GOOD OL’ GRATEFUL DEADCAST

American Beauty 50, Episode 6: Ripple
Release Date: November 12, 2020
Hosts: Rich Mahan & Jesse Jarnow

Episode Overview

This episode is a deep dive into "Ripple," one of the Grateful Dead’s most beloved and universally resonant songs from the 1970 album American Beauty. The hosts and scholars explore the origins, poetic significance, archival materials, studio recording details, and cultural legacy of "Ripple," illuminating why it’s become not just a Deadhead anthem, but a song for everyone.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ripple’s Universal Appeal

• [03:24] David Lemieux points out that "Ripple" is accessible to Deadheads and non-Deadheads alike, transcending cultural boundaries:
  • “Ripple is a song for everybody, where you could play it for anyone who has never heard the Grateful Dead from any culture. And that's a thing.”
• Its simplicity—only four open chords—and sing-along nature make it approachable for musicians at any skill level.

2. The Song’s Poetic Mystique

• [05:04] Steve Silberman calls "Ripple" the go-to emotional center of Dead music, mentioning its resilience even in pandemic times.
• [06:57] The lyricist Robert Hunter describes performing the song as a spiritual experience:
  • “I still have a moment or two whenever I sing that song. There's a moment or two. I feel like, am I really a Presbyterian minister? ... It crowds me just a little. It's right within range. I mean, I could just manage it.”

3. Songwriting Origins: A Creative Burst in London

• [12:02] Hunter wrote the lyrics to "Ripple," "Brokedown Palace," and "To Lay Me Down" in a single afternoon while in London in May 1970.
  • “I wrote three songs that day... with a case of Retsina. I wrote Brokedown, Palace, Ripple, and To Lay Me Down, all in one sitting.” (Robert Hunter)
• This moment is described as a “peak experience” for Hunter—a convergence of place, mood, and muse ([13:03]).

4. Hunter-Garcia Collaboration

• [09:05] Hunter deeply trusted Garcia’s musical instincts:
  • "He can write for me from my point of view so effortlessly that, you know, I'm as transparent to him as a windowpane." (Robert Hunter)
• [14:23] Jerry Garcia described “Ripple” as one of the songs that helps people along, calling it a result of “luck” and Hunter’s gift for universal sentiment:
  • “That song is lucky… Hunter… hits that something that is just a sentiment beautifully expressed.” (Garcia)

5. Literary and Musical Structure

• [15:36] Bob Weir points out that the chorus is a haiku, giving it a timeless, concise poetic punch:

  • “A ripple in still water where there is no pebble toss nor wind to blow. It's a haiku.” (Weir)

• The lyrics reference everything from Psalm 24 to W.B. Yeats and are noted by poets like Robert Creeley.

6. Archival Discoveries

• Handwritten and typed drafts reveal lyric variations, unpublished verses, and music notations.
• [19:07] Scholars discuss "sketch studies," untangling the creative process from Garcia’s chord scribbles and Hunter’s written pages.

7. Music Composition on the Road

• [23:24] Hunter gave the lyrics to Garcia on the Festival Express train tour across Canada, where Jerry worked out the tune on Bob Weir’s Guild F50 guitar, with Winnipeg/Saskatoon cited as birthplace for the melody.

8. Recording "Ripple": From Demo to Studio

• August 1970 Pacific High Recorders demos were more driving and faster but lacked the intimate "glow" of the final version.
• [32:59] Bob Weir explains that after road-testing, songs returned "fuller," prompting a studio restart at Wally Heider’s where "Ripple" took its iconic acoustic form.

9. Magic Touches: Mandolin and Choral Ending

• [35:07] Bluegrass legend David Grisman’s mandolin adds shimmer to the final track.
  • “And then he did his little, you know, thing. And. And. And then I said, okay, great. Can we get another one?” (Weir)
• [46:35] A spontaneous chorus of friends, office staff, and family were gathered for the song’s choral finale—a “lovely” and communal touch:
  • “We all sang at the end of it. That was lovely.” (Sam Cutler, [46:35])

10. Ripple’s Live History

• [51:22] After the 1970-71 acoustic sets, "Ripple" vanished from Dead setlists apart from four 1971 electric versions, reemerging in 1980 for the acoustic Reckoning concerts and once in 1988 (a Make-a-Wish request).
  • “Ripple only had a very brief life with the electric Dead… when the Dead revived their acoustic sets in 1980, Ripple was right there with the band.” (Lemieux)
• [52:29] The Reckoning version features Otis, Bob Weir’s dog, who wandered on stage, adding to the song’s lore.

11. Extraordinary Legacy and Cultural Resonance

• "Ripple" has appeared in films (Mask), been quoted in sports, and covered by diverse artists including Chris Hillman, Jimmy Dale Gilmore, Rick Danko, Jane’s Addiction, Wilco, the Mountain Goats, The Persuasions, and more ([57:33] – [60:02]).
• The song’s “hand-me-down,” easily embraced message, and folk accessibility secure its special place in American cultural history.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the song’s universality:
  “Ripple is a song for everybody, where you could play it for anyone who has never heard the Grateful Dead from any culture.”
  — David Lemieux ([04:34])

• On Hunter’s experience singing it:
  “There’s a moment or two… am I really a Presbyterian minister?… it crowds me just a little.”
  — Robert Hunter ([06:38])

• On the creative burst:
  “I think in an hour period, I wrote Ripple, Brokedown Palace and To Lay Me Down. And I could have written more. I could have just kept doing it. And I just said, well, that's certainly enough for the day.”
  — Robert Hunter ([12:48])

• On collaborative trust:
  “He can write for me from my point of view so effortlessly that… I'm as transparent to him as a windowpane.”
  — Robert Hunter ([09:05])

• On the chorus as haiku:
  “A ripple in still water where there is no pebble toss nor wind to blow. It's a haiku.”
  — Bob Weir ([15:36])

• On magic in the studio:
  “We all sang at the end of it. That was lovely. That was such a lovely song. I mean, to this day, I think it’s one of the most beautiful…”
  — Sam Cutler ([46:35])

• On performing Ripple live post-1980:
  “Doing it was really a rush. I mean, it really… it raised the bumps on good nights.”
  — Jerry Garcia ([52:58])

Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Topic/Quote | |---------------|------------------------------------------------------| | [03:24] | "If you're a Deadhead... Ripple isn't just a classic Grateful Dead song..." | | [06:38] | Robert Hunter on singing Ripple | | [12:02] | Hunter’s story – writing three songs in a day | | [14:23] | Garcia on the luck and sentiment of Ripple | | [15:36] | Weir on the haiku chorus | | [23:24] | Hunter brings lyrics to Garcia in Canada, Garcia writes music | | [32:59] | Weir on letting songs "grow a face" on stage | | [35:07] | Grisman's mandolin recording story | | [46:35] | Sam Cutler on communal chorus recording | | [51:22] | Lemieux on the song’s brief early live history | | [52:29] | Otis the dog on stage during 1980's Reckoning | | [57:33–60:02] | Various notable covers of "Ripple" |

Conclusion: Why "Ripple" Endures

• "Ripple" is revered not only in the Dead’s cannon but in the American songbook for its wisdom, simplicity, and universal singalong power.
• Its creation story, communal recording, and rare but special live performances contribute to its mythos—making it, in the words of the hosts, “more than a Grateful Dead song… a song for everybody.”

For supplemental photos, handwritten lyric drafts, and archival material, visit dead.net/deadcast.