Musicological Musings on Michelle Shocked's version of Frankie & Johnny
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Artist:
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Album:arkansas traveller
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(There's music at the very bottom of this long, meandering post, and you can skip straight to it; but i think the stuff between here and there is Interesting, or i ouldn't have posted it...)*Michelle Shocked* is not one to turn away from controversy. In fact, she often seems to delight in stirring it up (her chosen name ought to tend to confirm that). The cover photo on her first (i think) studio album, *Short Sharp Shocked* is a classic example - not only is it an in-your-face shot worthy of the Dead Kennedys; it goes a bit further - while i could be wrong, i doubt that Jello Biafra has any such photos in *his* scrapbook.
From her liner notes for her album of collaborative re-imaginings of folk songs, *Arkansas Traveller*:
How about a self-portrait a la Minnie Pearl, with make-up and lighting calculated to make her look even paler/whiter than usual?
You really could stir up some trouble by geting into all sorts of analysis and discussion of her motives, attitudes and neuroses.
But, as Flanders & Swann say, "...that's a lovely song, but i'm not gonna sing it this evening."
Instead, i'm here to talk about one of the tracks on *Arkansas Traveller*, Hold Me Back (Frankie & Johnny), which features *Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown* on viola, and his band, *Gate's Express* backing.
Earlier, i posted "*a thing about a surprisingly rude-sounding lyric*":http://mog.com/fairportfan/blog_post/45998 i found buried in *Lindsay Lohan*'s vocal for Frankie & Johnny on the *Prairie Home Companion: The Movie* soundtrack. If you didn't read it or listen to the clip i included yet, feel free to go back using the link above and do so. I'll wait here.
Go on.
Do It NOW!
Okay, now that we've all read my previous work of genius (we all *have*, haven't we? You can find it by clicking "*this link*":http://mog.com/fairportfan/blog_post/45998, you know...), let's look at Frankie & Johnny historically, and also 'Chelle Shocked's specific version.
(Set the Wayback Machine for the red light district of St Louis, Missouri, 1865 and 1899)
Anyway, Shocked took the traditional song and, in a true example of the "folk process" in action, rewrote it under the title Hold Me Back. Great song. But i particularly love this part, and how she delivers her comment "That's for sure!".
(So. Was it worth it reading all that Stuff to get to that 1:25 clip?)
From her liner notes for her album of collaborative re-imaginings of folk songs, *Arkansas Traveller*:My early intention was to present this record with a cover photo of myself wearing blackface. Aside from providing controversy for hatemongers or offending the delicate sensibilities of the politically correct, my sincere intention was that it would provide a genuine focus on the real "roots" of many of the tunes included; blackface minstrelsy. It's my contention that a blackface tradition is alive and well hidden behind a modern mask. I believe that "blacking up" should be done correctly; as an exploration for the source of that hollow ring we mistakenly believe was immaculately conceived in Las Vegas, and in a context of true respect for the cultures we ape.
*Does this Road Go To Little Rock?* is a songbook that has been published to provide further discussion on this subject. Included are lyrics and instrumental tablature for guitar and mandolin, historical photos from the blackface minstrel era and an illuminating booklet on Eurocentric High Culture's sordid little love affair with blackface minstrelsy written by Bart Bull, a music writer and music lover/fiancee. Available at retail or by mail. For further information, please write.
Of course the original record label chickened out, so what *did* she include as the inner photo on the CD booklet?Michelle Shockedc/o Alive Enterprises8912 Burton WayBeverly Hills, CA 90211orMusic Dispatch1-800-637-2852P.O. Box 13920Milwaukee, WI 53213
How about a self-portrait a la Minnie Pearl, with make-up and lighting calculated to make her look even paler/whiter than usual?
You really could stir up some trouble by geting into all sorts of analysis and discussion of her motives, attitudes and neuroses.
But, as Flanders & Swann say, "...that's a lovely song, but i'm not gonna sing it this evening."
Instead, i'm here to talk about one of the tracks on *Arkansas Traveller*, Hold Me Back (Frankie & Johnny), which features *Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown* on viola, and his band, *Gate's Express* backing.
Earlier, i posted "*a thing about a surprisingly rude-sounding lyric*":http://mog.com/fairportfan/blog_post/45998 i found buried in *Lindsay Lohan*'s vocal for Frankie & Johnny on the *Prairie Home Companion: The Movie* soundtrack. If you didn't read it or listen to the clip i included yet, feel free to go back using the link above and do so. I'll wait here.
Go on.
Do It NOW!
Okay, now that we've all read my previous work of genius (we all *have*, haven't we? You can find it by clicking "*this link*":http://mog.com/fairportfan/blog_post/45998, you know...), let's look at Frankie & Johnny historically, and also 'Chelle Shocked's specific version.
(Set the Wayback Machine for the red light district of St Louis, Missouri, 1865 and 1899)
Notes from "*The Traditional Ballad Index:*":http://www.csufresno.edu/folklore/BalladIndexTOC.html(It's also been claimed that it's a version of the events involving the only woman ever hanged in North Carolina, 19-year-old Frankie Silvers who chopped up her lover with an axe in Toe River, NC in the early 1860s, but that seems not to be true.)
Notes: Various theories have been proposed to explain the origin of this ballad. One theory connects it with the story of Frankie Silvers [Laws E13]. Another links it to the murder of Allen Britt by Frankie Baker in St. Louis, MO, on Oct. 15, 1899 (she was jealous of his relationship with Alice Pryor). (This murder was documented in the October 19, 1899 edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.) Versions have shown a tendency to take on local color and even be connected with local events. - RBW, EC
Researcher Rusty David, of St. Louis, suggests that while the details of the current ballad support the Frankie Baker/Allen Britt story, in fact the ballad predates this murder, and describes a killing that took place in the same red-light district of St. Louis sometime around 1865-70. When the Baker/Britt killing took place, according to David, the earlier ballad was modified to fit the new events. He bases this suggestion on having found traces of the ballad before 1899. -PJS
Anyway, Shocked took the traditional song and, in a true example of the "folk process" in action, rewrote it under the title Hold Me Back. Great song. But i particularly love this part, and how she delivers her comment "That's for sure!".
(So. Was it worth it reading all that Stuff to get to that 1:25 clip?)
Comments (7)
And about *Mississippi John Hurt* - he came to New York and played the Gaslight (i think) - *Tom Paxton* wrote a song about it that *Dave van Ronk* more or less made his own:(When i have a little more energy, i may expand this into a full-fledged post of its own; possibly with a couple more music clips.)