In 1976 folk musicians Michael Hurley, The Unholy Modal Rounders, and Jeffery Fredericks & The Clamtones came together to record an album of freewheeling, jovial and at times damned surreal folk and country songs titled Have Moicy! The songs on the album are all cross collaborations between the various bands and personalities, however each tune tends to have an obvious origin point. For example, opener Midnight in Paris is obviously a Modal Rounders number, Robbin' Banks pulsates with Frederick's baritone, and Slurf Song (today's Song of the Day) is Michael Hurley through and through.
The song is built upon a see-sawing dueling fiddles melody with spare stand up bass and drums gently keeping time. In the lyrics, Hurley has taken the structure and style of a drinking song (simple memorable melody, simple repeatable lines) and created the Eating Song. Each verse merrily booms the charms and pitfalls of eating different dishes, from picking out fish bones to how much better tortillas are when you have beans to go with them. The song is made to be belted out while cooking.
If nothing else, the final line is one of the most universally relatable and heartbreaking pieces of song writing ever: 'Oh I see the dishes over there / They fill me with despair.'
No comments:
Post a Comment