The Great Songs: The Jayhawks – Blue

Week three of our new series spotlights a song that never, ever gets old. Some how, every time I hear it, it makes me want to sing to the rafters. I suppose it’s as close to a gospel song as I’ll ever have in my life.

It’s the lead track off of 1995’s “Tomorrow the Green Grass,” the fourth record by Minneapolis’ The Jayhawks. It’s called, simply, “Blue,” and its a beautiful folk/country/pop hybrid written and sung by Gary Louris and Mark Olson.

Why this record never got the attention it deserved, I’ll never know. This song should have been a massive radio hit.

Besides the subtle string section and the perfect harmonies of its two singers, “Blue” features a short, infectious middle eight where Olson and Louris take different complementary vocal lines for a brief emotional outburst:

“Stand by, stand by, waiting round
(All my life I’m waiting for, someone I could hold the door)
Now that I’m blue, that I’m blue
(But nothing seems to change, you’ll come back I know)
From now on, so…”

…before sweeping right back into that simple, majestic chorus:

“Blue, why don’t you stay behind”

Heaven.

Link to The Great Songs: The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset

Link to The Great Songs: Big Star – Thirteen

Eric Melin

Eric is the Editor-in-Chief of Scene-Stealers.com and writes the Screen Stealers column for The Pitch. He’s President of the KCFCC, and drummer for The Dead Girls and Ultimate Fakebook. He is also Air Guitar World Champion Mean Melin. Eric goes to 11. Follow him at:

     

Tagged as: 1995, blue, country, folk, jayhawks, louris, olson, perfect. pop, The Great Songs, tomorrow the green grass