Sunday, June 15, 2008

Footwear: Little Red Shoes



Loretta Lynn: Little Red Shoes

[purchase]

Here’s some scary music from Appalachia.

Loretta Lynn gives a firsthand account the trials and tribulations of her poor family trying to make do without adequate healthcare, charity, or transportation. The somewhat creepy background music orchestrated by Jack White is a perfect accompaniment for Loretta’s tale.

Dying is a big part of folk music. Loretta’s story about her little red shoes evokes the traditional bluegrass/folk song Put My Little Shoes Away (sometimes credited to Woody Guthrie) which is another first-person account told by a dying, but stoic, child. Little shoes are the primary image in each song.

We know Loretta pulled through, but the fate of the other little kid is not clear.

Bill Monroe: Put My Little Shoes Away [purchase]
Freakwater: Put My Little Shoes Away [purchase]

9 comments:

Unknown said...

!
As I was typing up my post, I was listening to a collection of "Shoe songs" and had to stop typing and just listen, when this song came up.

Good choice!

Divinyl said...

You know that this breaks your own rules though, right? Van Lear Rose was released in 2004! I'm a pedant ;o)

Anonymous said...

Rules are made to be broken.

Plus only 33% of the songs in this post are in violation.

Divinyl said...

I couldn't agree more! And...nice comeback! ;o)

Anonymous said...

Well, I am a lawyer.

Divinyl said...

And you seemed so nice......

boyhowdy said...

Oh, I've always liked the Freakwater cover here. Nice one, Paul! (I forgive you for being a lawyer, too -- anyone with your taste in country music gets significant redemption points.)

Divinyl said...

How about 'Your Old Shoes' by the fabulously-named Loretta Lynch?

Your Old Shoes - Loretta Lynch

Paul said...

Thanks Divinyl. I love the name and its a pretty good song too.