time and i was 5. Full blown case of vocal charisma. And seduction.
A fantastic song, great singer, great keyboarder - a duo that fascinated our generation....everywhere, I guess! From Berlin - to Paris - to NYC - to LA to Sydney and back to London...!
It is a sad tune, but well produced with that strong psychedelic touch, which added to the quality of the music of that time. I remembered this song well, should have been a bigger hit, but at the time there were so many great songs around.
JULIE BRIAND magnifique !!avec l'utilisation du mellotron !!orchestration différente surtout les cuivres !orgue HammondB3 !!soul !ok !ok!! fan !! salut
Julie used to live near me and she performed with the Trinity at our local rock venue the Bexley Jazz Club at the Black Prince Hotel just outside London. I think her material was just a bit too "odd" to maintain her "Wheels On Fire" success, but this song really is one of her very best. The Hammond work by Brian Auger is a key part of the overall effect. Julie was called "The face of '68" and rightly so.
Always dug Julie, she never got the recognition that her peers got from that era ( Grace, Janis, Lydia. etc. ) in my opinion. Very cool indeed....Aloha
The song written and originally recorded by the brilliant David Ackles. Elton John and Bernie Taupin dedicated their Tumbleweed Connection LP to Ackles, him being one of their very favourite artists. Ackles music was far too complex to attract a large audience in the late 1960's/early 1970's. His 'American Gothic' LP has been described as the Sgt Pepper of folk, but it is much more musically sophisticated than that.
This song refers to the smaller town of Cairo, Illinois, USA -- not the bigger city of Cairo, Egypt. Local people of Illinois and Missouri pronounce it "Cayro," with a long A, not Cairo with a long I. Several years ago the US Army Corps of Engineers blew the levee on the MIssissippi River at Bird's Point with explosives to relieve massive river flooding that threatened the river town of Cairo.
This song may or may not refer to Cairo, IL (where, you're right, it's pronounced "K-Ro"). Fact is, though, Jools sings it as "Cairo", just like David Ackles did. Did Ackles mean, Cairo, IL, did he not know how to say it as the locals do (HIS bad), did he intend a double-entendre... we're not certain. What's certain is that the suggestion Jools sang it wrong is misplaced.
Paul Lai, thanks for your comment. In the lyrics, the song concerns a hitchhiker whose car broke down in "St. Joe" (St. Joseph, Missouri) and he is trying to get to Cairo, IL where he has some friends. Ackles for some reason pronounces the town with a long "I". Not sure why. Maybe he just thought it sounded better that way in the song from an artistic standpoint. He was from Rock Island, Illinois and so was something of a local himself and no doubt knew the local pronunciation. And Julie Driscoll follows his lead also, as you point out. But one would not expect a British lady to be familiar with pronunciations of some of the more obscure American towns. I was not trying to sound critical of Driscoll's singing. Both singers do a great job with the song in my opinion. The pronunciation of the town's name is a very minor point, and not worth quibbling over. The video seems way ahead of its time it its production values. Instead of the band sitting stationary and and singer performing in a conventional way, you have the band on some sort of revolving platform, and Ms. Driscoll walking in a straight line with a blank white background. Very unusual and inventive. So though it was apparently filmed in 1968, it looks more like later videos from the 1980's which used a lot of creative video work for the songs rather than just filming a performance. .
Thank you for the detailed explanation, Claxton. What I meant by double-entendre is a possible reference to Egypt, slavery etc. I didn't mean to sound defensive or confrontational - if I did, I apologize. I hate it when folks have a hostile attitude or tone when they're on social media - so, I hope I wasn't an offender. As for the vid being ahead of its time... ABSOLUTELY! Would we expect anything less? Cheers...
No offense taken. You bring up a good point. Cairo, Illinois was obviously named after the older city of Cairo, Egypt as was Memphis, Tennessee named after Memphis, Egypt. So I suppose there are slavery connections as well as other historical parallels between the two places. Both towns located on important rivers. I used to live several hours from Cairo, Illinois. Felt the explosion when they blew the levee. But when I first heard Julie Driscoll's version of the song, I actually thought it did refer to Cairo, Egypt. I was surprised to realize that the original version referred to the nearby town of Cairo, Illinois. I was actually a little disappointed, because Cairo, Egypt does sound more exotic and exciting than plain old Cairo, IL. Anyway the song does have universal appeal and can be enjoyed by many people in all kinds of places and situations. Great music is like that. Anyway, enjoyed conversing with you.
Aïe, aïe, aïe. À trop vouloir être branché on ne dure que le temps d'une saison. Je la préférais quand elle était plus féminine. Ce look hyper-1968 lasse vite. Et sa pop est gâchée par ses tendances au jazz (la faute de goût absolue). Trop cérébral, ce morceau ne parle pas au corps. Elle peut être sûre qu'elle ne sera jamais reprise en karaoke.
