Category: Music

“I’ll Fly Away” and the Prisoner

Albert BrumleyOn October 9, 2013, the state of Arizona executed the 71-year-old Edward H. Schad, Jr. by lethal injection in Florence, Arizona. Schad, the oldest person on the state’s death row, had been convicted of killing a man during a robbery almost 35 years earlier.

The warden asked Schad if he had any last words. And the inmate responded, “Well, after 34 years, I’m free to fly away home. Thank you, warden. Those are my last words.”

The Song That Inspired the Last Words

Reverend Ronald Koplitz, who was Schad’s pastor and who met the prisoner in 1981 while serving as prison chaplain, explained that the last words were a reference to the hymn “I’ll Fly Away.” Rev. Koplitz had become friends with Schad and kept in touch with him after his time as prison chaplain.

Rev. Koplitz gave Schad the song “I’ll Fly Away” a few weeks before the execution.  And apparently, Schad felt a connection to the song.

“I’ll Fly Away”

The song that gave some comfort to the prisoner in his final moments before being killed goes back to 1929.  In that year, Albert E. Brumley wrote “I’ll Fly Away.” The wonderful hymn, about eternal life and flying away “to that home on God’s celestial shore,” is one of the most popular gospel songs of all time.

There are a number of great versions of “I’ll Fly Away.” The song has appeared in several movies, including in nice a version by Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch in O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000). Doc Watson played an instrumental version of “I’ll Fly Away” in his last public performance.  And the song appeared in The Waltons.

Here is a great live version by Gillian Welch.

“The Prisoner” Inspired the Song that Inspired a Prisoner

When Schad referenced the song on the death gurney in Arizona, he likely did not know that his invocation of the song inside prison walls sort of brought the hymn home. When Brumley began writing the song while picking cotton, he was inspired by a song called “The Prisoner’s Song.”

Brumley thought about that song regarding a prisoner thinking of leaving his love behind.  And he used a brilliant analogy using prison to represent life on earth.

Brumley was inspired by specific lyrics in “The Prisoner’s Song.” The line “Now, if I had the wings of an angel,/Over these prison walls I would fly” led to Brumley’s theme about flying away.

In this video, Johnny Cash sings “The Prisoner’s Song” on a January 20, 1971 episode of his TV show.

During the introduction, Cash refers to the popularity of “The Prisoner’s Song.” Vernon Dalhart initially recorded the song in 1924 as a B-side to his version of “The Wreck of the Old 97.” “The Prisoner’s Song,” which likely was written by Dalhart’s cousin Guy Massey and/or Guy’s brother Robert Massey, became a big hit for Dalhart.

In “I’ll Fly Away,” Brumley also retained the prison theme, using it as representing life on earth: “Like a bird from these prison walls I’ll fly.” It is not hard to see how Brumley’s wonderful song might bring some comfort to someone like Schad, strapped down on the execution gurney facing certain death. Music soothes both saints and sinners.

What is your favorite version of “I’ll Fly Aawy”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Lea Michele’s “Make You Feel My Love” Tribute to Cory Monteith

    Even if like me you have only periodically watched episodes of Glee, you will be moved by Lea Michele’s emotional performance of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” from last night’s episode. The song is a moving tribute to Cory Monteith, Michele’s real-life and on-screen love who passed away of an accidental drug overdose at age 31 in July. The episode did not delve into the way that Monteith’s character Finn Hudson died, but the show and the song were appropriate tributes to the actor and man who died at such a young age.

    The song “Make You Feel My Love” was an excellent choice too. Chimesfreedom previously wrote about how the often-covered “Make You Feel My Love” is one of Bob Dylan’s late-career classics.

    What did you think of the Cory Monteith tribute? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Most Overused Songs in Movies

    MSN Entertainment put together this short entertaining look at the five most overused songs in movies, entitled “Geeking Out On…The Most Overused Songs in Movies.” Check it out.

    In case you do not have the three minutes to watch the video, the songs are “Hallelujah,” “Bad to the Bone,” “Born to Be Wild,” “Let’s Get it On,” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” It does not seem to be a scientific survey, but those songs are good picks.

    What do you think is the most overused song in movies? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Dylan Plays “Like a Rolling Stone” With The Rolling Stones

    In spring 1998, the Rolling Stones were doing a stadium tour in South America with a guy named Bob Dylan as their opening act. During the tour, Dylan often joined the Rolling Stones for a performance of “Like a Rolling Stone.” Although reportedly early joint performances of the song were a little rough, by the time the Rio de Janeiro performance was televised Dylan had adjusted to the Stones’s playing style on the song.

    Check out Dylan and the Rolling Stones on “Like a Rolling Stone.”

    The joint performance is one of the rare times Dylan has played with the full lineup of the Rolling Stones, even though he and the band are long-time friends. Before the South American joint tour, both bands were playing in New York earlier in 1998 and the Rolling Stones played “Like a Rolling Stone” in honor of Dylan, but he never joined them on stage.

    At Dylan’s 1988 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, Mick Jagger and a large number of other stars joined Dylan for “Like a Rolling Stone.” But the South American tour remains the rare time the legend and the legendary band played the legendary song.

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    Badfinger Baby Blue The last few weeks have been full of speculation about the ending of the AMC TV series Breaking Bad. I will leave it to others to debate the greatness of tonight’s series finale. But one thing we cannot argue about is that it was cool that the final scene used the Badfinger song, “Baby Blue,” which first appeared on the band’s 1971 album, Straight Up.

    Both the band’s name and the TV series feature the word “bad.” More importantly, though, the song’s opening had appropriate lyrics for the show’s end, as well as a good sound for the mood of the ending of the series and of our relationship with Walter White (Bryan Cranston).

    Guess I got what I deserve;
    Kept you waiting there, too long my love,
    All that time, without a word;
    Didn’t know you’d think, that I’d forget, or I’d regret,

    The special love I have for you,
    My baby blue

    Below is a 1972 Badfinger performance of “Baby Blue.” Note that the band is introduced by a dark-haired Kenny Rogers.

    Unfortunately, the original Badfinger, which lost band members Tom Evans and Pete Ham to suicide, has not been active since the mid-1980s. A lot of people, though, are singing their song tonight.

    What did you think of the ending of Breaking Bad? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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