The chorus refers to the futility of those things: painting blue on something already painted black makes no difference. Putting a match on an already lit fire changes nothing. Whispering while someone is screaming will never be heard… just like the pleas of the jilted lover won't change the mind of the one they thought loved them (although that is not the only thing that fits, it's one thing that does. Another would be begging for a family member or friend who has passed on, the tears don't change the level of the river, and doesn't bring back the dead).
Shepherd was signed to a multiple album deal when he was 13 yrs old. He wrote this song around 15 yrs of age. Stevie Ray Vaughn called him a blues prodigy.
Kenny’s dad worked concert venues and when Stevie Ray Vaughan came to town, Stevie set Kenny down on an amp and he got to watch him play from a couple feet away. Changed his whole life.
Seems anyone hearing this song for the first time doesn't see the true depth to every word to the lyrics. It's beyond meaningful. When you know there's nothing you can do to change the past. Sad but true and hits me hard every time I hear this song.
This is 1 of those songs that never gets old....I remember when this came out & it still sounds just as good today as it did then,regardless of what genre of music is your favorite a good song is a good song & this is one hell of a good song
Good call, I think Wander This World is probably the best way to start someone on Johnny Lang though. I got to meet him at a show once, he was surprisingly soft spoken for having such a big singing voice.
@@BeardedSkeptic “Sometimes it's like I don't even exist Even God has lost track of my soul Why else would he leave me out here like this To wander this world all alone”
I got to see Kenny Wayne Shepherd as a special guest for the G3 show at the Hollywood Bowl, with Joe Satriani, Steve Vai , and Eric Johnson. What a great show. Kenny sang Red House as one of the encore songs. Killer show!!
Can't believe they haven't done Touch, Peel, and Stand. Just watched the Live 1998-02-28 Seattle, WA and thought they would love it. Watching these videos makes me realize so many songs repeat the same lyrics/chorus with only two or three other lyrics. Still like the songs. Also makes me hear a different beat or instrument that I wouldn't normally listen for. Love when they mimic the beat or sing parts of the song. Remix at the end of the Jolene video is my favorite.
That whole concert goes HARD. Listen to it regularly. Travis vocals are so forward there. Agree theyed bob their heads to Touch Peel and Stand but definitely from the album
You should check out Jonny Lang "lie to me." That is if you haven't already. Thanks for a Kenny Wayne Shepherd video. This was and still is a banger in my house.
That entire album is great. "True Lies," "Slow Ride," "Somehow, Somewhere, Some Way," "I Found Love (When I Found You)," "Everything Is Broken." Also from the album after it, "Last Goodbye" is awesome too.
This song has a haunting quality that I love. It’s pretty dark and it just strikes me with a lonely feeling as with a kind of resigned desperation and regret.
Johnny Lang would be a good one to hit up... but just sticking with Kenny Wayne, 'Born with a Broken Heart' will give you serious Stevie Ray vibes, 'De Ja Voodoo' is just a straight up banger, and 'While We Cry' is a bluesier version of the same music from Pearl Jam's 'Yellow Ledbetter'.... I haven't found any definitive source for who actually wrote it, but considering Kenny Wayne's album was called Ledbetter Heights, which is an area of Shreveport, where he grew up, my guess is that it's mostly him and Pearl Jam just did their own thing to it. Definitely worth a listen
Kenny Wayne Shepherd wouldn't have had anything to do with Pearl Jam's Yellow Ledbetter given that he was only 14 and living in Shreveport, LA when PJ wrote and recorded it in Seattle, WA.
This song took on new meaning for me when it started coming on the radio whenever a bandmate/close friend & I would drive somewhere. Always brings him to mind.
Kenny was 18 when they recorded Trouble Is... His playing was already excellent, but there is a marked difference (improvement) in his later work. There will never be another Stevie Ray, but he has an astounding Texas blues sound. I saw him live in 97 or 98 and he absolutely killed.
If you want something from that same time period give Brother Cane a try. A good starting point would be "Got No Shame." You'll get a tune that starts with some harmonica, and then a little cow bell and some rocking guitars. You'll dig it!
This song hits me in the feels, in a good way. When I was young, my step dad would get drunk and kick me out the house often for weeks before my mom could talk him into letting me back... This started at like 15 and this pattern lasted until I found my career of tattooing. At one point after getting kicked again I ended up taking a job with a carnival that passed through my town every year. It was that summer I discovered this song as my carnival game repeatedly getting set up near a particular ride with a sound system. Anyways that ride operator would play this song a couple times a day in his playlist and I was right near his speakers. This song always takes me back to that summer, and more specifically a spot we played in western Michigan that was in a park with lots of huge trees. It was the show owners sons birthday that weekend and he liked to party so it was always a festive weekend spot. Had great times there and this song always takes me to revisit that time. For that I'll always cherish this song.... Can't say if I ever heard a different kws tho sadly
I was 22 in '97 and listened to mainly Rap; I was stuck in that genre. I wouldn't be caught dead listening to KWS. I was too cool. PFFFT! Today, I am proud of my ability to listen to and enjoy all music. There is just too much variety in the world to be stuck in one groove. That is why I appreciate you two guys. You're NOT too cool to be vulnerable, musically. Kudos to you. And thanks for reminding me this band existed, cause I am digging it today.
This is a great song co-written by Mark Selby from Hays, Kansas. Mark left Hays for Nashville many years ago and met Kenny Wayne and they ended up collaborating on this and other songs. Sadly, Mark Selby died on September 18, 2017, from cancer.
This is my kick back with headphones, in the easy chair, a little happiness in a treat and this is the best song to lay back and enjoy! Love Kenny Wayne.
This is one of my favorite songs. I recently got in a "who did it better" discussion with a younger person. They thought Five Finger Death Punch did it better. They had never even heard of KWS. KWS definitely does it better!! We played both versions at the party I was at. My side won the vote!!! I've been listening to him since he was a teenager. His guitar playing was being compared to SRV when he was still a teen. He is very popular with people who have a great appreciation for guitar players.
FFDP's cover sucks ass. I don't hate them, but don't cover a blues legend with a crappy cover. The original is the best. And I know about the other covers.
Kenny Wayne is an incredible guitar player. Great live too. If you do more from him you should try “somehow,somewhere,someway” , “diamonds and gold”, or “nothing but the night” are great jams
I first discovered him early in his career when he opened for Van Halen in 1998. He's been doing it for a long time now. Does very well with his live shows even if he doesn't get a lot of mainstream radio airplay.
Y’all digging on this song is awesome!!! I’ve always loved it, myself, but it’s not for everybody. Taste in music is subjective, like taste in food and art. Keep it up. I always enjoy watching y’all, even if I’m not a fan of the music at the time.
Hell yes!! Kenny Wayne Sheppard! I love this guy he is one my biggest guitar influences! So glad you found him! There's so many songs to recommend: True Lies, Deja Voodoo, Slow Ride, Somehow Somewhere Someway, Chase the Rainbow, King Bee.. Plus he has some awesome instrumentals like Ledbetter Heights, Trouble Is.., and (my personal favorite) While We Cry. Also, check out his rendition of Voodoo Child, it's sick! Enjoy guys! KWS is the best!!
It is a musical imperative that you listen to Gary Clark Jr. I absolutely loved his rendition of the song Come Together. It was blistering. You have a lot of choices with Gary.
Was there from the start when Kenny played the Red River Revel in Shreveport. His dad, Shotgun Ken Sheppard who was a well-known DJ in Shreveport, did a great job promoting young Kenny’s early career…..
Noah Hunt is the singer. The rhythm section was the guys from SRV'S band Double Trouble. Try: Somehow, Somewhere, Someway Deja Voodoo Born With A Broken Heart
While you're right about Noah, you're wrong about Double Trouble. While they asked Kenny to tour with them later, they were not his backing musicians on his albums. Also, Try was John Mayer Trio, not KWS.
@@djezek7 Just read the article about that, and you're completely right. I thought he didn't meet them until a little before touring with them somewhere around '01. I didn't realize they were fans that early. That's awesome. Two points for you, but still minus one for the John Mayer thing. 😛
@@Jarod-Thomas I couldn't figure out what you were talking about, as I hadn't referenced Mayer, but I see I left the colon off. It was a list of KWS songs to "try". Wasn't a song title itself. Maybe half a point off, at worst. But at least it wasn't a factual mistake.
There’s another artist I feel is close to Kenny Wayne. His name is Jonny Lang and if you guys enjoyed KWS you’ll love Lang. Try his song Lie to Me. I really think you’ll be impressed. I think Lang needs more recognition.
Love Kenny. He was a teenage prodigy back in the day. This song is his more commercial ballad offering. I dig his more rockin bluesy numbers. My Uncle, the incredible Bryan Lee, aka Braille Blues Daddy mentored him. Kenny’s still rocking and putting out great music.
Suzanne, I'm related to Kenny by marriage and I met your Uncle several times. The first time was when he was opening for Kenny at the HOB New Orleans around 2000(?)... I was introduced to him before the show, and we chatted briefly about football if I recall. After Kenny had gone off and the show was over, maybe three hours later, he was passing thru the room and I said "Great show tonight Bryan" and he thanked me by name. For a blind man to remember my name that he only heard once before his set still kind of blows me away :) Tinnnna Marie, work your show for me!
I remember the first time this song really hit me. It was with the simple line "a dead man's touch." I had been listening to the song for weeks and then all of the sudden the absolute meaningless of a dead's person's touch really hit home. Imagine a corpse lying in a morgue accidentally shifts subtly one of its fingers comes to rest against the mortician's arm. There is absolutely no intention in that touch. It is utterly meaningless, devoid of effort and any and all significance in terms of communication. This is wear the song opened up for me in terms of the depth of the heartbreak it is expressing. Blue on black is also meaningless. It is a wasted effort. It will simply be swallowed up by the black...as will cold by ice, a match on a fire a whisper on a scream, a push on a shove etc. Example after example, nothing holds meaning...and that is the feeling of despair, or at least quiet resignation of loss. Very intentional lyrics - farther from random than most IMO.
"Born With A Broken Heart" and "Shotgun Blues" are a couple of good ones. He has plenty to pick from. If you ever get the chance to see them live do it. They put on a great show.
Thanks guys for helping me rediscover this song. Check out the Five Finger Death Punch version featuring KWS and Brian May. Dedicated to first responders for 9/11. The lyrics take on a whole new meaning too.
I think you guys would like the song Kate Mckannon by Colter walll, specifically his brewery session version of that song. It's Just him, a guitar and a kick drum. It's a murder ballad with great song writing to it! Peace guys!
I know you did a video with Shinedown, the lead singer Brent Smith covered this song with Kenny Wayne Shepherd playing the guitar. It is on RU-vid under Smith & Myers.
As another exploration of some blues, try Johnny Lang - 'Lie to me' With his powerful voice it's hard to believe he was only 15 when the song was recorded.
I remember hearing a lot comparisons to Stevie Ray Vaughan when this song came out. Hard to believe he was only about 20 years old at the time. I got to see him live about 15 years ago with a bunch of 80 year old blues guys on stage, and he put on a show . A few other songs to try- In 2 Deep, Believe, Deja Voodoo.
Listen to the words in the Chorus..Blue on Black, tears on a river, push on a shove don't mean much, joker on jack, match on a fire, cold on ice, it's a dead mans touch, whisper on a scream doesn't change a thing, doesn't bring you back....Blue on black........ . Ya gotta listen to the words guys!!
Five Finger Death Punch does a really good version of this one. I had this album back in the day, so thanks for the reminder that I need to add this to my playlist :)
I’ll recommend several other blues guitarists/singers…everybody knows SRV, BB King, Buddy Guy, the true legends - but there’s also Robert Cray, Albert Collins, Luther Allison, Johnny Winter, Roy Buchanan, Lonnie Mack, Lonnie Brooks, Son Seals, Little Charlie & The Nightcats, Smokin’ Joe Kubek & Bnois King, I could go on for days. So many underrated talents in the blues genre.
@@zenistfpv Hence my “I could go on for days” statement. If I were to name every influential blues guitarist from the past sixty years it’d have to be a published novel.
Just saw Kenny Wayne and the band live a few months ago when they played this whole album (and a whole bunch of other great stuff). You guys would absolutely love seeing him live. :) This song was definitely his breakout hit, but there are songs that I like better... "Woman Like You" from the most recent record is good. For something more bluesy, "Shame, Shame, Shame" (also from the '90s). It's a little long, but really good.
