Other people’s songs: My Blue Eyed Jane

 

By Aaron Galbraith and Tony Attwood

Aaron: A lesser-known Jimmie Rodgers song, My Blue-Eyed Jane is more of a swing tune than anything else. Jimmie’s recording of My Blue Eyed Jane is as atypical of a country song as one could get.

According to Daniel Mullins writing for Bluegrass Today:

“The song is very addictive. It requires more than one listen. The Dixieland-style trumpet, clarinet, and piano may be off-putting to bluegrass and country purists, but those who allow that to deter their listening are missing out. The vaudeville-ish style hearkens to days long gone. Lovers of music will be able to appreciate the purity of the music being presented.

“Jimmie’s vocal delivery is some of his finest. He seems so relaxed. The ease with which he sings each line gives the song a backporch feel which draws in the listener. He gathers steam as the song moves along, and he lets it all loose on the final chorus alongside the pounding barroom piano. From this recording, it’s easy to see why Jimmie is pointed to as one of the first recorded singers to present songs with heart, soul, and authenticity.

“The song itself is wonderfully simple. It’s a classic tale of boy meets girl, boy can’t be without girl, then boy must leave girl. Although, on the surface, the song’s ending is somewhat sad, the lover’s promise to come back again makes My Blue-Eyed Jane surprisingly optimistic. The vigor with which the song is delivered seems to have a “love conquers all approach,” and there seems to be little doubt that the lovers will be reunited.”

Tony: Wow, what a review.  I felt the need to go and look up Daniel Mullins as I’d not come across this work before, which perhaps is not surprising as I am not at all well-versed in bluegrass.  So I had to start reading more about the form as well.

What I did know (and am pleased to have confirmed as true) is that bluegrass takes elements out of a whole range of musical genres and pulls them together, so we have something from the music of the American south with the traditional music from various parts of the British Isles.  Generally, you get a banjo, guitar, fiddle (violin), mandolin, and bass – and of course, the bands that created this music were acoustic, not electric.

As for Daniel Mullins, yes he’s an important man in the field of commenting on bluegrass, winning awards, running radio programmes, and so forth.  So I bow to his expertise, and if you know all about bluegrass my apologies for not knowing in the first place.

And what do I make of this recording?  Well, it is so far out of my normal listening, it’s hard to know where to begin and how not to make a total fool of myself by exposing my ignorance.  If I suggest it is “pleasant” that sounds like a put-down, but in essence, I played the music and watched the wind blowing the trees in my garden on a fine blustery autumn morning and it was all very pleasant.  “Pleasant”.  That does seem the right word.

Aaron: Hank Snow’s version comes from 1953

Tony: There are subtle differences here in the rhythm and melody which I didn’t hear in the original version: I guess they were added because most listeners would have known the original and catching people out with the odd amendment is something arrangers of later versions love to do.  Indeed, otherwise, why bother – why not just listen to the first version?

Aaron: Bob’s version comes from the 1997 album The Songs Of Jimmie Rodgers – A Tribute

Tony: I have to admit, this recording passed me by, so I’m hearing this version either for the first time, or having heard it before, I’ve forgotten it.  Bob sounds very Bob, which is good, he’s not trying to put on another voice – and there are moments of that half-sung half-spoken style that he can do.  It gives an impression of the vocalist being separate from the band: they do their thing dead straight, and Bob plays around (a little but not too much) with the melody.

Although sometimes he does seem to get into a bit of a tangle – as with the final “and the shadows are creeping all over town” which appears a bit rushed just at the moment when one feels everything ought to be fitting into place with a complete regularity and resolution.   That’s because, I guess, the original lyrics are written (completely illogically as there can’t just be one shadow spreading across  the town) as

And when the sun goes down
And the shadow's creeping over town

Bob actually sings, grammatically correctly

And when the sun goes down
And the shadows are creeping all over town

We don’t normally associate Bob with a concern for grammar, and I rather like the fact Bob did that.

Aaron: Here is an alternative version with Emmylou Harris on backing vocals

Tony: A softer, gentler, more melodic Bob.  I really do like this; it’s a lovely arrangement and the harmonies work perfectly both in terms of the song itself and in terms of the two voices.   Bob does that thing where the last word of a lot of the lines is half-sung, half-spoken and that contrasts beautifully with the chorus sung by both vocalists.

Here are the previous editions…

1. Other people’s songs. How Dylan covers the work of other composers
2. Other People’s songs: Bob and others perform “Froggie went a courtin”
3. Other people’s songs: They killed him
4. Other people’s songs: Frankie & Albert
5. Other people’s songs: Tomorrow Night where the music is always everything
6. Other people’s songs: from Stack a Lee to Stagger Lee and Hugh Laurie
7. Other people’s songs: Love Henry
8. Other people’s songs: Rank Stranger To Me
9. Other people’s songs: Man of Constant Sorrow
10. Other people’s songs: Satisfied Mind
11. Other people’s songs: See that my grave is kept clean
12. Other people’s songs: Precious moments and some extras
13. Other people’s songs: You go to my head
14. Other people’s songs: What’ll I do?
15. Other people’s songs: Copper Kettle
16. Other people’s songs: Belle Isle
17. Other people’s songs: Fixing to Die
18. Other people’s songs: When did you leave heaven?
19. Other people’s songs: Sally Sue Brown
20. Other people’s songs: Ninety miles an hour down a dead end street
21. Other people’s songs: Step it up and Go
22. Other people’s songs: Canadee-I-O
23. Other people’s songs: Arthur McBride
24. Other people’s songs: Little Sadie
25. Other people’s songs: Blue Moon, and North London Forever
26. Other people’s songs: Hard times come again no more
27. Other people’s songs: You’re no good
28. Other people’s songs: Lone Pilgrim (and more Crooked Still)
29. Other people’s songs: Blood in my eyes
30. Other people’s songs: I forgot more than you’ll ever know
31.  Other people’s songs: Let’s stick (or maybe work) together.
32. Other people’s songs: Highway 51
33. Other people’s songs: Jim Jones
34. Other people’s songs: Let’s stick (or maybe work) together.
35. Other people’s songs: Jim Jones
36. Other people’s songs: Highway 51 Blues
37. Other people’s songs: Freight Train Blues
38. Other People’s Songs: The Little Drummer Boy
39. Other People’s Songs: Must be Santa
40. Other People’s songs: The Christmas Song
41. Other People’s songs: Corina Corina
42. Other People’s Songs: Mr Bojangles
43. Other People’s Songs: It hurts me too
44. Other people’s songs: Take a message to Mary
45. Other people’s songs: House of the Rising Sun
46. Other people’s songs: “Days of 49”
47. Other people’s songs: In my time of dying
48. Other people’s songs: Pretty Peggy O
49. Other people’s songs: Baby Let me Follow You Down
50. Other people’s songs: Gospel Plow
51. Other People’s Songs: Melancholy Mood
52. Other people’s songs: The Boxer and Big Yellow Taxi
53. Other people’s songs: Early morning rain
54. Other people’s Songs: Gotta Travel On
55. Other people’s songs: “Can’t help falling in love”
56. Other people’s songs: Lily of the West
57. Other people’s songs: Alberta
58. Other people’s songs: Little Maggie
59. Other people’s songs: Sitting on top of the world
60. Dylan’s take on “Let it be me”
61. Other people’s songs: From “Take me as I am” all the way to “Baker Street”
62. Other people’s songs: A fool such as I
63. Other people’s songs: Sarah Jane and the rhythmic changes
64. Other people’s songs: Spanish is the loving tongue. Author drawn to tears
65. Other people’s songs: The ballad of Ira Hayes
66. Other people’s songs: The usual
67. Other people’s songs: Blackjack Davey
68. Other people’s songs: You’re gonna quit me
69. Other people’s songs: You belong to me
70. Other people’s songs: Stardust
71. Other people’s songs: Diamond Joe
72. Other people’s songs: The Cuckoo
73. Other people’s songs: Come Rain or Come Shine
74. Other people’s songs: Two soldiers and an amazing discovery
75. Other people’s songs: Pretty Boy Floyd