I suppose you have to stretch the rubric of “country” a bit to include k. d. lang, but it’s worth doing that to include this song, which I find absolutely mesmerizing. It was written by lang and Ben Mink. The accordian is a touch of genius, and I love the steely twang of the guitar sounds (perhaps some reader can explain how that’s done).
lang (real name Kathryn Dawn Lang) is another Canadian, born in Edmonton, Alberta in 1961 (the proportion of Canadians becoming country music stars seems to be higher than explainable by their numbers relative to U.S. residents). She’s a well known crusader for gay rights, HIV prevention, and Tibetan independence. And she’s won four Grammy awards; one, well deserved, for this song:
Excellent choice!
Yes. k.d. lang has one of of the great voices.
Yes, he’s a good choice.
k.d. lang is a woman. Was this an intentional slight, or did you just miss that everyone else is calling her “she”?
Not really sure on the guitars; but it sounds like (mainly) piezo pickup on the acoustic guitars with some chorus added.
The lead is just Telecaster with maybe a little overdrive and compression.
There’s definitely some chorus on that Telecaster sound too, to give it some shimmer. But the steely jangliness comes from the Telecaster’s pickup mounted very close to the bridge, which accentuates the higher frequencies. It’s the defining sound of country lead guitar.
Here’s what’s interesting about the guitar-driven instrumental section — “solo” is not really the right word — starting around 2:55. It’s the juxtaposition of change and monotony.
Within each 4 – beat measure (the counting of “1&2&3&4&”), with the “&1” there’s a chord change (even if sometimes played on just one string), while for the rest of the measure (2&3&4) there’s a repeated drone-like strum of the same open high strings. Very nice.
On a different point: This is a very unusual pop song in that there are two choruses.
I recently heard a radio discussion about the recording session and it seems they played around with ideas for parts (by which is not meant individual instrumental/vocal parts, but played-together chunks), recording a number of them, but no one was certain about an overall arrangement (that is, which tentative verses, choruses, and instrumental chunks to keep and in what order they should be played).
After everyone else had gone, someone working alone (the producer or engineer) tried pasting parts together in different ways, and eventually hit on the final form.
Finally: I had to learn to play this (on guitar) for a band i was in way back. I wasn’t in love with most of the material we’d been doing (basic radio rock), and so when the vocalists proposed this song, I was surprised and delighted. And challenged: the unusual chords and chord patterns were rather mind bending for me, a medium skill blues/rock/country player.
La Lang is the bee’s proverbials; what I love in the recorded song is the low harmony she does in the middle 8, on ‘has always been’. One of those shiver-moments. She doesn’t do it on this recording. Shame, but I could listen to that voice forever.
I remember seeing a tape of her appearing on an MOR show, just as she was crossing over from her early punky style, singing some country ballad with a lot of high notes at the climax; she sung it brilliantly, and it really looked as if she was a revelation to herself; she couldn’t believe how good her voice was. Can’t remember the show or the song, but it was lovely to see.
She does an excellent job in backing herself up with well-blended three-part vocal harmony in her recordings. “Miss Chatelaine” (sp.?) has some creative, diaphanous vocal harmony ornamentation.
Love this song. The whole album is good.
It occurs to me to wonder whether the title “Constant Craving” and the sentiments of the song could be reasonably construed as a commentary on a sub-section (the sex drive) of the implacable forces of natural selection.
Given kd lang’s Buddhism, I suspect this song is a reflection of Buddhist teaching about craving (kāmataṇhā) leading to suffering. However, the listener is free to apply the song any way they like!
She’s both extraordinary with her own stuff and covering other folk’s stuff. Check out her rendition of Roy Orbison’s “Crying” or Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”, the latter of which did amazingly at the Olympics.
Regarding Leonard Cohen, congenially recommend the cover of his “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye” by the 60’s pop group, The Vogues. (If it can be found online)
k.d. lang sings with classic country singers Loretta Lynn, Kitty Wells, and Brenda Lee. (Note the Minnie Pearl cameo in the beginning)
From her debut album Shadowland released 1988.
http://youtu.be/JkXFFOOs_3g
Sorry, I thought I was pasting a link, not the embedded video.
JC – I posted this video on my blog a while back and now it’s blocked – how did you get around that??
A college girlfriend introduced me to kd lang in 1988, and I have been a fan ever since. She is an extraordinary talent. Constant Craving is easily one of her best works.
“the proportion of Canadians becoming country music stars seems to be higher than explainable by their numbers relative to U.S. residents”
Its a fairly popular style here, especially in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.
I suppose it’s stretching the rubric of country. However, Shadowland is a tremendous recording of country music produced by Owen Bradley. I highly recommend it.
I’m starting to notice a definite resemblance between kd lang and Brent Spiner (especially as Data)
I did not know lang is Buddhist. I always thought the song referred to unrequited romantic yearning, and for all I know that is its meaning. But it certainly describes the 2nd Noble Truth to a tee.
Oh, come on. k.d. lang does not deserve to have the epithet of ‘country’ hurled upon her.
Totally disagree, I dislike “Constant Craving” intensely. I can’t take it seriously after having watched this:
http://www.theonion.com/video/bird-hunted-to-near-extinction-due-to-infuriating,18345/
To each their own eh? Have to agree with Jerry that this is a nice song, and with the others regarding lang’s talent.
Minor notes:
Opening is a concertina, not an accordion
Guitarist in background in John 5
As a curiosity, the Lesbians On Ecstacy cover of this, under the title “Cuntstant Craving” is pretty cool, and even further away from Country.
I read lang’s biography a few years ago, it’s interesting to see her progress through the country music she so wanted to do, and getting to work with some of her greatest heroes, to beyond that and into torch songs like this one, which is where her real success happened.