I listen to a ton of music, this is still one of the most powerful beautiful performances I have ever seen or heard. 1st time I have heard it in a while. And BTW there is nothing more sad than losing your self in love. It almost was my total demise once in my life.
Agreed. There are many achingly beautiful versions of this song - John Prine, Robert Plant/Alison Krauss get memorable & haunting awards too - but the 2 you mention are the very best for me too. Really can't choose between them...
Oh, leaves were falling They're just like embers In colors red and gold they set us on fire Burning just like moonbeams in our eyes Someone said they saw me They said I was swinging the world by the tail Bouncing over the white clouds That I was killing the blues Just killing the blues Well, I am guilty of something That I hope you never do 'Cause nothing is sadder Than losing yourself in love Someone said they saw me They said I was swinging the world by the tail Bouncing over the white clouds Just killing the blues Just killing the blues Oh, when you asked me Just to leave you And set out on my own to find what I needed You asked me to find what I already had Someone said they saw me They said I was swinging the world by the tail Bouncing over the white clouds I was killing the blues Just killing the blues Someone said they saw me They said I swinging the world by the tail Bouncing over the white clouds I was killing the blues Been killing the blues Just killing the blues
"Killing the Blues" is by Rowland (Roly) Salley. He recorded what I consider to be the definitive version on Woodstock Mountains: Music from Mud Acres (an amazing collection that includes Pat Alger, Rory Block, Bill Keith, Jim Rooney, Eric Anderson, John Sebastian, just to name a few), but Roly's song is the standout! He also recorded it on his recent solo album, Killing the Blues. Roly is the bass player for Chris Isaak. Check out Roly doing the song at a Chris Isaak concert on RU-vid.
TimMcMullen For some reason I took out my old lp of More Songs From Mudacres, which I have not listened to in several years. While listening to this great lp, I started to think back @ the many times I saw this group @ The Other End in Greenwich Village between 1977-80. Each performance seemed to get better. The one constant in each of their performances was the audiences outstanding reaction to Roly Salley's "Killing the Blues." It is great to discover that this fabulous song has been covered by so many artists. It also great to find someone who remembers the origins of this musical treasure.😀
This is NOT a "Prine Song" (i.e., by John Prine). it was covered by Prine, but it is written by Rowland Salley. Colvin does a wonderful job with this song IMHO.
Agreed. I love this song, particularly JP's album version (as opposed to any of the live ones I've seen on here), but Shawn nails it for me. Simple, poignant...wonderful
oh lordy, i love this so much! Shawn, i could gladly just listen to you play this for the rest of eternity in heaven, if that's the way things turned out to a' bein. but nonetheless completely psyched that i've gotten to hear shawn play this live a coupla times at Tupelo Music Hall in Derry NH and hope i get to again.
Well Phil, I can only conclude you must (3 months ago) have been ignorant of Salley's original. The Stringer/Wilson version has nice harmonies but with his lead vocal being stronger and having to hand the melody over and sing harmony is what ruins it for me. That, and the fact that their version is virtually devoid of the true emotion within and behind the song, nope, surely NOT the best.
@TimMcMullen PS, YES it's a truly fuckin great song an I'm busy trying to nail it on the guitar! But I'm 60, and there's SO MUCH music to hear. I haven't got enough time left to get too hung up on one song! You tube is such an endless source of pleasure and DISTRACTION ! (without looking at any vids of skateboarding dogs or folk falling on their arses) I may never get a chance to actually play MY geetar again! Just found Ray Wylie Hubbard ; WOW ! ! where's HE bin hiding all my long life !??
@longjonwhite Thanks for the tip, Longjon. Grumpy Coyote Tunes does a unique talk/sing version; quite interesting. The thing about the guitar is that it doesn't matter: this song is so good that you can finger pick it, flat pick it, strum it, play it on the banjo, the ukelele, the autoharp, a capella w/ harmonica, faster, slower, it just kills. I haven't recorded this one; I post mostly originals, except for my 3 musical lectures, but I sing this one for fun. Maybe I'll add my version sometime.
@TimMcMullen Of the twenty-five versions that I have, about half are women, and probably 2/3 are using Shawn Colvin's arrangement; clearly, hers is a primary source. But check out Chris Smither's, for example, for a "finger-picker's" variation on the piece.
@TimMcMullen Hi, Personally I am a pretty shit guitarist/singer!!, I like Grumpy's version cos it's kinda just about in my ability threshold...and key. If you love acoustic, Americana , alt country singer/songwriters whatever the hell you wanna call it, I assume you already know of Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings if not, TREAT yourself !! If you like Shawn and Allison, Emmy Lou etc. you gotta love Gillian and David sings close harmony n plays a very cool and very different acoustic lead...
@TimMcMullen Hi Tim . I stumbled across this great song whilst trying to check out samples of a particular Martin guitar I saw on eBay.... First version I saw was by someone on here who goes by the handle "Grumpy Coyote Tunes". Recommend you track it down and add to your collection. I've heard this, Allison and Rob, J.Prine and Rowly's versions since, but that amateur guy is really good. Kind Regards, Jon
@wolfone30062 I love Shawn Colvin's work as a songwriter and an interpreter, and clearly, her work here is terrific. But just to give perspective on what a truly great song this is, it has at least 25 versions on iTunes. I downloaded all of them-i.e, the 18 I didn't already have-for a "Killing" marathon CD. Every one of them is quite listenable; most of them are extremely good; a number of them, like Shawn's, are extraordinary interpretations. How many songs can come close to that?
Did you get Chris Smither's version, which he plays in Open D tuning? In the comments under one video of Chris performing it, someone mentions that at a show they attended, Chris said he had performed it at one venue where a guy came up to him afterward and said "I don't think I've ever heard that played more to my liking." Chris thanked him, and told him "I didn't write that one, Rowland Salley did." The other guy said "I know; I'm Roly Salley." Chris told the audience he felt "high for about a week after that."
Heard her play this on "Prairie Home Companion" one cold December night. Told the story. I've loved Prine's version a good long while. Alison Krause and Plant did a fair version. But the only one that rang true was hers. Somebody said they saw me...
@Terra210000000 Killing the Blues is...yes a Prine song. We were discussing 'This Must Be The Place' as well. I muddied things up with thinking ahead, and posting irrelevance by not talking in complete sentences or being clear. I don't post much.
Check out A J Lee and Blue Summit on this song. There is a couple versions they do on RU-vid and one you can hear without the Crowd noise and a bad auditorium echo.
