David Crosby and Orléans

Sad to hear of the death of David Crosby the other day. I know for many Crosby was more a symbol of the 1960s, from the peace and love Woodstock generation to the problems in his later life, he was almost a metaphor for his times. 

I was a fan of his music, perhaps not surprising given his considerable links to the Grateful Dead, particularly on his If I Could Only Remember my Name album. The collection his first solo album from 1971, featured contributions from many of the leading lights of the San Francisco scene, from  CSNY collaborators Neil Young and Graham Nash to members of Santana, The Dead and the Jefferson Airplane. the musicians hung out at the Wally Geider recording studio in San Francisco and became a loosely affiliated group, the Planet Earth Rock 'n' Roll Orchestra, PERRO for short, who would work on this album as well as Airplane solo releases and a few casual gigs.

While songs like Cowboy Movie, Tamalpais High and What Are Their Names feature members of the Grateful Dead in as spectacular musical form as they ever were in the studio - Garcia's snaking guitar lead on What Are Their Names a particular stand-out - it's one shorter piece that concerns us here: Orléans.

It's just under two minutes long, and a solo vocal piece from Crosby, but it's a spectacular one. It features the special brand of harmonies that Crosby could do, it's the kind of piece that defined his sound from The Byrds, to CSNY, to his solo career. Based on folk music and updated for the modern audience, but retaining its apparent simplicity and honesty.

It is of course originally a French folk song, a children's song dating from the 15th century Le Carillon de Vendôme. Crosby simplifies it, losing the (short) verses and repeating the chorus, a list of French towns that remained in the control of King Charles VII during the Hundred Year War. 

Orléans,
Beaugency,
Notre-Dame de Cléry,
Vendôme,
Vendôme.

It's an unashamedly beautiful piece of music. As time marches on and hearing deteriorates, it pleases me no end to have heard it.

But as is the way with folk music, songs get amended and passed down through generations and locations, words get changed to suit different circumstances. 

So it is with this song. In 2011 the French band Justice released a song on their Audio, Video, Disco album Ohio. While the song is undeniably a Justice piece, there are more than a few similarities

Ohio,
Tennessee,
California,
Endlessly
Reign on

It could be seen as a French band re-interpreting the Crosby version of the original, but using the names of American states instead of French towns. It's a simple but effective technique, both reclaiming it and adapting it, making a gesture to the American version of the song that introduced it to thousands who would probably never have experienced it had it not been for Crosby. Again, in true folk music style they adapt it for a modern audience. 

The fact that Ohio was also the title of a (very different) CSNY song was, I suspect, not lost on Justice when they chose that state in particular as the title of the song.

Funny how the wheel turns. I'm sure Crosby dug it.