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The Great American Murder Ballad

by stanrivers on 6/11/22, 11:13 AM with 25 comments

• by Agamus on 6/12/22, 2:13 PM

  There was an excellent episode of In the Heat of the Night in 1991 called "Sweet Sweet Blues", which was a murder-mystery about a murder ballad. The crime happened 40 years earlier, and they solved it by tracking down the composer of the song.

  The answer to the question "whodunnit" was a lyric in the song that the composer had kept out of all performances since soon after the crime. It's awesome how they work the music and performance into the act - a really fun episode!

  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0610671/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_4

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet%2C_Sweet_Blues

• by JoeAltmaier on 6/12/22, 12:47 PM

  All of men who decided their desire or even just convenience was more important than a woman's life. The songs dwell on the murderer's emotion, and pretty much skip over the innocent facing death. Because men matter, and women are property I guess.

  'Great American' my ass. Strange anybody today would want to repeat these stories.

• by LoveGracePeace on 6/12/22, 3:04 PM

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_ballad

  "Murder ballads make up a notable portion of traditional ballads, many of which originated in Scandinavia, England, and lowland Scotland in the premodern era (suggesting an ultimate Germanic cultural origin)."

• by senectus1 on 6/12/22, 1:40 PM

  Makes me want to listen to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds "Murder Ballads" again... but i find it hard to work with good lyrics in my music. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_Ballads

• by johtso on 6/12/22, 2:53 PM

  One of my favourite murder ballads, Peggy Seeger singing Jellon Graeme. Strange melody, strange name, banjo, gruesome, revenge, it's got a lot going on.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM4qIxDKEig

• by Cupertino95014 on 6/12/22, 3:47 PM

  I was going to say "Long Black Veil" but I realized that one's about a man who's hanged for a murder he didn't commit (he was in bed with his best friend's wife, and refused to use that as an alibi at the trial).

• by user3939382 on 6/12/22, 2:00 PM

  Charley Crockett - Blackjack County Chain

  Colter Wall - Kate McCannon

  You’re welcome!