I have a few songs with Ohio in the title that I really enjoy.
Look at me, Ohio...
I spent a good fifteen minutes trying to figure out a way to link them together beyond the obvious. Two of them are track ones, one is not. It’s not that I have anything against Ohio, I just was loathe to create a Wonderful Wednesday that was so blatantly obvious. Titling the post “Ohio” seemed too easy, too Sufjan’esque. During my introspection, I realized that each song, in its own way, pertains to a woman. Since there is a famous flower from long ago in Ohio, it seemed apt to draw the laces together into a nice bow of remembrance and celebration in her honor.
Since I spoke of a famous flower, it is perhaps most apt to start with Gillian Welch’s “Look at Miss Ohio” from her wonderful album, Soul Journey.
From the opening intonations, Gillian has you under her spell. The song is an ambler, rolling along at its own pace. Listening to it you can almost feel yourself in that car with the rag top down. It’s a concise tune, but the the greatness is in its universality. Everyone of us has had these same feelings of wanting to do right, “but not right now.”
While Gillian’s song loosely revolves around escape, this next track is about return. Simply titled “Ohio,” this forthcoming track is the opening number from Damien Jurado’s amazing album Rehearsals for Departure.
Much of Jurado’s work is elegantly understated. They are works of supreme lyrical craftsmanship, hinting at the well of depression lurking beneath the surface. Here, the narrator spots a girl outside his window waving at the passing traffic longing to return to her family, to Ohio. Ripped away from home at an early age, she has never returned. The longing she feels for that mythical place (and that which the narrator feels in turn for her) is unmistakable. It’s like an unshakable lump caught in a throat, it struggles to find a true expression.
If the last song put you in a introspective mood, this next track, “Carry Me Ohio” by Sun Kil Moon will only further it I’m afraid. Sun Kil Moon is one of the various manifestations of Mark Kozelek’s musical visions. His music is somewhat akin to Damien Jurado or Jason Molina’s, fiercely romantic, honest, and contemplative.
Born and raised in Ohio, Mark set out first to Athens, GA then onto San Francisco. This particular cut is from the 2003 album, Ghosts of the Great Highway. This track is one of intricately pensive regret and honest hopes. It is a difficult paean to decipher, yet there are lines that stand out…
Heal her soul
and carry her my angel
Ohio
Delicately, these lines allude to the crux of the song: no matter how much time or space falls between, the hopes we feel for those that once touched our life are always earnestly hopeful…There is nothing more beautifully humane than that.
An addition to your Ohio list: "To Ohio" by The Low Anthem. It's currently on the KGSR playlist and I think it'd go nicely with these other selections. Check it out!
Best, Jillian (Lucy's roommate)
Jonny
That Sun Kil Moon song sounds like a classic but its of this decade, very nice.
Peter, I was wondering if you had the France Gall recording of Laisse Tomber Les Filles. You got me listening to Bardot then I ran into Gall and have heard some good things. So far. Ne Dis Pas Aux Copains stuck out too.
Im going keep Jurado in mind next time I'm digging for CDs in some bin.
Wonderful Wednesday: That Girl, Ohio
I have a few songs with Ohio in the title that I really enjoy.
Look at me, Ohio...
I spent a good fifteen minutes trying to figure out a way to link them together beyond the obvious. Two of them are track ones, one is not. It’s not that I have anything against Ohio, I just was loathe to create a Wonderful Wednesday that was so blatantly obvious. Titling the post “Ohio” seemed too easy, too Sufjan’esque. During my introspection, I realized that each song, in its own way, pertains to a woman. Since there is a famous flower from long ago in Ohio, it seemed apt to draw the laces together into a nice bow of remembrance and celebration in her honor.
Since I spoke of a famous flower, it is perhaps most apt to start with Gillian Welch’s “Look at Miss Ohio” from her wonderful album, Soul Journey.
Look At Miss Ohio-Gillian WelchFrom the opening intonations, Gillian has you under her spell. The song is an ambler, rolling along at its own pace. Listening to it you can almost feel yourself in that car with the rag top down. It’s a concise tune, but the the greatness is in its universality. Everyone of us has had these same feelings of wanting to do right, “but not right now.”
While Gillian’s song loosely revolves around escape, this next track is about return. Simply titled “Ohio,” this forthcoming track is the opening number from Damien Jurado’s amazing album Rehearsals for Departure.
Ohio-Damien JuradoMuch of Jurado’s work is elegantly understated. They are works of supreme lyrical craftsmanship, hinting at the well of depression lurking beneath the surface. Here, the narrator spots a girl outside his window waving at the passing traffic longing to return to her family, to Ohio. Ripped away from home at an early age, she has never returned. The longing she feels for that mythical place (and that which the narrator feels in turn for her) is unmistakable. It’s like an unshakable lump caught in a throat, it struggles to find a true expression.
If the last song put you in a introspective mood, this next track, “Carry Me Ohio” by Sun Kil Moon will only further it I’m afraid. Sun Kil Moon is one of the various manifestations of Mark Kozelek’s musical visions. His music is somewhat akin to Damien Jurado or Jason Molina’s, fiercely romantic, honest, and contemplative.
Carry Me Ohio-Sun Kil MoonBorn and raised in Ohio, Mark set out first to Athens, GA then onto San Francisco. This particular cut is from the 2003 album, Ghosts of the Great Highway. This track is one of intricately pensive regret and honest hopes. It is a difficult paean to decipher, yet there are lines that stand out…
Heal her soul
and carry her my angel
Ohio
Delicately, these lines allude to the crux of the song: no matter how much time or space falls between, the hopes we feel for those that once touched our life are always earnestly hopeful…There is nothing more beautifully humane than that.