2 (1997) Shout On, Lead Belly Legacy, Vol. There are two prestigious schools for “In The Pines (Where Did You Sleep Last Night)” run by two legendary principals, the larger-than-life Lead Belly and the Father of Bluegrass, Bill Monroe. The Four Pennies recorded and released the song as "Black Girl" in October 1964. Lead Belly’s sound can be described as warbled, raw vocals accompanied by a waltzing guitar strum and occasional jolly riff. Your 5 picks are great. The song leaves that decision up to the listener. In a 2009 MTV article, Kurt Loder remembers discussing the song's title with Cobain, with Cobain insisting, "But the Leadbelly version is called 'Where Did You Sleep Last Night,'" and Loder preferring the "In the Pines" title used by Bill Monroe (as well as Lead Belly).[11]. Smithsonian Folkways has released several other collections of his recordings: Leadbelly released it on the single (Black Gal) Where Did You Sleep Last Night? "[13] Canadian musician Neil Young described Cobain's vocals during the final screamed verse as "unearthly, like a werewolf, unbelievable. He'd thought the performance was a bomb because the audience was so quiet, not realizing that it … It is likely that Cobain drew from Lead Belly's 1944 Musicraft version for his interpretation of the song; Lanegan owned an original 78 rpm record of this version,[7] and it is the one that Cobain's version most closely resembles in terms of form, title and lyrics, including the "Shiver for me" interjection before the instrumental verse. He does this periodically throughout the song. "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" In 1925, a version of the song was recorded onto phonograph cylinder by a folk collector. Sleigh Bells, the Brooklyn noise pop duo comprised of Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller, have released a new cover of Lead Belly’s classic folk song “Where Did You Sleep Last Night”. Where Did You Sleep Last Night, Lead Belly Legacy, Vol. Where Did You Sleep Last Night tab by Nirvana. Jan 26 2016. About “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” 5 contributors This is a cover of “In The Pines” by Lead Belly, who Kurt Cobain describes as his “favorite performer” while introducing the song. The baritone folk-singer/spoken word poet laureate delivers a minimalistic, matter-of-fact version, consisting of an periodic whistle, simple guitar waltz, perfectly placed strings, and Callahan’s deep, chesty, controlled voice. He won the contest, but not the credit. My girl, my girl, where will you go. In November 2004, an acoustic home demo by Cobain, recorded in 1990, appeared on the Nirvana's rarities box set, With the Lights Out. However, as Eric Weisbard writes in a 1994 article in The New York Times, "...the enigmatic train is almost as frightening, suggesting an eternal passage: 'I asked my captain for the time of day/He said he throwed his watch away.'"[7]. 1 contributor total, last edit on Dec 02, 2016. The performance of "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" has been regarded as one of the greatest live performances of all time. I'm going where the cold wind blows. Nirvana didn't write this and was for sure not the first to cover it, but it's the version I would have grown up listening to and based this cover off. Is the girl simply mourning her deceased husband, in the pines? Author Unregistered. First, he makes a point of letting the audience know that he is on the verge of impersonating the cold wind in the pines, then delivers an alto-pitched blowing wind-like yodel. There’s another great cover that I’d love to see included in this list, especially in reference to Nirvana’s version of it. ", "My Girl" and "Black Girl", is a traditional American folk song originating from two songs, "In the Pines" and "The Longest Train", both of whose authorship is unknown and date back to at least the 1870s. I have loved this song since the first time I heard it and that was a long time ago. Another Monroe School attendee, Doc Watson incorporates a “high lonesome” sound in his playful 2007 version of “In The Pines.” Doc’s rendition stands out for two reasons. Listed as "Black Girl" or "In the Pines", this version appears on compilations such as Where Did You Sleep Last Night – Lead Belly Legacy Vol. The folk version by the Kossoy Sisters asks, "Little girl, little girl, where'd you stay last night? from one version is, "From a man in the mines/Who sleeps in the pines. The first officially released version by Nirvana was recorded during the band's MTV Unplugged appearance, on November 18, 1993, at Sony Music Studios in New York City. Yes. Recorded with his Bluegrass Boys and featuring fiddles and yodelling, they represent the "longest train" variant of the song, and omit any reference to a decapitation. try cover fake plastic tree @scruffpuppie. Bill Monroe’s bluegrass version shares lyrical similarities to Lead Belly’s take, but it’s much more instrumentally lush with the presence of fiddles and yodeling. [16], These are My Roots: Clifford Jordan Plays Leadbelly, The Walking Dead: Season Two - Episode 2: A House Divided, Long Steel Rail: The Railroad in American Folk Song. Music historian Norm Cohen pointed out in his 1981 book Long Steel Rail: The Railroad in American Folksong that the song came to consist of three frequent elements – a chorus about “in the pines,” a verse about “the longest train,” and a verse about a decapitation – but not all elements are present in all versions. Good article. The following five covers are lesser-known renditions, but are delicious fruits of the kingdom’s labor. Their version reached No. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Five Good Covers presents five cross-genre reinterpretations of an oft-covered song. Bill Monroe's 1941 and 1952 recordings, both under the title "In the Pines", were highly influential on later bluegrass and country versions. I always loved the Nirvana version, but had no idea on the history of the song. [4] A live version by American grunge band Nirvana, based on Lead Belly's interpretation, was recorded during their MTV Unplugged performance in 1993, and released the following year on their platinum-selling album, MTV Unplugged in New York. Bill Monroe's 1941 and 1952 recordings, both under the title "In the Pines", were highly influential on later bluegrass and country versions. “The deeper you dig, the more you find.”. "[7] The theme of a woman being caught doing something she should not is thus also common to many variants. Lead Belly’s version is a grisly tale that begins with conversation. The song is most associated with Nathan Abshire, the Louisiana Cajun accordion player, for whom "Pine Grove Blues" was his biggest hit. No one has known this (hence the “unknown author” on every website). Great album and great cover version (with Kurt Cobain playing guitar and providing guest vocals). Some versions of the song also reference the Great Depression, with the "black girl" being a hobo on the move from the police, who witnesses the murder of her father while train-jumping. In 1994, American poet Allen Ginsberg recalled that "a couple weeks ago, one of my students gave me a mixed tape of Kurt Cobain and there was a version of 'Black Girl' of great artistry. “In The Pines,” AKA “Where Did You Sleep Last Night,” AKA “Black Girl,” is a traditional Appalachian folk song, nearly a century and a half old, that encompasses … Where Did You Sleep Last Night Acoustic chords by Nirvana. 1 (1996), and The Definitive Lead Belly (2008). The reply to the question, "Where did you get that dress/ And those shoes that are so fine?" The magic realist aspects of Where Did You Sleep Last Night are used casually and the stream-of-consciousness narration helps to blur the line between what’s actually happening and how it’s being perceived by the novel’s heroin-addicted characters. For more on the history and legacy of “In the Pines,” read this article from the New York Times. Don’t remember the artist. Key: E. Author dmcphedran [a] 102. According to the American folklorist Alan Lomax, Lead Belly learned the song from an interpretation of the 1917 version compiled by Cecil Sharp, and by the 1925 phonograph recording.[7]. Smog is Bill Callahan. The band's vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain, had been introduced to the song by fellow Seattle musician Mark Lanegan, and played guitar on a version on Lanegan's album, The Winding Sheet, released in May 1990. 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