stepping stones
From the Wikipedia entry on Duffy:
After Butler had given Duffy a soul music "education" by downloading tracks on her iPod that she could listen to while around London or traveling back in Wales, the pair (Jeannette Lee and Bernard Butler) co-wrote with her and helped create a new retro sound. The tracks included Al Green, Bettye Swann, Ann Peebles, Doris Duke, Scott Walker, Phil Spector, and Burt Bacharach. Duffy was quoted as saying Bettye Swann "is one of my biggest inspirations," particularly her song "Cover Me" because "it marks the time I got interested in physical contact. I was 19, and here was this woman singing Cover me, spread your precious love all over me. It's very tender, but also, hilariously, quite crude."
I hadn't heard of Ms. Bettye either, though she's from just up the Palestine Highway in Shreveport.
I couldn't find Bettye's "Cover Me," but I found a Percy Sledge "cover." Drop one lone "girl" in the third stanza and, begging to differ with Ms Aimee Duffy, I think Mr. Percy's singing to the divine feminine. Nothin' crude about that.
Happy Saturday, y'all.
After Butler had given Duffy a soul music "education" by downloading tracks on her iPod that she could listen to while around London or traveling back in Wales, the pair (Jeannette Lee and Bernard Butler) co-wrote with her and helped create a new retro sound. The tracks included Al Green, Bettye Swann, Ann Peebles, Doris Duke, Scott Walker, Phil Spector, and Burt Bacharach. Duffy was quoted as saying Bettye Swann "is one of my biggest inspirations," particularly her song "Cover Me" because "it marks the time I got interested in physical contact. I was 19, and here was this woman singing Cover me, spread your precious love all over me. It's very tender, but also, hilariously, quite crude."
I hadn't heard of Ms. Bettye either, though she's from just up the Palestine Highway in Shreveport.
I couldn't find Bettye's "Cover Me," but I found a Percy Sledge "cover." Drop one lone "girl" in the third stanza and, begging to differ with Ms Aimee Duffy, I think Mr. Percy's singing to the divine feminine. Nothin' crude about that.
Happy Saturday, y'all.
Labels: bettye swann
posted by murat11 at 9:10 AM
12 Comments:
These songs were more of a study prelude. They were too captivating to allow my mind to read. Great music. My favorites were The Heartache and Cover Me.
T: Good ones, they, little gems from nowhere. I'm not really a Percy fan (though an ex-brother-in-law's band has backed him up), but I liked his cover; wish I could hear Bettye's version. Me fave was "I Want My Sunday Back..."
That one was nice, too. I did like Percy's sound. Was your ex-bil playing on this rendition?
T: I believe Percy's cover was way before ex-hermano Billy's time with him.
Oh doesn't soul make the World much more beautiful? I loved these songs, Heartache in particular. It's so Motown :)
Duffy is very young and expresses herself wonderfully in song. Maybe it would be asking too much that she was just as good verbally, she probably meant explicit rather than crude. I didn't feel like it was crude at all neither.
DM: It's always fun to talk music with you, especially since you were the one who introduced me to Duffy in the first place. Even though I might have a different take on the song, it's simply my own idiosyncratic take. I can certainly see her read on the song as well.
This is a really neat little post. It’s spring-loaded, the contents being bigger than the package. You know I don’t “get out” in terms of literature and music, so I loved reading this bit about Duffy and hearing what she means right after it. Like coffee with dessert. And oh did I like that touch of Swann, like syrup and honey.
Lady A (I just figured out why I liked Lady Day for you - rhymed with Lady A): Glad you enjerred the pralines. I love delving into all these nooks and crannies. Like I needed to tell you that.
Oh see there? You walked yourself into that cool title. Well I like Lady Day because it caters to the human ego’s tendency to feel like it’s more than it really is, for when I think Lady Day, I think Billie Holliday and vocals delivered more passionately than some of the best writing. So when you call me that, I can puff up for two seconds or as long as it takes me to remember who I’m not.
DOM: Billie Holliday for sure, but you in a class all by yourself too, you know. You can puff up all you want, Ms Puffin.
Oooh! Bettye Swann! Thanks for introducing me to another great singer from that golden era :)
Welcome, Sebastian, and welcome to the daze gone by...
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