SLS: From Memphis To Levon

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For this week’s Song Lyric Sunday Jim is inviting us to play a song written or performed by someone who was born in the month of July, as he tells us in his post Mid-Summer State Of Mind. I have found a good website for these monthly posts and having consulted it I realised that I was really spoilt for choice: July is the birth month for Nanci Griffith, Cat Stevens and Linda Ronstadt, among several others that I also like a lot. But I’ve decided to go with one of my favourite singer-songwriters instead. I have played a couple of his songs for previous SLS themes, and am sharing four more today: yes, I know that’s a lot, but I really couldn’t leave any of these out!

My choice for today is Marc Cohn, who was born on 5 July 1959, which means that he celebrated his 67th birthday last Sunday. If you know of him it is probably for his best known song. By chance, I haven’t played that one before for SLS, so I’m correcting that oversight today:

Walking In Memphis has become Marc’s signature tune, and here are its lyrics, courtesy as always of genius.com.

The song was the opening track on Marc’s eponymous debut album, which was released in February 1991 and reached #27 in the UK and #38 in the US. This track was released as a single the following month, peaking at #13 in the US and #3 in Canada. Initially it only got to #66 in the UK but was re-released a few months later and achieved a much more respectable #22: it has since gone Platinum here for sales of more than 600,000.

Like most of the songs Marc performs he wrote this one himself. The lyrics are autobiographical and chronicle a trip that he took to Memphis to overcome a bout of writer’s block. After visiting the church where former soul singer Al Green was preaching, Elvis Presley’s former home of Graceland, and the Hollywood Cafe, a small nightclub in nearby Mississippi, he returned to New York and began composing the song. He has spoken about his visit to the Reverend Al Green’s church as being one of the spiritual highlights of his life, and his time with Muriel Davis Wilkins also made a big impression on him. She was a retired teacher who played at the Hollywood Cafe on Friday evenings, and he spent a good deal of time talking to her. He returned there and played some of his own songs, including this one, which she told him was his best. Sadly, Muriel died in 1990 so never saw the success of the song about her. The song was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1992: though it didn’t win either he did pick up the award for Best New Artist.

Before anyone mentions the cover version by Cher, you should know that I detest it: she stomped all over a delicate tune which meant a lot to its writer, and though it charted higher here – at #11 – it only sold a mere 200,000 copies in the UK, so in my eyes a kind of justice was served.

My second song for today is a real beauty:

And here are the lyrics, again from genius.com.

Healing Hands was written by Marc and was a track on his third album, Burning The Daze, which was released in March 1998, but only made #114 in the US and #153 in the UK. I don’t think those figures reflect how good it was, but maybe times were changing for music. The charts back then were mostly a load of unadulterated crap (a bit like now) so good music, with intelligent, thoughtful lyrics, didn’t find a place. Sad, but a reflection more of public taste than the quality of Marc’s music, and of this lovely song in particular.

My next tune is a bit of a rarity amongst Marc’s work. It was first released in a live version, on his album Live 04/05, which came out in 2005, and was subsequently on a 2006 compilation. Another beautiful song:

That was One Safe Place, and here is genius.com with the lyrics. Information about this one is scant – even Marc’s own website doesn’t help! A later version – also live – was included on the 2019 album Work To Do, a collaboration between Marc and The Blind Boys Of Alabama.

For that session at The City Winery in New York, which was recorded in July 2014, Marc played two songs. As a bonus, I’m playing you out with the other:

That was Listening To Levon and here are the lyrics, from you know where. This was the opening track on Marc’s fourth album, Join The Parade, which was released in October 2007 but doesn’t appear to have reached the charts anywhere. As I said earlier, there’s no accounting for taste, is there! The song, which he wrote, tells the story of a time when he was lost in music while in a car with a girlfriend, and was more tuned in to Levon Helm’s singing than everything she was saying. I love the way he apologises to her, and says that he expects her to change the radio station when this song comes on – a nice, self-deprecating touch. In a rather neat link Levon’s daughter, Amy, sings backing vocals on one of the album’s tracks – but it isn’t this one! Join The Parade was a full 9.5 years on from his previous record, a gap due in part to his recovery after being shot in the head in August 2005 in an attempted carjacking, while he was touring with Suzanne Vega. As you can see from these two later videos he made a good physical recovery, but I’m sure that the trauma of such an experience will have stayed with him for a long time, if indeed it ever left.

That’s me done for today, and I hope you have enjoyed some beautiful music with me. My thanks as always to Jim for organising Song Lyric Sunday and for a continual set of great themes.

I’m still recovering from last night’s England game. In all fairness I thought the better team lost, as we were awful. But I won’t complain about being in the semi-final! I’ll see you again for Tuesday Tunes, so until then stay safe and well, try not to melt, and make sure you take regular hydration breaks 👍

36 thoughts on “SLS: From Memphis To Levon”

  5. Can’t beat listening to Levon. Marc sounds like he’s lived an interesting- and luckily blessed- life.
    What’s this about doubting the integrity of FIFA? 🙄. You got a complaint? Hey, just call it in.

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  6. Clive, this was a treat. I knew him from “Walking in Memphis,” which I think is a fabulous for its music, lyrics and storytelling. I did not know the others, but really liked “Healing Hands.” Thanks for the deep dive on his songs. Keith

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    • I thought the first one would be the only one most would know. I really had a struggle to keep it down to three more, as he has made so many great songs. Glad you liked Listening To Levon – a favourite of mine.

      He was incredibly lucky to survive the shooting with no lasting effects.

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    • So do I. I was surprised I hadn’t played it before for SLS, so this was a good excuse to do it. I’m pleased you liked the others too.

      Thanks for your PS. The feeling here is that FIFA is doing everything it can to help Argentina win it and to destroy England’s chances. Are we being paranoid, or are they really out to get us ? 🤣

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      • No, I’m hearing the same stuff about FIFA and Argentina here. I don’t think it’s anti-England, I think it’s anti-any team other than Argentina. They obviously have so much money merchandise invested you got the big name of Messi in the middle. If we don’t get them on Wednesday, I’m happy if France or Spain wins. I watched the game with Switzerland last night all through I didn’t think Argentina was that great. This time France is even more awesome and they’re hungry for the win. Go Lions on Wednesday and shut FIFA up🤣 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 ⚽️

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      • Trust me, the fact that we had a player sent off for the same offence as Balogun, when his suspension was rescinded and ours was extended feels like anti -English from here. And that they took no action against Argentina for their players singing political songs hasn’t gone unnoticed.

        I hope we take Argentina apart on Wednesday!

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      • FIFA lost all credibility allowing Trump to get away with that last week. The whole thing feels corrupt. It’s being noticed here but again it’s not anti-England. What was refreshing for me last night watching the England and Norway game was the sportsmanship. There was some poking fun at each other on a free kick was taking place. I think Bellingham was pulling on Haaland’s shorts and they were laughing. There was courtesy throughout the game, which you don’t see here in American football.
        Overall, the World Cup games have really been terrific and I see the camaraderie and the love of soccer from around the world. It has united many cultures here. (Not MAGA I’m sure!!). This country needs that badly right now as you can imagine.

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      • I don’t think they had much credibility to lose after they gave Trump their ridiculous ‘Peace Prize.’

        The games have mostly been played in a good spirit, with a few notable exceptions – Paraguay’s performance against France comes to mind. Bellingham and Haaland have been friends since they played together for Dortmund a few years ago, and they had a long chat after the game. The US needs many things to improve it at present!

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  12. Nice choices from an artist I’m well aware of but don’t know that well. I also know now his birthday is the same date as mine! And, just to make things even spookier, I’m currently writing a play set in Memphis!

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