This song makes me want to go full Heath-Ledger-with-a-marching-band.
Itās the fourth track on Johnās fifth album,Ā Slow Dazzleā a record of art rock and noir pop; gloom, glam and gore. Featuring, among others, Brian Eno and Phil Manzanera (then of Roxy Music), and Chris Spedding. The album opens with an (apparently unappreciated) love letter to Brian Wilson, and ends with a revenge fantasy written after Kevin Ayerās slept with Johnās wife (also presumably unappreciated).
Beyond this point you will find: a psychotic interpretation of an Elvis standard, orchestral torch songs, ādirty-ass rock ānā rollā, murder and misery, snow sports and California wine. Enter with abandon. Welcome to the slow dazzle.Ā
I like this as much as the Cohen one, or maybe a little more. Itās the Shrek version (in the actual movie not on the soundtrack), so it was the first one for me, and a lot of ppl around my age.
Itās also the cover that every other cover is based on. John asked Cohen for his lyrics after seeing it live, and was given all the various verses heād written. He rearranged the order, added some of the alternate lines that didnāt make the original cut, changed the musical arrangement and made it more melodic. Apparently his version even influenced how Cohen played it live later in life. Without this second version, all the following ones donāt exist.
"For I am sleeping under strange, strange skies
Just another mad, mad day on the road
My dreams is fading down the railway line
I'm just about a moonlight mile on down the road."
I'm generally not a fan of "road" songs from famous musicians, they're just too prone to cliche
But Mick lets us peek behind the mask here to see how empty the pop life really is.
No Keef on this track (he was notoriously unreliable around this time due to his drug habit)
Just Mick and Mick Taylor doing the all night studio thing
with some lovely strings tacked on.
IMO one of the Stones' most underrated songs.
itās a murder ballad where a woman stabs her lover and throws him down a well - of course itās perfect. Bonus song: Iām your man - leonard cohen because thatās the standard. You either worship the ground she stands on or beat it!
Also would love to see it used in a cabaret performance.
