Ever notice how Laura used a lot of actual names in her early songs? Bill, Susan, Emmie, Joe, Billy, Eli, Tom (check out this gutsy Audra McDonald version)–and I’m not even counting Jimmy, because Laura didn’t write Jimmy Mack. Later, she employed the names of goddesses (Sophia, Hecate) and famous artists (Louise, Sappho, Billie, Frida) in her lyrics, but gone were the love songs (or angry diatribes!) addressed to named, if not actual, people. Her earlier songs certainly emerged out of an era where named characters were more common in songs (Suzie Q, Michelle, Sally, Billie Jean, ad infinitum), but these days the love object is more often addressed anonymously as “you” or “she” or “he.” (And as a side note, it’s a real mixed blessing to have a name that’s been used in a well-known song, as this “ma belle” can attest …)
Now that I’ve made a Laura connection in this post I have a rationale, if thin, for blogging today about the best rock song I never heard until just the other day, “Black Betty.” How did I miss this garage-y classic?!? I came across it as background music on some YouTube video I was watching (and have already forgotten), and then Googled around until I found the original, by a group called Ram Jam. Then I learned that it has been much covered, including an even-more-intense version by Spiderbait, a little-too-mellow version by Sheryl Crow and a weird-but-intriguing version by Nick Cave.
Most surprisingly, I learned that “Black Betty” is actually derived from an old folk song that was famously sung by Leadbelly. The meaning of “Black Betty” is much debated, but in the Ram Jam version–especially as seen in their goofy video above–it sure sounds naughty.
Yeah! Black Betty as recorded by Ram Jam was great and I really loved it when it came out. A one-hit wonder band from the late Seventies who, I recall were once tipped to be as big as the band Boston in terms of seemingly coming out of nowhere. I’ll check out the Nick Cave version at my peril!