GOOD OL’ GRATEFUL DEADCAST

Season 8, Episode: Wake Of The Flood 50: Let Me Sing Your Blues Away

Release Date: September 7, 2023
Hosts: Rich Mahan & Jesse Jarnow

Episode Overview

This episode continues the Deadcast’s deep dive into the Grateful Dead’s 1973 album Wake of the Flood, focusing on its second track, “Let Me Sing Your Blues Away.” Unique as the only studio Dead song sung by keyboardist Keith Godchaux, the hosts and a group of guests unpack the song’s complicated structure, context, fleeting live legacy, and the moment in Dead history when it emerged. The discussion broadens into topics of musical innovation, Robert Hunter’s lyrics, and the emergence of the Dead’s radical, fan-powered tape-trading culture.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Song's Significance: Keith Godchaux's Moment

• “Let Me Sing Your Blues Away” is notably the only track on a Grateful Dead album sung by Keith Godchaux.
• Co-written with Robert Hunter, it debuted as the first single from Wake of the Flood and was also the inaugural release for Grateful Dead Records.

  “Let Me Sing Your Blues Away, written and sung by Keith Godchaux with lyrics by Robert Hunter, was the very first release on Grateful Dead Records…” – Rich Mahan [05:56]

• The song received scant live play—only six performances in total.
• The tune is considered “under-known” rather than underrated.

  “It's just a little under known.” – David Lemieux [06:15]

2. The Musical Stretch of the Early ’70s

• The Wake of the Flood sessions in 1973 represented a stylistic departure, with various band members—including Keith—bringing in more of their own material.

  “It’s a little bit of everybody kind of chipping in on this one. It’s going to be different than the ones they’ve kind of done before.” – Jesse Jarnow [04:30]

• The album marked new ground for the Dead, blending diverse influences, including hints of progressive rock.

3. Musical Complexity and Comparisons

• The song is surprisingly sophisticated:
  • Described as “head spinning” and “unassuming” simultaneously.
  • Its complexity is not apparent on a casual listen.
  • Guests Scott Metzger and musicologist Sean O’Donnell note the song modulates through five keys—one for each verse—cycling through all 12 pitch classes, a rare feat in rock.

    “Each verse is in a different key. I don’t know of any other song that does that ever… That is a pretty ambitious move.” – Scott Metzger [17:08]
    “It’s not even moving through 12 keys. It’s just using a chord built on every possible note… The sheer amount of information it’s presenting is completely not noticeable on the surface.” – Sean O’Donnell [19:26]

• Despite these progressive traits, its bouncy, radio-friendly style masks the complexity.

  “One reason why Let Me Sing Your Blues Away puts the Dead more in the country pop band than the prog rock is its easy bounce, which masks all the wild changes.” – Jesse Jarnow [23:16]

4. Production and Studio Stories

a. The Band’s Setup and Community

• Keith and Donna moved close to Garcia shortly before recording the album, with the band investing in a grand nine-foot Steinway for Keith.
• Donna’s role grew to full band member status, with Garcia advocating for her salary to match the rest.

  “She works as hard as the rest of us…she should have full salary anyway.” – Garcia, recounted by Donna [13:10]

b. Recording the Track

• Martin Fierro’s live saxophone part became a standout feature on the track; this was achieved after repeated takes to nail the right feel.

  “Take two is ten pretty chill minutes of Martin Fierro getting ready to take the first saxophone solo on a Dead album.” – Rich Mahan [30:00]

• Studio banter reveals Keith’s modesty and the challenge in communicating his intricate music to others.

  “That simple. It’s simple.” – Keith Godchaux (encouraging the band) [35:12]
  “There’s a billion changes in it. You want to shape it…you might want to play mean…” – Garcia to Fierro [35:25]

• The final studio take was achieved after numerous attempts (with Fierro’s entrance at take 9), ultimately selecting take 10 for the album.

  “Let's take that one. Let’s take that one.” – Studio voice (after take 10) [79:53]

5. Robert Hunter’s Lyrics, Pop Tradition, and Influence

• Hunter’s lyrics for “Let Me Sing Your Blues Away” are notably straightforward, bordering on surreal in their simplicity, and intentionally evoke mid-century Americana and early pop.

  “It might be Robert Hunter's first car song…It’s also the only song in Wake of the Flood that doesn’t build its lyrics on natural imagery.” – Jesse Jarnow [24:06]

• The phrase “sing your blues away” has a long history in popular culture, appearing in gospel and pop songs dating to the 19th and early 20th centuries.
• The song seems crafted for pop success, coinciding with the rise of nostalgia culture (e.g., American Graffiti), and alludes musically to contemporaries like Elton John and The Band.

6. Release and Ephemeral Legacy

• The song was chosen as the album’s lead single by label head Ron Rakow, released to radio before the album dropped.

  “The fact is you have to try something. So that's what, you know, that's what I picked to try. You know, I just said, let's try a single. Let's try this one.” – Ron Rakow [40:50]

• It vanished from the Dead’s rotation before the single even came out and failed to chart, though it briefly appeared on radio playlists.
• Even among Dead offshoots and cover bands, it remains uncommonly performed.

7. The Song’s Place in Grateful Dead Memory and Taping Culture

• A pivotal argument is that the song’s limited live performance and scarcity on audience tapes contributed to it being overlooked by Deadhead culture, which built its collective memory through repeated listening to traded shows.

  “It was less about the quality of the song and more about the success of free tape trading…has a good deal to do with why we’re still here talking about Let Me Sing Your Blues Away today…” – Rich Mahan [79:53]

• The episode then turns into a full oral history of Deadhead taping culture, featuring interviews with early tapers and tape traders (Les Capell, Marty Weinberg, Harvey Lubar, Jim Cooper), and author Mark Masters.
  • The narrative describes how technology, community, and the Dead’s tolerance for taping fostered one of the earliest and most significant fan-driven archival movements in rock.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “Like Keith himself, Let Me Sing Your Blues Away possesses a musical intelligence that is both unassuming and head spinning. It’s very Grateful Dead.” – Rich Mahan [07:39]
• “Each verse is in a different key. I don’t know of any other song that does that ever… That is a pretty ambitious move.” – Scott Metzger [17:08]
• “That was a good one. Yeah. Had a lot of spirit. Might have been funky, but it had that spirit.” – Studio voice, after a take [36:42]
• “Anybody can do whatever they want with it.” – Jerry Garcia (regarding taping) [56:15]
• “We would just sit there and just… I bonded with so many people, whether they had real names or were just heads hanging out with each other.” – Harvey Lubar on the tape-trading community [74:25]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:00–07:00: Origins and album context of “Let Me Sing Your Blues Away”
• 08:52–13:10: On Keith & Donna’s integration and role in the band
• 16:00–20:00: Musicologists break down the song’s unique chord structure and progressive innovations
• 29:21–37:36: Inside the studio: Fierro’s sax, session anecdotes, choosing the final take
• 39:36–41:43: Keith, Donna, and Weir discuss debuting the song live
• 43:17–43:39: Hunter’s own late-70s solo performances and the song’s rare life beyond the Dead
• 53:00–57:43: The birth and growth of audience taping culture, with early tapers and tape trading exchanges
• 66:02–67:31: Mark Masters on cassette technology and why Dead fans were early adopters
• 74:25–76:52: The sociability and unique bonds created by tape-trading sessions among Deadheads

Closing Reflection

The episode closes with the hosts reflecting on the song’s quirky musical charm and the fascinating Dead history uncovered while exploring it. Through musicological analysis, studio lore, fan culture, and collective memory, “Let Me Sing Your Blues Away” emerges as a microcosm of Dead creativity: fleeting, complex, a hidden pop gem, and intimately tied to the subcultures surrounding the band.

For listeners and non-listeners alike, this is a meticulously researched, warmly told story about a deep Grateful Dead cut—and the world that loved, recorded, and sometimes forgot it.