#1584 - THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE
DOWN - 10/12/2019
THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN is one of those songs
that transcends genres. Today's music industry would attempt to stuff it into
the "Americana" genre (if it were even recorded at all), but in the
heady musical days of its release the song was allowed to reach broad audiences
on the strength of it's own merit; passionate music and poignant lyrics.
Originally released on The Band’s self-titled second album in 1969, the song
truly encapsulates the timeless pathos of war. Written by Robbie Robertson and
Levon Helm and sung by Helm, the song is one of the The Band’s highlights. To
my ears, the song’s immediacy make is seem as if it were written by a survivor
in 1865 and passed on from generation to generation instead of by a couple of
rock and rollers a hundred plus years later.
This version comes from The Band’s legendary farewell
concert: The Last Waltz in 1976.
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