Our narrator is in London, walking around in the neighborhood of the US Embassy, and sees a pretty girl-his gaze is drawn to her. Like most of Hunter’s story songs, it has an uncertain outcome, and the sequence of events is a bit up for grabs. (Who cares? I do-it was a memorable moment in my music listening life.) It was the first song I played on my new stereo system at college. The song was recorded on Grateful Dead From the Mars Hotel, on June 27, 1974, and it opened side two of the LP. “Scarlet Begonias” was played 316 times in concert. After that, it was never long out of rotation, and from 1977 on, it was rarely without its mate, “Fire on the Mountain.” The song’s final performance by the Dead was on July 2, 1995, at Deer Creek Music Center, in Noblesville, Indiana. It debuted on March 23, 1974, at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California-a show that also featured the first “Cassidy,” and the sound test for the Wall of Sound. “Scarlet Begonias.” It’s the one Dead tune I’ve heard played repeatedly at San Francisco Giants games. Few songs in the Dead repertoire can get at us in so many ways, make us see our lives from so many angles simultaneously, and immediately launch us all into a groove of furious dancing. This song is laced with memorable and meaningful lines, showcasing Robert Hunter at the height of his songwriting chops, and paired perfectly with a similar accomplishment from Jerry Garcia. Or maybe some cosmic teaching? “Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right.” How about some hard-fought wisdom? “I had to learn the hard way to let her pass by.” This song, come to think of it, has it all.ĭo you need encouragement and inclusion? “Everybody’s playing in the heart of gold band.”
It’s got lyrical motifs aplenty (flowers, nursery rhymes, gambling, shapes, colors, musical forms, precious metals, and more). It seems to be about one, thing, then blossoms into being about everything. (I’ll consider requests for particular songs-just private message me!) Therefore, the best part, I would hope, would not be anything in particular that I might have to say, but rather, the conversation that may happen via the comments over the course of time-and since all the posts will stay up, you can feel free to weigh in any time on any of the songs! With Grateful Dead lyrics, there’s always a new and different take on what they bring up for each listener, it seems. Here’s the plan-each week, I will blog about a different song, focusing, usually, on the lyrics, but also on some other aspects of the song, including its overall impact-a truly subjective thing.
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