By Nicko
What needs to be said about salt?
A fair bit in song, much of it metaphorical, mostly beyond my ken, with many about personal relations and mostly not happy. I guess salty tears and the opposite of sweet. Idiomatic use and as an adjective, too, and sometimes as food.
But take what I say with a grain of salt and just taste these.
Martin Simpson, Andy Cutting and Nancy Kerr – Some Old Salty (Suzi)
Few old salt crusty seafarer songs nommed, unlike my expectation. I thought this might be one, but isn’t really, the first of many perplexing songs. It’s zedded by Lal Waterson, but I’m with Suzi and prefer this one.
My Friend The Chocolate Cake – Salt (barbyn)
I don't want to go no further
You can if you want to
Salt.
This is an obscure travelogue, clearly in the Australian outback by virtue of the reference to ‘jump up country’. The salt would be a (metaphorical) inland ephemeral salt lake. Echoes of real places feature in David Bridie’s lyrics. Lost and uncertain in a harsh place. Key scene in more than one film (incl. Australian) on salt lakes.
The Chills – Effloresce and Deliquesce (Nilpferd)
Some chemistry. Crystallising, or really “the migration of a salt to the surface of a porous material, where it forms a coating” (Wiki) for efflorescence. Deliquescence is the absorbing of water from the atmosphere until a solid dissolves into a liquid. Which common salt does readily. All very metaphorical in this one, about a relationship.
The Pineapple Thief – Pillar Of Salt (Bobby Legwarmer)
All too short. One of a number of don’t look back songs using the Lot’s wife bizzo. Quiet.
Mammút – Salt (severin)
Salt appears in one odd line (Spread salt over me) and the title. But enough for the sound and to rep those songs called Salt that don’t really mention salt.
Karine Polwart – Tears For Lot’s Wife (nosuchzone)
Adapted from the poem of the same name by Russian poet Anna Akhmatova (1889-1966). Hasn’t made it easier to interpret. A man, a black hill, the refrain of ‘don’t look back’ under it all.
One glance and a searing sting of pain
Stitched up her eyes before she made a sound
and the salt suffused her body
and her legs were rooted to the ground.
Boygenius – Salt In The Wound (TarquinSpodd)
Salt in the wound, insult to injury. Not the only miserablist salty song, but the one that somehow got picked.
Rocío Márquez – Antiguamente Eran Dulces [They Used To Be Sweet] (Maki)
Of old, all the waters of the sea were sweet
All the waters of the sea
A Malaga woman bathed there
And they became salty.
The style is Abandolao from the Málaga region and the topic is that the waters were sweet until a young woman bathed in them, making them salty. Not sure I understand the point/joke exactly, but Maki explains that salao/salá as in the Spanish lyrics refers to a person with sharpness, vivacity, wit and good humour. Not the same as ‘salty’ as used for blues and country songs.
Pejepeine added a fab version by Miguel Aceves Mejía. Only the salty Malagan woman is left in La Malagueña with different lyrics, and there’s a great clip from a film to find if you want.
Zetetics – Соль (nosuchzone)
Salt in Russian although Zetetics are Ukrainian. Much better. Salt is ciль in Ukrainian, I think. Band formed by singer Lika Bugaeva. No idea what they are singing about.
Prince Alla – Lot’s Wife (Uncleben)
If you want to satta with your dread
Then you haffi stop from burning your head.
Don’t look back, at Sodom or otherwise. Alla says it wasn’t Lot’s fault, then some Rasta gobbledegook (bless it). Only the short version sans version.
Bedouin Soundclash – Salt Water (Uncleben)
'Cause they drank salt water
And it goes down through their bloodline
And they drank salt water
Couldn't tell the truth from the lie.
Yet another I don’t understand. But it’s bouncy and has sea water and the ocean.
Ai Otsuka – ラーメン3分クッキング [Ramen 3-Minute Cooking] (TarquinSpodd)
Here, let me shoyu this fun one pepping up any playlist…Ai is all bubbly about ramen, with miso and shoyu. Only takes 3 minutes to cook too.
Red Foley – Salty Dog Rag (Fred Erickson)
His grandmaw and grandpaw down in Arkansas danced to this one. So can you, he includes instructions. Remember to zig when your partner zags. Not the only salty dog song out there, see the B list.
Frederick Knight – Sauerkraut (TatankaYotana)
Salty soul about sauerkraut and Alabama. Perhaps SHA can advise on Alabama being a big sauerkraut centre. Your salty preserved food pick of the week. Odd and groovy enough to include even if it doesn’t fit.
Pere Ubu – West Side Story (TatankaYotanka)
Nothing to do with Bernstein. Something to do with salt mines. Erie, as in the lake I guess from where Pere Ubu comes from.
Kate & Anna McGarrigle – NaCl (Maki)
This one picks itself, what with the chemistry and all. But a McGarrigle voice is a very nice voice. Probably should be first, but it’s last.
The A-Salted A-List Playlist:
Martin Simpson, Andy Cutting and Nancy Kerr – Some Old Salty (Suzi)
My Friend The Chocolate Cake – Salt (barbryn)
The Chills – Effloresce and Deliquesce (Nilpferd)
The Pineapple Thief – Pillar Of Salt (Bobby Legwarmer)
Mammút – Salt (severin)
Karine Polwart – Tears For Lot’s Wife (nosuchzone)
Boygenius – Salt In The Wound (TarquinSpodd)
Rocío Márquez – Antiguamente Eran Dulces [They Used To Be Sweet] (Maki)
Zetetics – Соль (nosuchzone)
Prince Alla – Lot’s Wife (Uncleben)
Bedouin Soundclash – Salt Water (Uncleben)
Ai Otsuka – ラーメン3分クッキング [Ramen 3-Minute Cooking] (TarquinSpodd)
Red Foley – Salty Dog Rag (Fred Erickson)
Frederick Knight – Sauerkraut (TatankaYotana)
Pere Ubu – West Side Story (TatankaYotanka)
Kate & Anna McGarrigle – NaCl (Maki)
Life of Brine B-list Playlist:
Los Falcons – Cumbia de Sal (pejepeine)
Salty Colombia cumbia party by the sea.
Milton Nascimento – Canção do Sal (nosuchzone)
Spot on but just missed out.
The Triffids – Raining Pleasure (Disco Monster)
Oh so close. Love it. Only the lips are salty.
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions – Salt Of The Sea (vanwolf2)
More what does it mean (Waiting to fly around/The salt of the sea), but a nice slow pace. Plenty of slow songs this week.
The Decemberists – Sleepless (@tincanman2010)
Really like the ‘you should know me better than that’ refrain.
Julian Lennon – Saltwater (barbyn)
Environmental tears. A bit of an upsurge on the environment in 1991, on the downswing now tragically. Would have like to give the message more prominence, along with Maki’s nom of a Spanish environmental plea. No luck.
The National – I Should Live In Salt (Vikingchild)
He should live in salt for leaving her. Sounds uncomfortable, but no doubt preserves deserves it.
Madrugada – Salt (Vikingchild)
No mention of salt, just the title. Powerful, Nick Cave vibes, nice guitar, Norwegian.
Sweeping Promises – Connoisseur of Salt (uneasy listening)
With spices and salts to cover up
The bitter taste.
Bad relationship again. Salt and spices to mask the bitter taste, perhaps. He/she’s a connoisseur of salt for that purpose. Very nearly the A.
Jack White – Sixteen Saltines (Noodsy)
Saltines being the salty crackers. Eating 16 of them in a song about teen lust and jealousy. Makes sense.
ZZ Top – Neighbor, Neighbor (Fred Erickson)
Two early salty ZZ tracks nommed, better early than late for mine with them. Both with odd references to salt. This one is a threat to a tittle tattle neighbour they might end up in the salty brine. Charming.
Alice Donut – Demonologist (happyclapper)
Solid rock, average worth, pillar of salt, salt of the earth, head of the family. With added doom and noise. Love it, very nearly the A.
Papa Charlie Jackson – Salty Dog Blues (Uncleben)
If only there was a clear recording of this one. Historical interest only. Done many times, often with extemporised lyrics. Cat Power also nommed.
Los Falcons – Cumbia de Sal (pejepeine)
Milton Nascimento – Canção do Sal (nosuchzone)
The Triffids – Raining Pleasure (DiscoMonster)
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions – Salt Of The Sea (vanwolf2)
Decemberists – Sleepless (@tincanman2010)
Julian Lennon – Saltwater (barbyn)
The National – I Should Live In Salt (Vikingchild)
Madrugada – Salt (Vikingchild)
Sweeping Promises – Connoisseur of Salt (uneasy listening)
Jack White – Sixteen Saltines (Noodsy)
ZZ Top – Neighbor, Neighbor (Fred Erickson)
Alice Donut – Demonologist (happyclapper)
Papa Charlie Jackson – Salty Dog Blues (Uncleben)
Grain of Salt Guru’s Wildcard Sprinkle:
Gino Paoli – Sapore di Sale [Taste Of Salt]
Taste of salt, taste of sea
That you have on your skin, that you have on your lips
When you come out the water and you come to lay
Near to me, near to me.
Some smooth Italian pop about the taste of sea salt.
Kip Hanrahan – Salt In The Mozambique Evening (Glasgow, For Jack Bruce)
No, I don’t really know what the title means re. the song. As usual, a stellar crew, but not Jack who has sometimes featured with inimitable Kip. Liner notes don’t help a jot. It’s the sound, esp. as the saxes come in.
My Friend The Chocolate Cake – The Mangrove Song
Shoehorn. Only because mangroves are of course saltwater/brackish water trees and my erstwhile research subject. Although they don’t need salt, only tolerate it. Repping halophytes everywhere, albeit mangrove species are generally mild as far as salt tolerance goes. And one MFTCC tune this week wasn’t enough.
Sextet with Dinah Washington - Salty Papa Blues
Papa, why you so salty, why do you bring me down
There's no complaint when my other man comes around.
This is the original from 1944. She did it again later with Quincy Jones, as did others. Best known of the Sextet was Lionel Hampton.
T-Bone Walker – Papa Ain’t Salty
Come home, he says, he ain’t salty no more. Special mention to ‘Gatemouth’ Brown’s Gate’s Salty Blues for more stinging guitar. But a bit iffy on the sexual politics, so it’s T-Bone.
Gino Paoli – Sapore di Sale [Taste Of Salt]
Kip Hanrahan – Salt In The Mozambique Evening (Glasgow, For Jack Bruce)
My Friend The Chocolate Cake – The Mangrove Song
Sextet with Dinah Washington - Salty Papa Blues
T-Bone Walker – Papa Ain’t Salty
These playlists were inspired by readers' song nominations in response to last week's topic: Just the right amount of ... songs about salt. The next topic will launch on Thursday after 1pm UK time.
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