Stones in My Passway
| "Stones in My Passway" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Robert Johnson from the album King of the Delta Blues Singers | |
| Released | November 15, 1937 |
| Genre | Blues |
| Length | 2:30 |
| Label | Vocalion |
| Writer | Robert Johnson |
"Stones in My Passway" is a blues standard written and recorded by American blues musician Robert Johnson. It expresses pain of a story Johnson went through his life and has been covered by many artists.[1] It was released for Vocalion Records on November 15, 1937.[2]
The song was written about a real-life situation in Johnson's life[3] and about a man who once asked for power over other souls but now testifies that he has lost the power over his own body and who might see that disaster as a fitting symbol of the loss of his own soul.[4] He has written the song just before he recorded his final version of "If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day" and wrote the tune in a similar way to "Terraplane Blues".[5] When the British Rock guitarist Eric Clapton covered the song for his Sessions for Robert J album and video release, he explained the difficulty of playing and singing the song at the same time, noting Johnson had played it in a "cross-tempo" with melodies underneath his singing voice.[6]
AllMusic critic Thomas Ward discribed the song as "one of the lesser songs in the catalogue of Robert Johnson" as it seems to lack "the emotional subtlety and precision of language the characterises his masterpieces". However, he notes: "the guitar playing is incandescent and inspired" altought "the lyrics [seem to] let the song down".[7]
References
- ↑ "Stones In My Passway". Robert Johnson Blues Foundation. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- ↑ "Stones in My Passway". Rate Your Music. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- ↑ Gale, Thomson (1985). "Stones in My Passway, Hellhound on My Trail". Cengage Learning. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- ↑ Greil, Marcus (2015). Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll Music: Sixth Edition. Penguin Books. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- ↑ Schroeder, Patricia R. (2004). Robert Johnson, Mythmaking and Contemporary American Culture. University of Illinois Press. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- ↑ "Eric Clapton Unplugged and Seated". YouTube. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- ↑ Ward, Thomas. "Stones in My Passway – Robert Johnson". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 23 February 2016.