Country Death Song

Cover. As requested by ORthey.

Spare.
I did a different vocal take where I sang it better but for some reason this wobbly cracky take worked more. So much for sweet and smooth.
Featuring my daughter Lily as The Daughter.

(Get Flash to see the track player.)
posted by chococat (14 comments total)

I'm not familiar with the original, but this is totally creepy. (I am just barely familiar enough with the Femmes to imagine them doing this.)

I would like to hear what you said when you asked Lily to supply her part.

Good call holding off on the tamborine -- Lily's contribution perks my ears up, and then they are rewarded by the jangles. Nicely done!
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 10:44 PM on November 17, 2008

That's just awesome. And super-creepy, yeah. Nice work.
posted by uncleozzy at 5:26 AM on November 18, 2008

That's funny, I only now realized the last line says "myself in shame" I always thought it said "hang myself-ish" as a pun between "myself" and "selfish".

And I can imagine your daughter next day at school:
- I helped my dad record a song yesterday.
- Oh really? what did you do?
- My part went like this...

She is gonna be famous.
posted by micayetoca at 5:57 AM on November 18, 2008

Oh my God, thanks so freaking much. This is a dream fulfilled.

This challenge is so self-indulgent. I was listening to this song after this whole thing was suggested, and I was like, chococat needs to sing this. And guess what? Now he has.

I am a happy boy. I love how long you waited for the tambourine.
posted by ORthey at 11:20 AM on November 18, 2008

aiighgh. that gave me shivers.
posted by umbú at 1:02 PM on November 18, 2008

Wow, man. Nailed...down...tight! (Nice guitar too@!)
posted by snsranch at 6:05 PM on November 18, 2008

This is one of my favorite songs from this album and you did a great job with it. Gordon Gano is tough to improve on. I remember when I was in my "true crime" phase, reading this book this song is loosely based on. Gave me nightmares.
posted by jessamyn at 7:24 PM on November 18, 2008

I really really like this, and I haven't heard the original.
posted by theiconoclast31 at 11:30 PM on November 18, 2008

This is a cracker. Very unsettling and raspy.
posted by Happy Dave at 2:45 AM on November 19, 2008

Thanks everyone. I didn't even know this song, having pretty much assigned Violent Femmes to the "bands I used to love" category in my mind, back there when "Blister in the Sun" and all that came out when I was in Grade 10.
Anyway, I loved the song so it was fun.

I would like to hear what you said when you asked Lily to supply her part.
It was like this:

me: (in basement, shouting upstairs to daughter playing Wii) Lil! Come here I need you to do something!
Lily: (yelling from upstairs) Okay, coming!
me: I'm doing a song where the dad pushes his daughter down a well and kills her. I need you to scream.
Lily: (smiling) Okay.

She laughed when I played it for her the next day.
posted by chococat at 4:23 PM on November 22, 2008 [3 favorites]

the cracked, worn vocals have character -- creepy, demented character :) excellent cover.
posted by February28 at 6:25 PM on November 28, 2008

OMG - y'know, I didn't even really *know* about MeFi music...

I *love this place*, this was awesome...
posted by jkaczor at 3:37 PM on December 10, 2008

Your stuff is uniformly awesome. Great effort here.
posted by Ynoxas at 7:53 PM on February 18

jeebus... well done
posted by sloe at 8:37 PM on February 22