As luck would have it, today is Valentines Day, so I have the opportunity to play you a set of songs especially suited to the occasion. We all know what Valentines Day is about, don’t we? Yup: massacre! Just when you thought I was going soft in my old age. this isn’t a set of gooey love songs which would send you rushing for the sick bag, but is a collection of songs around the theme of massacre and murder. We’re going to have so much fun!

In case you don’t know the story (really?) the St Valentines Day Massacre took place on 14 February 1929: it was the murder of seven members and associates of Chicago’s North Side Gang who were lined up against a wall and shot by unknown assailants, two of whom were dressed as policemen. The North Side Gang’s arch rivals in the battles of Prohibition days were the Chicago Outfit, led by a certain Al Capone, so it has always been considered that this is where responsibility lay. I think I can enjoy using this as my theme much more than sappy love songs: just don’t shoot me if you disagree, OK? 

I’m breaking with my usual habit of starting with a belter: today’s opener is a reflective, politically based song by one of the best bands of all time:

R.E.M. included Flowers of Guatemala as the opening track on side two of their (in my view) masterpiece of an album, Lifes Rich Pageant, which was released in July 1986, peaking at #21 in the US and #43 in the UK. The song wasn’t released as either an A or B side to a single, which is probably understandable – too political. Michael Stipe has been known to introduce the song at concerts with just one word – ‘genocide’ – and his lyrics reference Amanita, a flower grown on graves in Guatemala. The song has a haunting beauty, which fits its theme well. 

This next tune is also about a real life event, which you may well recall:

In case you don’t know, the massacre took place on 4 May 1970 at Kent State University in Ohio. Students were protesting about America’s involvement in the Vietnam War and after several hours of engagement the Ohio State Guard opened fire on them, killing four and seriously injuring nine others. CSN&Y’s song was written by Neil Young, who takes lead vocal, just seventeen days later, and was released as a single the following month, reaching #14 in the US but not making the UK chart – I guess we were too insular to notice the significance of the events it described. I think it is one of the most powerful protest songs ever written, and it is still just as valid. Nearly fifty three years on news stories of massacres in the US are a daily event, thanks in no small part to their ridiculous attitude towards guns, and there are far too many instances of murders committed by law enforcement officers, too. The days of the Wild West have never left them, have they?

Time now to get down from my soapbox and move into murder plain and simple. Surprisingly, in musical terms, it can be fun:

Just the three murders! That jaunty little number was on The Beatles’ Abbey Road album, as if you needed telling. It was released in September 1969, topped the charts in the US, the UK, and in loads of other countries too, and has sold well over 35m copies worldwide. They were struggling, though, and the recording of the album eventually led to John Lennon leaving the band. Wikipedia’s description of the making of this song is a good example of what caused that: ‘The recording was fraught with tension between band members, as McCartney annoyed others by insisting on a perfect performance. The track was the first Lennon was invited to work on following his car accident, but he hated it and declined to do so. According to engineer Geoff Emerick, Lennon said it was “more of Paul’s granny music” and left the session. He spent the next two weeks with Ono and did not return to the studio until the backing track for “Come Together” was laid down on 21 July. Harrison was also tired of the song, saying “we had to play it over and over again until Paul liked it. It was a real drag”. Starr was more sympathetic to the song. “It was granny music”, he admitted, “but we needed stuff like that on our album so other people would listen to it”. Longtime roadie Mal Evans played the anvil sound in the chorus.’ Somehow they managed to produce a great album, though!

I’m now moving into folk music territory. A popular theme of folk tunes which have been handed down through the ages is murder. Another common theme is the supernatural – ghosts and the like – and this one, which is fictional but no doubt prompted by an embellishment of actual events, combines both:

This is the first time that I’ve played something by Pentangle, which comes as a surprise to me. They released their Cruel Sister album, from which this is the title track, in November 1970, and it made #51 in the UK albums chart. This was the most folk-based of their albums, which also have strong jazz influences. The song is a traditional murder ballad, known to date back at least as far as the 17th century, and there are many versions in existence, as befits the way folk music has developed. I’ve always loved the band’s music, which is built around four extremely talented musicians and the beautiful voice of Jacqui McShee. I finally managed to see them play live in Summer 2011, when they got together for a few reunion gigs, and it was everything I had hoped it would be: a magical evening. That show turned out to be the final appearance of Bert Jansch, who died of lung cancer in October that year, just two months before cancer also took his wife. But the music lives on, and it is still glorious.

I’m delving back into mainstream pop and rock for this next one. It’s another long song, so I can’t be accused of not giving you your money’s worth! You may well remember this one, which I think is one of his best:

The Killing of Georgie was a track on Rod Stewart’s album A Night On The Town, released in June 1976, and reaching #1 in the UK and #2 in the US. The song is about a gay friend of Rod and his band The Faces, who was murdered by a New York gang in a robbery that went wrong, after he had attended the opening night of a Broadway musical. The track was released as a single a couple of months later, and peaked at #2 in the UK and #30 in the US. I’ve always thought that amongst all his posturing and preening Rod was best when he wrote from the heart, and this song is testament to that, I believe.

I don’t think I’ve ever played this next song or the band before: I couldn’t find them when I searched previous posts. This one belies its bouncy nature by revealing the singer’s guilt in murdering his wife:

A superb song, with an equally good video. The Dead South are a folk-bluegrass band from Canada, who have been together since they were formed by Nate Hilts, their lead vocalist, in 2012. They refer to themselves as ‘Mumford and Sons’ Evil Twins,’ a reference to the dark side of a lot of their lyrics, like this one. In Hell I’ll Be In Good Company was (sort of) the title track of their debut album, Good Company, which was released in 2014. It didn’t make the charts at the time, but after this video was released in October 2016 they gained a lot of interest, and have reached the top 50 in the US and the top 20 on the iTunes chart. The video now has more than 345m views, and has helped cement their reputation as a touring act: they have travelled around Canada and the US, and also made it to the UK and mainland Europe. Check them out if you enjoyed this one: they really are fun to watch and listen to.

Today’s two final songs are both from usual suspects: kind of appropriate when the theme is murder, don’t you think? I’ve played this next guy a lot, but I don’t think I’ve ever shared this one:

The Devil’s Right Hand is a track on what I still think is Steve Earle’s best album, Copperhead Road, which was released in October 1988 and got to #56 in the US and #42 here in the UK. It did best on the US Country chart, where it reached #7. In case you are wondering, the song isn’t praising guns – quite the opposite – and is telling us that our mums may know best in trying to keep us out of trouble. This one was covered by the Highwaymen, the country ‘supergroup’ which comprised Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson, and Cash re-recorded it solo as part of his ‘American’ sessions. I still prefer the original, though.

Today’s final song is another piece of genius from one of the best songwriters there has ever been. I was very torn between two of his songs, but have decided on this one, as I haven’t played it before:

Excitable Boy was the title track of Warren Zevon’s third album, released in January 1978. It peaked at #8 in the US and #9 in Australia, though in common with most of his albums it wasn’t a UK hit. The song is typical of his wry songwriting style, and is another that almost hides murder away in its happy-sounding tune. But it is a perfect fit for today’s theme. If you are wondering, the other song of his that I decided not to play today is one which became a firm fan favourite, and again it is a fun way to sing about crimes: it is Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner, which was also on that album and you can find it at this link. As I’ve mentioned before, Warren was taken from us at just 56 in September 2003, by a virulent form of cancer. His memory and music live on, though, and there is a long-running campaign to get him inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This year he has at last been put forward, and is currently doing well in the fan voting which is taking place until the end of April, when the final short list will be compiled. It is long overdue, in my view, and would be so richly deserved, especially when you consider some of the non-rock rubbish that has been inducted in the past.

That’s all for today. I hope I’ve shown that good music can be made around dark themes, and to be honest I wouldn’t have wanted to mark this day in any other way. I’m now off to count and admire all my Valentines cards and, after the nanosecond that takes, will be settling down to enjoy the rest of the day. Have a great day, especially if you’re spending it with your Valentine. ❤️