they’re tryin’ to wash us away
As much as any city I can think of, music and place are bound as tightly as they can be in my mental image of New Orleans.
Taylor Hicks, Open Door Cafe, Birmingham, AL, February, 2005
Louisiana, Louisiana
They’re tyrin’ to wash us away
They’re tryin’ to wash us away
Louisiana, Louisiana
They’re tryin’ to wash us away
They’re tryin’ to wash us awayPresident Coolidge came down in a railroad train
With a little fat man with a note-pad in his hand
The President say, “Little fat man isn’t it a shame what the river has done
To this poor crackers land.” - Randy Newman
Though this song was written about a flood that happened 80 years ago, it still has impact today. The 1927 flood was caused by unusually heavy rains, but the devastation and lack of support led many families to uproot and leave. Hard times can lead to new chances, and the influx of large numbers of African Americans forever changed the musical landscape of such cities as Chicago and Detroit.
But in the wake of Katrina, people hearing Newman’s song didn’t think of ancient history or the development of Chicago blues or the Motown sound. It instantly struck a chord when Katrina tore up the gulf coast in 2005 because of our vulnerability to nature, of course, but also because of the unspeakable inadequacies of the official preparation and response.
Here’s an NPR interview with songwriter Randy Newman. It includes an Aaronn Neville performance of the song.
Randy Newman on Louisiana 1927, NPR interview, September, 2005
The recording that leads this post is one that Hicks’ fans have treasured since first finding it a year ago, so it’s not surprising that news of his recent performance was very welcome. True, a reader here, wanted to combine some audio and partial concert video, and talking together, we both had the same idea: include images of the two floods this song evokes. Here’s the cool montage she created. She’ll give you some backstory on it in her comments:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/mgiLN56tReg]
and now, a tangent:
After our discussions, I was really looking forward to seeing this piece. But I have to say, my first reaction was one of disconnect. The story, the performance and visuals all told of sorrow and devastation, so the elation of some audience members seemed out of psychic sync. The performance was in Louisiana, so if the jubilation is the reaction of the natives, I have nothing to say - it is their story and their grief and only they know what that song means to them at this point in time.
But I wondered if the cheers might also be a different kind of response. Not a response based on being personally touched by this tragedy, but also not a response to the emotional message of the performance. Maybe just jubilation at getting to hear a beloved song, or maybe just a live concert habit of always cheering vocally when pleased with a performance. So it brought up in my mind an old question: Is it important for the emotional response of the audience to more or less match the emotional intent of the performer? (and if so, to whom) When the performance is out there full-throttle, is it a sign of connection to see that the audience is bopping along in similar groove? When the performance is introspective, is it a sign of connection to see the audience quiet and reflective?
Obviously, the most rousing rock-out will leave some people unmoved, as will the most tender ballad - there’s nothing that performer or audience can do about that. If you can’t quite get where a performer is going, what do you do? I guess I’m mixed on this one. I sit if I feel like sitting, no matter how wild things might be, but I don’t always scream when I feel like screaming (maybe my mental health would be better if I did)
posted by what at 04:00 am
True, (and what…), thanks so much for this very powerful and beautiful video…
Louisiana 1927 … Taylor Hicks and Randy Newman– doesn’t get much better than this… even though it’s about such a painful story… and then we see nothing’s changed with Katrina… ‘they’re going to wash us away…’
yeah… those ‘fat men’ in D.C. should be ashamed… breaks my heart…
(more on your tangent some other time: off to cogitate, dream, perchance to sleep…)
Wow, the combination of the visual with the song just hits you where it hurts. I hesitate to use these words, but that was beautiful in a very poignant way.
And to the question(s) of the day, I think there has to be some kind of connect between what the audience hears and what the performer is presenting to that audience. Perhaps it might not be an exact interpretation (I’d embarrassed myself if I told how many songs I loved and understood to mean one thing and then found out they mean somethibg else entirely). Maybe its important that a performer gives something that can be open to interpretation by many people and that is why there is a connection because it (song, book, piece of art), can be personalized for a given situation. Don’t really know, but it is a good question to ponder…
In this case, I think the audience reaction is largely due to their need to be acknowledged; they want their voices heard; but that perception of mine might in large part be due to my personal feelings on the whole Katrina debacle. Interesting…I’m looking forward to reading what others think…
The video was very touching. I’m waaaay up here in eastern Washington State…but watched the Katrina story unfold on television and was horrified for the people of New Orleans. I could not comprehend how they could load 10,000 people into that dome, when the roof was not rated for the expected winds. And then the length of time it took to get them back out…to get food and medical supplies in? Thank God for the volunteers and support from fellow Americans….because the government reps simply fell on their faces.
As for the audience jubilation to the performance…it’s a mystery to me. Maybe it was for the performer’s acknowledgement of those who suffered. Maybe it’s for the rebellious nature of the song.
What I do know…is that every time I see a video of Taylor doing an acoustic performance, the screaming in the background pisses me off. I was so proud to be among a respectful audience when he sang “The Fall” in Seatte. All you could hear was that beautiful voice. We showed our appreciation for the performance when it was OVER.
Is it important for the emotional response of the audience to more or less match the emotional intent of the performer? (and if so, to whom)
——————
As to this question, I believe the answer is yes. If your not “getting” what the performer is trying to convey then the intent/passion of the song is lost IMHO.
Its hard to understand the yips and squeals when he is performing an absolutely gorgeous acoustic version of that song. They seem out of place for such a sad song. I can only compare it to seeing say Springsteen in concert when he sings a passionate version of a song about pain and suffering and loss. It seems that his audience is more reverent or maybe more understanding of what he is trying to say.
I also recall a concert by Billy Joel where he sang “Goodnight Saigon” and the audience was mostly very somber, rocking back and forth to the music in a sort of reverent kind of way.
I worry that Taylor’s beautiful acoustic sound, especially on provocative and moving songs, gets lost in translation on a lot of his fans. Not all of his fans but a lot of them.
The montage was compiled using images and footage from a number of sources. The concert audio of Taylor Hicks was captured and shared by “Janibeth.” The concert video footage was shot by “Taylorbug.” I used Janibeth’s audio because the crowd noise was less intrusive than it was on the video recording. The audio/video sync was perfect on my hard drive, but a little off after the upload to youtube.
If you are screaming, you can’t be listening.
That’s such a beautiful song and a beautiful video. So much emotion. Thanks for making the video, True.
I am so glad you brought this up! When I watched this video, the combination of the images and Taylor’s quiet intensity, a kind of turning inward, gave me goose bumps and a lump in my throat. It crossed my mind a couple of times, “why aren’t these people shutting the hell up!”. Then I read your comments. This is something that has been bothering me with the response from the fans to some of Taylor’s more serious side. Dingo said it beutifully : I worry that Taylor’s beautiful acoustic sound, especially on provocative and moving songs, gets lost in translation on a lot of his fans. Not all of his fans but a lot of them.
Yes, I think it is important for the audience to be in synch with what the performer is trying to convey, and I think it matters to both. I hope Taylor does do an acoustic tour. Maybe then people will get to see that there are many layers to this guy.
I’m sure there are reasons for this incongruence between subject matter and crowd response. For example, fans were excited about hearing the song, or about Hicks paying tribute to their state. Or they were showing their enthusiasm and support for him.
Whatever the reasons, though, it boils down to one unavoidable bottom line: Hicks failed to connect with the crowd on this song - or they failed to connect with him. He certainly was trying to deliver the guts of the piece with a lot of soul, but this audience was disconnected on the other end. To a performer, that’s got to be a disappointment.
Some folks seem to think that being a fan at a concert is about jumping up and down and hooting and hollering. I think (and this is just me) it’s about being receptive and attentive to the art that is being created and shown to you, and respectful of the artist’s skill, talent, and effort. Sometimes being sensitive to the work means you’ve got to up and groove and shout! Sometimes, it doesn’t.
The way the pictures are put together in this video creates such a moving compelling reaction in my gut. I did react in a different way to the audience than most of the commentaries so far. If Taylor had been singing in WI and received this reaction I think it might mean something else.
It’s like if you sing about war at home the audience is quiet. If you sing about it in the trenches the troops cheer. It’s part of whistling in the dark — and carrying on and being heard and laughing at hell in the hope of scaring hell away. It’s why MASH was such a great TV show.
Some of the people in this audience, no doubt traveled there from other places but most of the people were either personally directly effected by the ravages on the land or had loved ones. There seems to be a disconnect from what we’d expect but I’m not sure the audience was disconnected at all. Having personally watched the rebuilding — the courage — the coping tools of the amazing citizens of Louisiana — I am just not sure. My vote is they were right with Taylor on every bit of it. Here is what I mean. These are people who I watched put jokes and smiles and songs back on the land before any rebuilding even started. It’s like the folks were anointing the land with their great souls — saying… we are a State of music and love and we are going to sing — and drink, ha. I am sure some of the moods in the room were flavored by the bubbly but not in a way that was really disrespectful but rather perhaps in a joyous (amen — we will over come.). The people of Louisiana have steadily impressed the living crap out of me with something of an unquenchable joy. Now don’t think I am saying that I’ve missed the heartache or the desperation; I am saying this audience did not miss it either most of them lived it.
I did my best to help make things easier for the people in the thick of it but they often cheered me up. They have this attitude like — “YEP it’s hell but we are going rebuild and dance in the streets so get a smile on your face girl.”
That’s what I heard in the room–that same spirit I heard in the streets during clean up. Some times pain is sooo big that the only way to get past it is to focus on your joy. Laughter hides a lot of tears and joy transmutes sorrow. They loved Taylor that night and he sang soooo sweet. He sang to them and I say they heard him.
I agree with True on the point that some fans think the only way to behave at a concert is to hoot and holler. But it bothers me when they don’t seem to know the difference between a performance that asks for that kind of behavior and a performance that asks for a quieter, more contemplative response.
I think two factors are at least a part of the problem of “inappropriate” behavior: one, some fans are too “medicated” to be truly involved in the music, and two, to some fans, the concert is more about them than about the music. Case in point: the Columbus, OH audios. Every time I hear the intro. to “Wherever I Lay My Hat”, I cringe at the intrusion of the voice screaming, “Taylor, it’s my birthday!” It’s not about Taylor or the music; it’s about the fan’s need to be noticed.
I would hope that if Hicks does indeed do some acoustic gigs this fall, the audience will be there for the music, not for the opportunity to try to make some kind of impression on him.
Given Hicks’ 10 years of tough road warrior gigs, however, I would suggest that the noise probably bothers him less than it does some of us. Having been lucky enough to see acoustic versions of “Here Comes the Sun” and “The Fall”, I was left with the impression that the zone he is in while performing those kinds of numbers allows him to transcend most of what goes on in the audience. Is he oblivious to it? I don’t think so; I just think that he is on a plane somewhere above it all.
Taylor sounds good. I’ve done so much time playing in bars that my brain screens out the hoots from the crowd. Just sounds like it’s working to me. That is just part of the scene that goes with the turf of the very type of joints Mr. Hicks says he likes the best. I thought it was an awesome clip. You play in a bar, if they like you they are going make some noise during your best guitar work. Then they’ll clap off beat but hey that’s the live gig and I love it. Jam on Mr. Hicks.
I think a part of it is just excitement on the part of the audience at hearing a live version of a song that he doesn’t perform very often. Springsteen has also trained his audience over a long period of time. He has no problem telling them that he wants quiet when he feels they are being noisy or disrespectful of what he is trying to do. He just tells ‘em to shut up..and they do!
Meg got it right. I was there. The audience was so, so appreciative and proud of the fact that Taylor was singing this song for them. Everyone in that theater sang along with him on the chorus. It felt as if Taylor and the audience were one entity and they were striking back at the devastation and injustice of the Katrina hurricane while at the same time celebrating the resilience of the native people of Louisiana. I guess you had to be there, but believe me, those people connected with Taylor at that moment.
Thank you, Meg and tishlp for sharing your thoughts, and giving us a different perspective. Sometimes you just have to be there. I think, though, that in other instances, part of the audience is still expecting Taylor to be the “goofy guy from American Idol”,since that was often how he was portrayed. Thankfully, he is shedding that image, and gaining fans who recognize him as a true artist.
Oh, and thank you, True, for putting together a great video!
This is what you call a true piece of art.Thanks for putting up the video, heard the song, but never knew who the singer was.
i should say the audience wasn’t educated enough to shut up, enjoy the song and then clap and shout at the end. Performer like him should be given respect.
Thanks for those of you who were there to share your memories. I can totally understand the feeling of the people of that area, cheering in recognition and gratitude to hear this tribute to all they’d been through. Maybe the disconnect I heard, as someone who was not there, was this: the cheers are superimposed over images and sound that express sorrow and frustration. So while Hicks’ interpretation expressed this sorrow, some of the audience, understandably, reacted to the support that the performance indicated. So this is insynch with the sentiment behind this choice of performance, if not with the interpretation of the performance itself. At least that’s my reading: that neither the performance nor the videos are expressing the relief and gratitude that the audience felt. That’s natural. Often if we go to a friend with expressions of sympathy and support, their reaction is to express gratitude and jubilation. It’s part of the communication, too.
I just got the opportunity to see this last night for the first time as I’m on the road. Interesting that now I’ve had the live expreience of the song in NOLA myself. I’m definitely going to reflect on this. There are definitely ALL types of people at these shows with all kinds of priorites and ‘agendas’. I’m sorry to say that my first hand impression of the song isn’t nearly as good as any of the digital ones I encountered due to some very rude people. Maybe my memory of the song will come back in time. I can’t decide whether to watch/listen to this one again or not. Will it help or wipe out any hope of recovering my own memories of tonight?
Very nice job on the video. Very touching.
am more than willing to accept tiship’s first hand appraisal of the audience reaction at this show
but with only a few exceptions most concert videos reveal the audiences to be out of synch with an acoustic performance and I
am wondering if it might be at least partially to do with the way the set list is structured
most of the concert is what Taylor has described as “high energy soul aerobics” - even the numbers like JTFTW and TRP do not really halt the momentum only slightly slow it for a brief time - and the audience becomes as energized as Taylor and the band - -
then Taylor effortlessly makes the transition to the calmness of sitting on a stool and singing a ballad - - -
for some of us - maybe those who listen to a variety of music on a regular basis - it is easy to make that leap with him
for others - not so easy - they are still caught up in the energy from the rest of the concert
just a passing thought
I am from Louisiana. Cajun to the bone. I traveled from two states over to attend…with a broken leg.
I was there. I even did a recap. I even commented on Louisiana 1927.
First, I knew about “the flood” since childhood. Both of my grandmothers (one lived to 95, the other to 100), vividly recanted the stories. While many people associate the flood with New Orleans and the fact that rich, white New Orleanians unnecessarily dynamited the levees to re-route the river to save New Orleans, the real devastation was to St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes with spillover into most of the coastal and southern LA parishes. These parishes consisted of small towns and farms with poor white farmers and black sharecroppers. These farmers and sharecroppers lost everything and spent months (and years in some cases) in deplorable conditions in refugee camps. The President was Calvin Coolidge and “Little Fat Man” was his Secretary of Commerce, Herbert Hoover. The slow response of the government eventually caused poor blacks to migrate to Northern cities and many of the white farmers ended up back on their devastated farms or in other South Louisiana cities and towns. (Sound familiar?)
Randy Newman is a great historian of Louisiana and New Orleans. His New Orleans Wins the War is a great account of what NOLA is about/known for. However, in Louisiana 1927 I think that he is referencing the “call to arms” that took place among the poor and uneducated people of Louisiana at the time, who found a way to survive and thrive.
The song is really not a sorrowful tune but one of triumph. It’s about overcoming adversity — something that Louisiana is expert at. My father started school in 1931 and didn’t speak a lick of English, only French. The children were systematically punished until French virtually disappeared. Now, 75 years later, there are valiant efforts to protect the Cajun French heritage so that it’s not lost forever. These efforts, like the song, are about pride, paying tribute to the past & heritage, overcoming adversity and celebration of triumph…IMO.
In Marksville, you hear whoopin’ and hollerin’ around the folks who were taping. I was on the 16th row and the Louisiana people were certainly excited about the fact that Taylor thoughtfully sang a song about them and their state, but most sat intently listening and enjoying the song. I thought that of all the songs that Taylor sang that night, Louisiana 1927 was the one that really kun-NECK-ted with the crowd and made folks sit up and take notice.
For those that he was attempting to reach with that particular song and it’s message, he did. For others who may not understand the magnitude of the song and its local meaning, they simply enjoyed the wonderful performance and admired the talent of someone singing, playing guitar and harmonica, all within the same song.
Thanks so much for weighing in on this topic Music Maven, always nice to see you! Thanks for the frame and color you provided. My dad was from there too. It’s a place of magic & courage & lazy dreams— it’s a geyser of art. Some say it’s in the land — some say it’s in the water other folks say it’s in the booze. ‘No matter’ -it’s there!
There are songs that should elicit cheers and those that beg for silence. This on ( Louisiana 1927 ) begs the later. There are many songs that Taylor sings where the best response is no response at all until AFTER he has finished. Pleeeeeeeeeese.
As distracting as the hoots and hollers may be, to me it isn’t as bad as the constant indifferent background chatter from the Open Door performance. As far as audiences go, it seems there should be a happy medium between not caring enough and caring too much.
Great video, I haven’t visited here in awhile and this was a pleasant surprise.
I seem to recall plenty of background chatter last night too. Maybe just foreground.
I just saw the last couple lines of Meg’s last post and thought maybe she was weighing in on these performances/crowds…guess not.
Music Maven - I appreciate your thoughts here. Good to know that the song was received as delivered by the majority of the crowd.
In searching for images of the 1927 flood for the video montage, I found piles of fascinating history at the PBS American Experience website. Can’t seem to interest anyone in it…so it’s good to see you talk a bit about it.
Well, you got me interested in it. Thanks for for pointing out the PBS website. Will go and check it out.
True!! I am very, very inerested. I thought you did a powerful job with the montage.
Here’s the basic timeline - interesting in itself. Any link on that page leads to more. It’s a real treasure.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/flood/timeline/timeline2.html
Wow, True! Incredible! I’m going to print out that time line and pass it around. And the links are really interesting, about the flood, about music. This part is going to send me looking for some blues song:
“Blues artists from Bessie Smith to Barbecue Bob recorded over 30 songs related to the Great Flood of 1927. Though many blues performers did not personally experience the flood, they understood the hardships the Delta’s predominantly African American sharecropper population faced.”
Thank you, really!
Thank god for other history dorks.
True, thank you for the timeline link. I can hear my family talking about this in my childhood memories. I will save this and share it. Louisiana folk are such an example of courage dancing — the ability to transmute horror and sorrow into songs that heal… songs that make you want to wipe off the mud and dance.
“Is it important for the emotional response of the audience to more or less match the emotional intent of the performer?”
Absolutely. it doesn’t necessarily have to be manifested vocally. you can be elated and silent just the same. the response is going to be personal with each individual. when there’s no variance in this emotional response with respect to what the performer is doing on stage and the only thing of importance to an audience member is the person on stage (and the person’s fondness for the performer) then it starts to suck for the other people in the audience because one crazy could be expressing this by blowing his/her top at all the wrong times. it’s no longer about the music or the song or what’s trying to be communicated on stage but the imaginary fantasies of the fan. this is what leads to staged underwear throwing and screaming during an intimate pause. How I abhor this.