State Songs #4: Arkansas

Photo: StuSeeger @ Flickr

After an easy musical run through the first three states of the journey I admit to struggling slightly with Arkansas. The state's tourist office promotes it as a fine destination for hunting and bird watching but these activities have inspired few visiting songwriters.

MP3: The New Lost City Ramblers - The Arkansas Sheik

The NLCR were pivotal in the late 50s and 60s folk revival and Mike Seeger and John Cohen remain excellent raconteurs of that era. This is from their 1966 album Remembrance of Things to Come. The original liner notes sum up the song's subject: "A version of a popular theme in mountain music, ie that Arkansas is the worst place of all".
More New Lost City Ramblers: Wikipedia | Amazon

MP3: Hayes Carll - Little Rock

Carnival Saloon favourite Hayes Carll is less down on Arkansas. In the title track from his first album he's travelled through most of the States looking for his woman before heading down to Little Rock.
More Hayes Carll: Carnival Saloon | official site | Amazon | 7digital

MP3: Marilyn Monroe & Jane Russell - A Little Girl From Little Rock

A gem from an Oxford American compilation. Monroe and Russell perform the song in Howard Hawks' film 1953 Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
More Monroe: official site | Amazon | 7digital



MP3: REM - Texarkana

There are plenty of songs about Texas so I'm favouring Texarkana's Arkansas side. Although there's no mention of the town in the lyrics at least one person who's been there reckons it "captures the mood of the city". Some REM trivia - this is one of two Out of Time tracks that bassist Mike Mills sings lead vocal on (the other's Near Wild Heaven).
More REM: official site | Amazon | 7digital

MP3: Bruce Springsteen - Mary Queen of Arkansas

The Boss makes his debut on the trip with a wordy track from debut album Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ. Bruce doesn't seem keen to stay in Arkansas for long - he knows a place in Mexico where they "can get a good job and start all over again clean". Is this the first of Bruce's many Marys?
More Bruce: official site | Amazon | 7digital

Further suggestions of Arkansas songs most welcome. There are no American states that begin with B so next time we're goin' out west where the wind blows tall...

Related Posts
State Songs #1: Alabama - Cat Power, Billie Holiday, Jim White, Joan Baez, Shelby Lynne and, of course, Lynryd Skynyrd.
State Songs #2: Alaska - Michelle Shocked, Johnny Cash, Port O'Brien, Dan Bern, The Velvet Underground
State Songs #3: Arizona - Wilco, Glen Campbell, The DeZurik Sisters, Dimitri Tiomkin and Public Enemy

Chicken Songs For The Soul

Last year I saw Hayes Carll and Tom Russell in fairly quick succession at the Luminaire. Both performed excellent sets; both sang songs about chickens - one a fighting cock, the other of barnyard-to-plate variety. Which got me thinking...

MP3: Joe Ely - Gallo Del Cielo

I think Joe Ely's version is better known than Tom Russell's original. Like so many Tom Russell songs this is a wonderful evocation of borderline lawlessness.
More Joe Ely: official site | Amazon | 7digital

MP3: Hayes Carll - Chickens

For some reason this song got the loudest cheer at Hayes Carll's Luminaire gig last year. I guess everybody loves chicken.
More Hayes Carll: official site | Amazon | 7digital

MP3: Hellwood - Chicken Shack

Hellwood is the rip-roaring collaboration between Johnny Dowd and Jim White. This is their love song to the finger-lickin' favourite. "When I eat fried chicken I need lots of room." Amen to that.
More Hellwood: Amazon

MP3: Bill Thomas & The Fendells - Southern Fried Chicken Pt. 1 & 2

I know nothing about Bill Thomas except that he evidently loves fried chicken as much as I do. Instead of his "good ol' southern recipe" I highly recommend Matthew Fort's. It takes time but the results are incredible.

MP3: McGee Bros - C-h-i-c-k-e-n Spells Chicken

A gem from the Ghost World soundtrack no doubt culled from director Terry Zwigoff's own collection of old records.

One final recommendation - the photo on this page is from Mark Lewis' brilliant film The Natural History of the Chicken. Watch it!

More Chicken Song Posts
Chicken: Anyone For Seconds?
Clucking Brilliant
Thighs, Wings, Legs & Breasts

Rock'n'Roll Jesus

It's one of rock'n'roll's most worn-out cliches that the Devil has the best tunes. But as this selection highlights, Jesus has his fair share of great songs too.

MP3: Neutral Milk Hotel - The King of Carrot Flowers Parts Two & Three

There's something slightly menacing about this song, the second track on Neutral Milk Hotel's masterpiece In The Aeroplane Over Sea. In fact, I've found that singing the opening aloud after a few pale ales does indeed scare people.

MP3: The Broken Family Band - Walking Back To Jesus Part Two

I remember seeing the BFB some years ago and singer Steve Adams saying that their next record would be all covers of their favourite songs about Christ. As it turned out Jesus Songs only had one cover, Neutral Milk Hotel's King of Carrot Flowers Parts Two & Three. The other songs aren't all about the Lord either though this one is.

MP3: Jim White - If Jesus Drove A Motor Home

Jesus is never far away in Jim White's world. If you've never seen his wondrous film Searching For The Wrong-Eyed Jesus, stop reading and purchase or rent the DVD immediately. You will not be disappointed. I'm sure I've read that the Jesus in this song is actually a real person in White's old hometown of Pensacola, Florida.

MP3: Woody Guthrie - Jesus Christ

The most obvious example of Woody Guthrie's combination of Christianity and socialism. See also Christ For President on Mermaid Avenue, Billy Bragg & Wilco's superb album of previously unrecorded Guthrie songs.

MP3: Tom Waits - Chocolate Jesus (introduction)

MP3: Tom Waits - Chocolate Jesus

Like Jim White, there are no shortage of Jesus references in Tom Waits' songs. It was a toss up between this and Jesus Gonna Be Here, but I opted for Chocolate Jesus to share the humorous preamble. This version is from VH1's Storytellers in 1999. Note: Wikipedia has a fascinating article about Abba-Zabas (see also Captain Beefheart).

MP3: Hayes Carll - She Left Me For Jesus

At Hayes Carll's recent gig at the Luminaire the Texan seemed genuinely surprised by the enthusiastic response that met this wry song. He might even have called the assembled baldies "heathens". There's a nice acoustic version of the song on the Later... with Jools Holland website by the way.

Here endeth the lesson. I hope you enjoyed the songs. As usual, comments and suggestions for further listening are most welcome. Amen.

Buy These Artists
Neutral Milk Hotel: Amazon | 7digital
The Broken Family Band: Amazon | 7digital
Jim White: Amazon | 7digital
Woody Guthrie: Amazon | 7digital
Tom Waits: Amazon | 7digital
Hayes Carll: Amazon | 7digital