420 PART 4 | SINCE WORLD WAR II
timing section text comments
0:00 introduction 4-bar electric guitar solo suggests opening of
the vocal melody, then slides down a series of
chromatic chords. A sudden silence sets up vocal
entrance.
0:06 stanza 1 I’m a rolling stone all
alone and lost...
In fi rst 16-bar stanza, fi lls on pedal steel guitar
create halo effect around voice.
0:35 stanza 2 Just a deck of cards and a
jug of wine...
Fiddle fi lls behind the vocal.
1:03 instrumental
stanza
Bluesy guitar solo for bars 1–8, fi ddle double stops
with pedal steel fi lls for bars 9–12, guitar for bars
13–16, echoing introduction.
1:32 stanza 3 I was just a lad, nearly
twenty-two...
Mandolin tremolo fi lls behind the vocal.
2:01 stanza 4 Now boys don’t start your
rambling around...
Guitar fi lls behind the vocal.
2:30 tag 4 bars, similar to introduction.
songwriter: Leon Payne
date: 1949
performers: Hank Williams with the
Drifting Cowboys. Instrumentation: electric
and acoustic guitars, mandolin, fi ddle, pedal
steel guitar, bass
genre: honky-tonk
meter: duple
form: strophic
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
- relaxed dance rhythm, with sock rhythm
emphasizing the backbeat - prominence of electric guitar, amplifi ed
steel guitar, and fi ddle - pentatonic melody
- three-chord (I, IV, V) harmony
CD 3.13 Listening Guide 17.2 “Lost Highway” HANK WILLIAMS
Listen & Refl ect
- What aspects of the performance reinforce the mood of the lyrics, and what aspects seem
to work against that mood? What would be the song’s effect if the latter aspects were
either eliminated or changed to agree with the former?
172028_17_412-439_r3_sd.indd 420 23/01/13 10:58 AM