Jun 10 2004
Be Good Tanyas
have an uncanny knack for digging the soul out of every song they play. Whether it’s Townes Van Zandt’s “Waiting Around to Die” or the old traditional “Oh Susanna” or one of their own magnificent compositions such as “Lakes of Pontchartrain”, the Be Good Tanyas possess entirely any song they sing. They do this in the simplest way and with such ease that it hardly looks like they have to try at what they do.
Their song, The Littlest Birds, with its video, exemplifies their beautiful style.
Normally I hate everything in the universe, but I didn’t hate that.
I bet I could make one or three tanyas be very very naughty.
The Lakes of Pntchartain is not a be good tanyas song. it is a traditional song.
Apparently there’s more than one song out there called “Lakes of Pontchartrain,” though I’ve only heard the Be Goods’ version. I may have heard an instrumental song by William Ackerman called “Lakes of Pontchartrain” once; not sure. Jolie Holland is credited with the song on the album (BLUE HORSE). Maybe it’s “traditional; arrangement by Jolie Holland” and that’s enough to say she wrote it. I don’t have the CD in front of me.
A couple of months ago I heard their tune The Littliest Birds on a Zellers TV commercial.
I’m torn between being happy for their success and their commercial corruption.