Willie Nelson – “Gravedigger”
“Cyrus Jones from 1810 to 1913
made his great-grandchildren believe you can live to a hundred and three.
A hundred and three is forever when you’re just a little kid.
So Cyrus Jones lived forever.
Graaaavediiiigger…”
This is one cool record. If you would have told me that Willie Nelson covering a Dave Matthews song produced by Kenny Chesney would be a good thing, I’d have been ten kinds of skeptical. But it is a good thing. It’s interesting, compelling, groovy, catchy, and like I said before, it’s way damn cool.
Despite attending college when I did, I’m kind of ambivalent towards Dave Matthews, so although I had heard the tune, and was familiar with the hook “Gravedigger, when you dig my grave, can you make it shallow so I can feel the rain“, I had never really been able to make out what the song was about. The real accomplishment of this version is that Willie really highlighted the verses. And it’s a good thing too, because, much to my surprise, the verses are actually really interesting.
What surprises me even more is that the Kenny Chesney production is more than tolerable, it’s enjoyable. Now he goes a little far at times, like when he has the hippie percussion needlessly open the song, but it was a fairly balanced sound all and all. Think Everlasts’ Whitey Ford Sings the Blues album meets Matchbox 20 meets Willie’s Teatro album.
But is it country music? Not really. So if that’s your yardstick, skip this one.
Will it do well at radio? I’d be very surprised. In fact, I think that the very reasons I’m over the moon for the song are the reasons it won’t do too well. It’s not mindlessly positive and there is no forced resolution at the end. It’s a song about death, and not in the context of “you’ll die eventually so make the most of every moment and live life to the fullest hooray!” And aside from that, the production is a little hard edged. Willie really climbed into this song and delivered it at its fullest, and at its fullest, I think “Gravedigger” is just too damn much for “feel good” country radio to handle.
Listen: Willie Nelson – “Gravedigger”
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[...] CD’s recently, including one produced by Ryan Adams (gee, which one would you choose??). Ben from The 9513 writes a review on what will be the lead single from this new disc, “Gravedigger“. I [...]
14 Comments
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January 10, 2008 at 9:45 pm Permalink
Willie does a superb acting job in the video. The capture alone up above is worth a thousand words.
January 11, 2008 at 6:25 am Permalink
Yeah, on paper I wouldn’t have given this one a chance, but I love this song as well as the video. It remind me in subject and style of Cash’s “God’s Gonna Cut You Down.”
January 11, 2008 at 12:47 pm Permalink
oh, yeah. this is a definite thumbs up. great work. willie’s phrasing is impeccable. beautiful stuff.
January 11, 2008 at 3:32 pm Permalink
This is a great record. Great review, too. But country radio won’t touch this with a ten-foot barge pole. If they grew a pair, they might. The production on it is stellar and the performance…well, it’s Willie Nelson. There aren’t many musicians who can hold their own next to Willie Nelson. Thumbs up for me, too.
Thanks for the review.
January 12, 2008 at 12:14 pm Permalink
I can definitely see VH1 playing this. It’s sad that country radio won’t play it, but CMT and VH1 will. Plus, it’s Willie. He has a built-in audience. They’ll buy whatever Willie records, mainly because it’s usually knock-down great.
January 13, 2008 at 8:57 am Permalink
Nice review. I like the video, too. The black and white is perfect for that song. This is a song that Kenny Chesney suggested be on the album; good job Kenny! I have to agree with Mikey, that Willie’s unique phrasing really makes the song his own. Willie said that they spent the night in the graveyard in the Bronx, and started filming at 6:00 a.m. in the morning. He said it was raining all day, and rained really hard when he sang, “..so I can feel the rain.” That’s (one thing) I love about Willie, if he likes a song, he will sing it; doesn’t think about how will this play on the radio.
The video for his song, ‘You don’t think I’m funny anymore,’ also on the Kenny produced ‘Moment in Time,’ will premier on MTV on Feb. 9. This is the video filmed at Willie’s ranch, with Jessica Simpson, Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson, Johnny Bush, and others, racing lawn mowers.
January 30, 2008 at 3:30 am Permalink
8) Yes…I saw “Gravedigger,” on VH1…
It’s real Willie, his style and wit…
February 5, 2008 at 2:37 pm Permalink
AMAZING! Johnny Cooper also covered it on a live album, it’s pretty good too.
February 17, 2008 at 8:41 pm Permalink
GRAVEDIGGER-BURY IT!
February 23, 2008 at 7:48 pm Permalink
only willie can take a song like this and make an amazing video. he is so unique and you cannot help but like the way he sings it .this is my favorite video this year
April 1, 2008 at 6:08 pm Permalink
This is definitely the standout track on a disappointing record. A great rendition (although I haven’t heard the original) of a killer song and as the review says – a great example of how cool Nelson’s vocal style can be. The Chesnefied production even works in its favour (I like the percussion intro).
April 24, 2008 at 8:21 am Permalink
I am a long-time Willie Nelson fan, but I did not like this song at all. Could be partly ’cause of the same reasons you stated about it probably not working real well on Country radio. It’s not a feel good song, or one that’s real relatable (even though we all die, we don’t necessarily want to be reminded of it.
But, more than that, I thought that Willie’s voice sounded kind of old and broken on this song – even kind of weak. It took me aback at first, then when I thought about it, I realized that could well be the case. He is getting older.
I’ll stick with two of my favorite Willie songs, “Blue Eyes Cryin’ in The Rain” and “On The Road Again” and leave “Gravedigger” alone :-(
July 28, 2008 at 5:44 pm Permalink
WELL DONE WILLIE.MAY BE WILLIE IS GETTING OLDER BUT WHEN HE SINGS YOU SHOULD’NT BURY YOUR OWN CHILDREN HE SINGS FROM HIS HEART BECAUSE HE DID BURY HIS SON ,SO GOD BLESS WILLIE FOR SINGING THIS SONG.
March 28, 2009 at 8:02 pm Permalink
Does nobody notice that he changed the lyrics? And that that change is so subtle and powerful it completes the song’s intent.
“Gravedigger, when you dig my grave
could you make it shallow?
so I can’t feel the rain”
*can’t*, not *can*. That makes sense, “can” does not. What is it that you obtain when you’re dead? You no longer feel pain (ie. rain). In a shallow grave the rain can fall and hit you all it wants, but you *can’t* feel it. It’s an affront to the idea of death itself.
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