I picked up this little piece of gold this year after compiling a few hundred MP3's to be used on my online radio site. http://www.live365.com/stations/theeternalkenaz?play. The station plays mainly OTR radio programs from the Golden Era of radio, but I also play a large number of classic blue and jazz tracks. While compiling my playlists I came across several tracks by Blind Willie Johnson, one of which was Dark Was the Night. I was so moved by this track, I ran out of the house and headed for the local CD place. A search of the racks turned up a copy of a 1998 compilation CD of Johnson of the same title. For a little sum of $9.98 CDN what you get is an experience she won't forget. Below is a detailed review of this song and album, including lyrics
Blind Willie Johnson - Dark Was the Night (1998)[Columbia/Legacy]
http://www.emusic.com/m3u/song/10587489/10514685.m3u
Reviews:
Even in the blues, a style capable of wrenching unexplainable emotions from its audience, Blind Willie Johnson has few equals. With a voice capable of alternating effortlessly between sublime, trembling tenor and the sound of pure gravel, and unparalleled skill with the bottleneck (and knife), Johnson recorded 30 sides for Columbia (1927-1930) that stand as a high-water mark for both country blues and raw gospel. Given the fact that his entire output has been issued by both Yazoo and Columbia, it's difficult to imagine opting for this single disc. Anyone looking for more material will be forced to purchase sets with redundant selections. Still, if you are only seeking one collection, you cannot go wrong with Dark Was the Night. Included are both "God Moves on the Water" and "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground," which are both utterly necessary, along with the classics "Praise God I'm Satisfied," "Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed," "John the Revelator," and 11 others. "God Moves" is a slide masterpiece in which Johnson's guitar interjections and responses become as captivating as his voice and a tale of the Titanic sinking at the will of God. "Dark Was the Night" is an otherworldly performance of gorgeously spun slide lines and Johnson's wordless moaning, aimed straight at the heart. Everything else on hand is nothing less than emotionally rich, consummately executed and spiritually charged blues at its very best. ~ Nathan Bush, All Music Guide
DARK WAS THE NIGHT
(Gallagher/Jackson/Blind Willie Johnson) Universal
Dark was the night
Cold was the ground
No one in sight
I 'm alone
Too hard my heart
I'll cut off my tounge
The things I've said
The things I've done
I was a fool
And just like a fool
I was as blind as I was cruel
Dark was the night
Cold was the ground
No one in sight
Just me and the moon
Dark was the night
Cold was the river
As I refected apon
The things I couldn'r give her
I built a house
Couldn't make it a home
So I painted the walls
and left her alone
She was strong
For so so long
By the time I came round
She was gone
Dark was the night
Cold was the ground
No one in sight
Now I 'm alone
Brendan Gallagher : vocal, guitars, percussion, treated piano, national steel
Michael Galeazzi : double bass
Stuart Eadie : kick and hats
Jason Cooney : saxophone
Kath Weymss : backing vocals
"Blind" Willie Johnson (c. 1902-1945), was a blues and gospel musician, one of the greatest exponents of slide or bottleneck guitar, as well as one of the most revered figures of depression-era gospel music. His music is distinguishable by his powerful bass strumming and gravelly false-bass voice, with occasional use of a tenor voice.
While 1902 is most frequently given as his year of birth, earlier dates or estimates are also given; he may have been born as early as 1897. According to different sources, Johnson was either born in Marlin, Texas or at least spent part of his childhood there. Johnson was not born blind, and, although it is not specifically known how his condition came about, it is widely believed that his stepmother, in a fit of rage, blinded him when he was 7 years old by throwing lye in his face.
Like many destitute people with physical disabilities at the time, Blind Willie Johnson earned his living from music. His father would often leave him on street corners to sing for money, where his powerful voice left an indelible impression on passersby (legend has it that he was arrested for nearly starting a riot at a New Orleans courthouse with a powerful rendition of "If I Had My Way I'd Tear the Building Down", a song about Samson and Delilah).
Johnson remained poor until the end, preaching and singing in the streets to anyone who would listen. In 1945, his home inexplicably burned to the ground. With nowhere else to go, Johnson lived in the burned ruins of his home until, two weeks later, he contracted pneumonia and died.
He made some 30 commercial recording studio record sides for Columbia Records from 1927 through 1930. His records have kept his music tremendously influential and his songs have been covered by several popular artists, including Led Zeppelin who covered 'Nobody's Fault But Mine' and Beck and The White Stripes who have covered 'John the Revelator'. Some of his most famous recordings include his rendition of the famous gospel song "Let Your Light Shine On Me", as well as the raw, powerful "Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground", about the crucifixion of Jesus.
Johnson's recording of "Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground" was included on the Voyager Golden Record, sent into space with the Voyager spacecraft in 1977. This recording also got Johnson mentioned on an episode of the fictional television series The West Wing (see "The Warfare of Genghis Khan"); the fictional Assistant White House Chief of Staff Josh Lyman using Johnson's recording to show the depth and soul behind the space program. The song is also used in Walk the Line, a biopic of country singer Johnny Cash; and The Devil's Rejects, a serial killer film by rocker Rob Zombie. Ry Cooder, who based his desolate soundtrack to Paris, Texas on "Dark Was the Night (Cold Was the Ground)," described it as "The most soulful, transcendent piece in all American music."
"Dark was the night" is a “moan.” A moan is simply a style of wordless singing. And since it is a lament without words, we are left to wonder about the singer’s personal story, experiencing only his pain. Johnson’s “Dark Was the Night” moan is both gorgeous and eerie at the same time as the sliding notes on the guitar strings chase and match the singer’s haunting, wordless vocals.
Later,
Kenaz
