“Sympathy for the Devil” was recorded in June of 1968 by the Rolling Stones—who had established themselves as a morally corrupt menace of a band by the mid-60s. One of the lyrics describes the Russian revolution and the palace carnage:
Stuck around St. Petersburg
When I saw it was a time for a change
Killed Tsar and his ministers
Anastasia screamed in vain
Jagger, who wrote the song, said the following in a Creem interview:
“[When people started taking us as devil worshippers], I thought it was a really odd thing, because it was only one song, after all. It wasn’t like it was a whole album, with lots of occult signs on the back. People seemed to embrace the image so readily, [and] it has carried all the way over into heavy metal bands today. Some people have made a living out of doing this; for example, Jimmy Page.”
Led Zeppelin—created by veteran blues guitarist Jimmy Page—began recording their first album when 1968 was still warm, in September of that year. Jagger’s dig at Page is interesting. The Stones called their 1967 album Their Satanic Majesties Request. There was nothing overtly “satanic” about Led Zeppelin’s first album, released in January of 1969, or their follow-up album, Led Zeppelin II, in October, 1969.
Led Zeppelin was so good, however—explosive, raunchy, tasty, bluesy rock metal, beautifully arranged, powerful dynamics, a folk feel, presented without pretense in commercially viable perfection—that it made nearly all rock music which came before sound mannered, amateur, ponderous, twee. Page, aided by Jones, Plant, Bonham, had a heavy/cool quality—unmistakable and felt immediately. It was that true and that bad. It was the end of good music as defined by the 1960s, because good music was aspiring to be cute on one hand (“Rocky Raccoon”) and heavy on the other (“Helter Skelter”) and Led Zeppelin now owned heavy—so all that was left to exploit was “cute,” which became the 1960s legacy money-maker in the 1970s. Either that, or the “heavy,” over-the-top, Led Zeppelin clones. Compared to Led Zeppelin, the Beatles of “Day Tripper” did not feel heavy at all—they quickly broke up; the Stones now only seemed sporadically heavy—Brian Jones, the Stones’ founder and player of baroque instruments on their albums, died at the bottom of a swimming pool in July of 1969— Jimmi Hendrix, Janis Joplin died in 1970, Jim Morrison in 1971.
It was almost as if Led Zeppelin was the palace revolt, killing the Tsar (the Great music of the 60s) and his ministers.
The ’60s icons must have heard Led Zeppelin and said to themselves, “Oh shit.” Jagger perhaps wanted to think “Satanism” was Page’s secret. Nope. It was Jones and Bonham and Plant. And studio album perfection that radiated outward into stadium-filling success. Cream, by contrast, the previous “heavy” hitters, played their final concert in November 1968 (as Led Zeppelin was about to release their first album) at the Royal Albert Hall.
With Page’s band, rock and roll artistry had reached its end. Something completely different (inner city youth rhyming) would replace it (aided by videos of money and flesh).
And with that introduction, we come to the first game in the 2022 March Madness Song tournament: “Thank You” by Led Zeppelin (from 1969’s Led Zeppelin II) versus Donovan’s “Teas,” from his Hurdy Gurdy Man album (1968) the song “Hurdy Gurdy Man” a “heavy” number with Page contributing as back-up musician. The Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” lyric also includes this:
I laid traps for troubadours
Who get killed before they reached Bombay
Donovan was a troubadour—if we use the old meaning: sings gently and honors women. (Donovan raised Brian Jones’ love-child with the child’s mother). Donovan was a casualty of the Led Zeppelin effect: in 1969, Donovan was a headline; by 1970 he was a footnote. The Led Zeppelin revolution happened that quickly. Donovan was talented enough that he might have formed or produced a Led Zeppelin revolution himself. But these things are largely due to chance.
“Teas” is a haunting song.
But Led Zeppelin’s “Thank You” wins.
In another match-up watched closely by poetry and musical experts all across the land, two of my favorite songs, “I’ll Be Around” by the Spinners battles “Lady Jane” by the Rolling Stones, a song enhanced by Brian Jones (John Paul Jones plays for Led Zeppelin) on dulcimer.
“Lady Jane” gets better with time. By 2080 I’m guessing it will be considered the Stones’ best song. Everything about the song is restrained and desperately plain, polite, kneeling—as if the Stones couldn’t believe they were playing a song like this and so they play half-frozen out of duty to…what? The era? When for a brief moment troubadour songs were cool? The melody and lyrics and the delicate playing (all a joke, probably) steal into one’s heart as an after-thought.
The Spinners spin a studio masterpiece—the insidious organ, strings, percussion, the entrance of the high noted instrument at the moments when the singer cries out in whispered agony “you made a choice” and later, “there’s always a chance…” And the insistent two note hook! There’s nothing like it since Brahms. It’s worthy of Satie, Debussy, Ravel. I wonder if a session guitarist played the micro-hook almost by accident when they were recording the song.
In a close contest, “I’ll Be Around” wins. The Spinners advance. The 8th seed beats the 9th seed.
In other games, Herb Albert’s “This Guy’s In Love With You,” melodic, and with exquisite dynamics, defeats “True Religion,” a folk masterpiece by Erik Darling. As much as our pure folk sensibility longs for a “True Religion” win, it is not to be. Pop genius is pop genius. The No. 2 seed advances.
The Robin Gibb/Bee Gees number, “And the Sun Will Shine,” as the 14th seed, seeks to upset the self-assured gem of a song—Simon and Garfunkel’s “Fakin’ It.” It does! Upset! The Bee Gees advance!
“Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine” by the Fifth Dimension (4th seed) beats the Who (“Melancholia.”)
“Green-Eyed Lady” (5th seed and amazing song) is upset by Jefferson Airplane’s “Comin’ Back To Me.”
The Doors’ “Shaman’s Blues” gets past a masterpiece—“In the Year 2525” by Zager and Evans—the Doors always seem to produce meaning without trying too hard. The lyrics of “2525” finally prove to be a little too obvious.
In the final match-up, The Beatles (“Fixing a Hole”) prevails over “Hitchin’ A Ride” by the wonderful band, Vanity Fare.
Those are the first-round results, as promised, for the Dorothy Gilgallen Bracket.
I’ll end with the full lyrics to “Sympathy for the Devil.” Mick Jagger could write a mean lyric once upon a time.
But in Songs March Madness 2022, the Stones are gone, thanks to The Spinners.
Please allow me to introduce myself
I’m a man of wealth and taste
I’ve been around for a long, long years
Stole million man’s soul an faith
And I was ’round when Jesus Christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Pilate
Washed his hands and sealed his fate
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game
Stuck around St. Petersburg
When I saw it was a time for a change
Killed Tsar and his ministers
Anastasia screamed in vain
I rode a tank
Held a general’s rank
When the blitzkrieg raged
And the bodies stank
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name, oh yeah
Ah, what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah
I watched with glee
While your kings and queens
Fought for ten decades
For the gods they made
I shouted out
Who killed the Kennedys?
When after all
It was you and me
Let me please introduce myself
I’m a man of wealth and taste
And I laid traps for troubadours
Who get killed before they reached Bombay
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
But what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah, get down, baby
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
But what’s confusing you
Is just the nature of my game
Just as every cop is a criminal
And all the sinners saints
As heads is tails
Just call me Lucifer
‘Cause I’m in need of some restraint
So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, and some taste
Use all your well-learned politnesse
Or I’ll lay your soul to waste, mm yeah
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, mm yeah
But what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, mm mean it, get down
Woo, who
Oh yeah, get on down
Oh yeah
Aah yeah
Tell me baby, what’s my name?
Tell me honey, can ya guess my name?
Tell me baby, what’s my name?
I tell you one time, you’re to blame
What’s my name
Tell me, baby, what’s my name?
Tell me, sweetie, what’s my name?