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I’m going to have to ask Lucinda again -I thought I remembered her saying that the woman was sent to a mental institution, but after watching that video I started to recall that she said it was a suicide. I just remember her saying that the key line was the one with the long white car.
There will definitely not be any European dates this year -that has to be after the new record comes out.
There’s a little bit more to the story behind this. Lucinda was working on learning this song a day or two before we recorded it and at one point I went dow to see how it was going and I noticed that she was crying and when I asked her what was wrong she said “Do you know how strange this is?” and I said “What?”, and she said “My mother’s name was Lucy and my step-mother’s name is Jordan”. I hadn’t even thought of that and was just completely stunned.
I’ll never forget that moment.
Given the subject matter, her mother’s troubled life and Lucinda’s interpretation of the meaning of the end of the song– to her there is no doubt at all what it is about, it all hit very very close to home for her.The ending of the song has long been debated and Shel Silverstein, who is no longer with us, never said for sure, as far as I know.
Well I can second Lucinda’s opinion -we have tracked 12 songs in the first six days and things really couldn’t be going any better. Lucinda has really bonded with Don and the band is just sounding great. We were thrilled to be able to get Rami Jaffee on keyboards and accordion for the last three days last week and his addition has been great. For those not familiar with Rami he was the keyboard player in the Wallflowers and most recently the Foo Fighters. He also was the keyboardist in Neil Young tribute band at the Grammys. With Greg Leisz, Rami and Don we almost have the whole band from that night. It looks like we will be able to finish the basic tracking this week, which just leaves overdubs, but at this point with Greg and Rami being able to add just about anything we need, it doesn’t look like we will need to do very many.
We have invited a couple of other people to stop by this week but at this point it’s a little up in the air.
Overall the vibe is so good -Lucinda is having a ball and singing her ass off-she’s been saying that this is by far the most she’s enjoyed being in the studio. It’s still early but everyone involved feels like they are working on something really special.
I’m trying to figure out who Lucinda emailed -usually she will mention things like that but she didn’t say anything. I think I have a pretty good idea.Yes–we are very excited that Don is able to be involved. He and Lu really have a palpable vibe between them -a great energy. He wrote her and told her that he thought she was one of the greatest artists in the world and if there was any way he could be involved he wanted to be.
Bob is the mastering legend and I have used him on past projects but we are really happy with the work of Gavin Lurssen who has done Lu’s last two records. He is kind of becoming the new Bob -his resume very impressive and growing every day.LJW–Thanks for posting this -though I have a distinct memory of Lu telling me about this interview while we were driving in the car, I had never read it.
I didn’t thnk I had actually made this post -I started to and then was having trouble with the picture being too big so i was trying to figure how to downsize it. I’ll figure it out and put up the oics -I have several.
Taylor–Really enjoyed what you wrote. Honest, brave, insightful, and personal. All the same qualities that inform Lucinda’s music. I have always thought that WWT was one of the most bravest artistic leaps made by any artist in avery long time. Especially given the context of her career at the time. I don’t know if that’s ever been properly recognized, but that’s another subject. Getting back on topic, the music, and any art for that matter, that we love–that which gets inside us and means something more, becomes a vehicle to discover things about the world and ultimately ourselves and others that we wouldn’t have otherwise. I’ll never forget the hours spent as a kid in my room listening to the old Magnavox console stereo reading liner notes as if I would find the key to the universe in them. And in some ways I guess I did, because to this day I will never forget the first time I heard Born To Run. A week later I went and bought Blood On The Tracks. It was all over-my universe had changed forever.
I once saw Bruce Springsteen doing an interview in which he said that rock n roll reached down into his house and rescued him. Many years later on what I believe was my 2nd date with Lucinda, I got a chance to tell Bruce that he reached down into my southern Minnesota dead end factory town and did that for me.
Without saying anything he leaned over a gave me a big bear hug.
On the drive home Lucinda told me that she thought it just incredible thing that I did that. I think I scored some points.
That was a good night.So Taylor. I hope this isn’t your final dissertation on Lucinda, but if it is, thanks for sharing so much and thanks for sharing it here. I am definitely going to go back and read more from you blog.
All the best,
TomI can help a little here– Song For A Jewelry Maker and All I Want are early Lu songs. In My Girlish Day is a Memphis Minnie song as someone else pointed out and I have discovered a great studio version of this song recorded some time around the S/T Rough Trade record. Also on these same recordings is an earlier version of Down The Big Road Blues that is a little rougher than the one recorded during the first CW sessions.
Just a couple of weeks ago I played Girlish Days for Lu and she had completely forgotten about the song and that she had recorded it.I’m not sure about Bill, How It Feels and Kidding Yourself but I’m sure they will turn up somewhere, as I keep going thru things.
I had a hunch you might like that news -just couldn’t say anything earlier, even though it looked like it was happening, until it was confirmed and the logistics were figured out.
Anyway it’s feasible for me to tell you now–it’s nothing more than he’s a huge fan and I was told he has always hoped that this would happen. I should have added up above that he has sent three different songs for Lu to chose from. He has said which one likes but wants her to pick the one she wants. It’s all very cool and works out great because we will already be in the studio. Good stuff.
I guess the cat can’t stay in the bag forever can it? I can now confirm that Lafayette is a very good guesser. Lucinda will be singing on the new Amos Lee record. It is being produced by Joey Burns and Calexico -sounds like a great combination. Should be a great record.
Yes –I will check on the origin of that photo above -but I recall it being from a Vanity Fair photo shot, but I could be wrong.
Also wanted add to my post from above that Greg Leisz also played on Car Wheels. When I hooked up with him a few days ago to give him the new songs he was heading the next day to play on that new Amos Lee record that seems to keep coming up here. Small world. Hmmm.
Yes –we start on Tues, as believe i’ve mentioned elsewhere. She is rarin’ to go -and she is indeed very thrilled that all the pieces have come together the way they have.
Actually everybody involved is really excited, there is a very positive energy with all of this right now. I think everyone knows this could be a very special record.We can now add that Don Was has signed on to co-produce Lucinda’s new record. Lucinda is very excited that Don has been able to clear his schedule and will be able to participate in the new recordings. For those not familiar with his history, Don has produced an incredible array of artists and brings an immense amount of experience and perspective to the proceedings. He is probably best known as the producer of all the Rolling Stones records for the last 15+ years, and is fresh off of working with the Stones on the much publicized Exile On Main St. reissue that just came out. He has also produced Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Bonnie Raitt, starting with her big break thru record Nick Of TIme– and as Lafayette probably knows, he produced Amos Lee’s record Last Days At The Lodge.
Lucinda and Don met at the Neil Young tribute concert and rehearsals during this year’s Grammy ceremonies – Don was the bass player in the house band (now that’s a great gig). They really hit it off and things just kind of progressed from there. Lucinda really wanted him to hear the new songs (now being called the”Kitchen Tapes”) that she has been working on here at the house and Don was just floored by what he heard. At that point he really wanted to be involved, and luckily, he was able to make room in his schedule to be able to do it, and as I mentioned above Lucinda is very thrilled.
