Glad you posted this because I would have. It's great when a song you like appears in a part of the culture you wouldn't necessarily expect it to.
Today I'm going to pair up two songs for discussion, as one does not involve Wilco at all (but I want to at least have a word for every track on the album): Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key Jay Bennett: Hammond B3 organ, bouzouki Billy Bragg: acoustic guitar, vocals Eliza Carthy: violin Ken Coomer: drums Natalie Merchant: backing vocals Elizabeth Steen; accordian John Stirratt: electric bass Peter Yanowitz: chorus drums Despite this being the Wilco thread and Wilco being so special to me...this might actually be my favorite song on Mermaid Avenue. I have just really connected with it and loved it since the first moment I ever heard it. Bragg wrote such an incredibly beautiful melody here and the sweet, aching quality of the song just gets to my heart. 'Ain't nobody that can sing like me' as a refrain is very touching to me, especially how it is sung. I've always taken that to mean more than just the obvious. There's nobody like me. Each one of us is totally unique. That's how I hear it. The addition of Natalie Merchant (one of my absolute favorite singers) on backing vocals, plus that truly heartbreaking violin break, makes this another song that can bring me to tears if it catches me at the right moment. The Wilco members who appear here (Jay, Ken and John) all do fine work but they are really the support for Bragg and this gorgeous song he wrote.
Additionally, we can also talk today about this one: Birds and Ships Another truly gorgeous song written by Billy Bragg. This doesn't feature a single member of Wilco--just Bragg on guitar and Natalie Merchant on lead vocals. After getting into Mermaid Avenue, I did really try to get into Billy Bragg's solo work and checked out a few of his albums. He really impressed me with the work he did on Mermaid Avenue. But I never could find anything I liked or that touched me as much as his best compositions with the Guthrie words. This is just purely lovely. Natalie Merchant has such an amazing voice (always did)--buttery and expressive. This song is almost like a lullaby, just soft and warm. Very pretty, sad lyrics from Guthrie as well: The birds are singing in your eyes today Sweet flowers blossom in your smile The wind and sun are in the words you say Where might your lonesome lover be? Birds maybe singing in my eyes today Sweet flowers blossom when I smile But my soul is stormy and my heart blows wild My sweetheart rides a ship on the sea
Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key So sweet and touching. Merchant’s voice adds a poignancy here that might be missing otherwise, as the lyrics consist of the singer reminiscing to us about a girl he grew up with. This verse makes me chuckle every time I hear it: “She said, "it's hard for me to see How one little boy got so ugly" Yes, my little girly, that might be But there ain't nobody that can sing like me Ain't nobody that can sing like me” This is the favorite song on the album for both my wife and I, as it reminds both of us of the type of songs her dad used to sing.
Yes, Way Over Yonder is a lovely track. It sounds like it came from another age, yet it's timeless. Birds and Ships is another lovely, quiet tune. Two more winners here, and I'm wondering why I haven't listened to this album recently. And she can captivate an audience.
Guthrie, or the song’s narrator, uses his singing ability as a seduction technique! The lyrics are pretty amusing as he comes on to the girl and she turns around and responds,‘it’s hard for me to see...how one little boy got so ugly.’ Later, the two of them get ‘the switch’ “but there ain’t nobody that can sing like me.” I like the song and Billy Bragg is now two-for-two in my book.
“A New England”, “Milkman Of Human Kindness”, “Greetings to the New Brunette”.... he’s got a lot to offer if you dig in. Bragg’s earliest releases are just him with unaccompanied guitar, generally electric. This iconic image of Bragg wearing his Portastack of guitar amps+speakers as a backpack pretty much sums up his early approach, and it shows me exactly why he was offered to work on a Guthrie tribute project:
With Birds and Ships, Bragg is now three-for-three! Exquisitely beautiful song. And having Natalie Merchant sing it was a perfect decision.
This one reminds me of Woody's own "Car Song"... he even makes car noises at one point, as if he forgets which song he's doing!
I've always liked Bragg live far, FAR more than any of his recordings I've heard. I know that's the case for a lot of artists, but this is especially true for Bragg, as his stuff just resonates so much more/better in person than on record, more than most artists.
I've loved "Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key" since I first heard it. Brilliant song, brilliantly sung.
I can't help but hearing "way over yonder in the Monarchy". Not that I know what this would actually mean… Other than that, this strikes me as being "world folk music". Levon Helm could've sung this with Emmylou backing him, but it also obviously has irish roots, and even shades of greek or armenian influences (through the irish/greek bouzouki connection).
"Way Over Yonder ..." and "Birds and Ships" are both perfect fits here, love them equally. Big parts of what makes this a great album, even if Jeff isn't singing
Side note: if anyone is curious about Courtesy Move (the side project that @Analogmoon mentioned above), there’s one song on Apple Music: Those I’ll Provide. John Stirratt on vocals. In short, it seems while Jeff did his thing with Golden Smog, the other guys kept occupied, as well.
This is already a very interesting dive into Mermaid Avenue. It's an album I never considered a Wilco album, more of a slight if pleasant detour. I had it filed under Billy Bragg. Great to hear Natalie Merchant as well - been some time since I heard her! Oh and we were out in the country this weekend and I missed the chance to wrap up Being There. Great notion of the Faces influence on Dreamer In My Dreams - never occurred to me. We listened to the full album again on our road trip. The album is completely cemented for me as Wilco's first masterpiece. This thread has been phenomenal. Thanks to you all who are making it so great.
Mermaid Avenue is this wonderful stew. Mix Billy Bragg, who I don't really love however he was perfect for this project, plus Wilco and then throw in Natalie Merchant. It's not surprising it's so good.
These are two great songs. In my mind there really isn't a bad song on this record. "Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key" is one of my favorite songs on it. Bragg's voice and Natalie's are just perfect together. There are some really nice lead/vocal interactions on this record (we will come to one of my favorites as we wrap this record up). Of topic but I really to give Natalie Merchant another listen. I have most (I think) of the 10,000 Maniacs records as well as her first few solo records. Spent a lot of time with Tigerlily" when it came out back in the day. I need to revisit those records. Love the discovery and rediscovery that threads like this provide. So nice.
"Way Over Yonder In the Minor Key"- Love the lyrics and Billy's delivery. I think he has better songs on this album, but this is a great one. 4.5/5 "Birds and Ships"- Not for me. It's not a song I hate, but it is a song I usually skip. I'm not a big fan of Natalie Merchant and I don't think this song fits the album. Maybe it would work better for me if it came near the end of the album. 2/5
I sometimes wonder if they (John/Ken) will ever put those tracks out? If I recall correctly Jeff didn't like it that they were doing a side project. I had no idea about the tension during the Mermaid Avenue sessions until I saw the movie. I suppose no one did. Unless there are some interviews I am forgetting about. I think that may have been the last VHS tape I ever bought.
"Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key" is an excellent song, but I've never really warmed up to it for some reason. I do like Woody's lyrics a lot and Billy does a fine lead vocal. I don't know - hard to explain why this one has never reached me deeply. I would not hesitate, however, to call it out as one of the album's highlights. "Birds and Ships" suffers somewhat for me from my problematic feelings about Natalie Merchant. I loved In My Tribe but cooled considerably on the later output of 10,000 Maniacs. Her early solo work left me completely cold as well. She has a wonderful voice, there's no question, and these lyrics by Woody are simply lovely and touching. I'm not big into lullabys, so perhaps that's also why this one has never made much of an impact on me.
When I first heard Mermaid Avenue, "Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key" was my immediate favorite. The melody in the refrain just leaps out and grabs you. The lyrics strike me now as rather Whitman-esque, too. I have a feeling that Woody liked to keep a copy of Leaves of Grass at hand. Here's a performance by Billy Bragg & Natalie Merchant on the Letterman show in 1998:
