John Richards

Good morning, happy Friday, and welcome to The Morning Show with John Richards, Morgan, and Owen. It's the beginning of "Six Degrees of Dolly Parton," where we'll make connections between the music of this icon and all she's influenced.: www.kexp.org Welcome! --- Parton was born in Locust Ridge, Tennessee and grew up in poverty, the fourth of 12 children, and her mother really did make her such a coat. Her classmates teased her, but Parton was proud of the coat and tried to make them understand that even though her family didn't have much money, they were rich in other, more important ways. Parton kept the famous coat, which later became a popular attraction at her Dollywood Museum, where it is kept in an exhibit along with her handwritten lyrics to the song. - bit.ly

Alison Krauss sings on this beautiful song. (She sang and played fiddle on the previous song). -- Most famously heard in the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou", the traditional lullaby "Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby" is performed by artists Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and Gillian Welch. This song appears to be a southern folk song, and was also previously recorded by Sidney Hemphill Carter in 1959 and ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax in 1942..

Speaking of Robert Plant..... -- On June 22, 1970, Led Zeppelin played a concert in Reykjavik, Iceland, as part of their Iceland, Bath and Germany. summer tour. This marked their first and last concert in Iceland. It has been said that this visit to Iceland inspired Robert Plant to write the lyrics to “Immigrant Song,” which was first performed live six days after the Iceland gig. bit.ly -- Here's the story behind "Immigrant Song": faroutmagazine.co.uk

Here's a collaborative cover of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song." The song leads off the soundtrack to the David Fincher film 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,' which was created by Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor along with his musical partner, Atticus Ross.

Before the break, we heard Trent Reznor's work on the "Immigrant Song" cover. -- Trent Reznor stated that “Hurt” was written as an afterthought, that it was originally demoed on piano, and that the vocal was sung quietly and intimately in order to ensure that it sounded sincere. bit.ly See Nine Inch Nails perform "Hurt" live: www.youtube.com

Trent Reznor, the writer of the song, was unsure of Johnny’s version to begin with, telling Alternative Press in 2004: “I was flattered, but frankly, the idea sounded a bit gimmicky to me." Having said that, his mind soon changed after he saw the music video, after which he said in the same interview: “Tears welling, silence, goose-bumps... Wow. I just lost my girlfriend, because that song isn't mine anymore. “It really made me think about how powerful music is. “I wrote some words and music in my bedroom as a way of staying sane, about a bleak and desperate place I was in. “Somehow that winds up reinterpreted by a music legend from a radically different era and still retains sincerity and meaning - different, but every bit as pure.” Read more here: bit.ly --- Perhaps the saddest and most moving video ever made: www.youtube.com

"Just Dropped In ..." was recorded by The First Edition (with Kenny Rogers on lead vocals) in October 1967. The song was actually written by Micky Newbury and was first recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis.

Dave in Seattle: This generation will never know the quiet joy of a Sunday ride to the mall in the Summer with their mother listening to a soft rock station playing Islands in the Stream. --- "Islands in the Stream" was written by The Bee Gees and was originally intended for Diana Ross or Marvin Gaye. Barry Gibb was producing the RCA album "Eyes That See in the Dark" for Rogers and offered the song. After listening to the recording for several days, Rogers told his producer (as quoted by People), "'Barry, I don't even like this song anymore' and he said, 'You know what we need? We need Dolly Parton.' Once she came in and started singing, the song was never the same. It took on a personality of its own."

"Life is as peaceful as a baby's sigh..." -- The lyrics, with their picture of a rural childhood, demonstrate Dolly Parton's remarkable capacity as a songwriter: genius.com

On her debut record that featured this single "Ladies First," Queen Latifah introduced American audiences to Monie Love. The video for the song features shots of Queen Latifah and Monie Love in a housing project, images of African and African American female activists (Madame C. J. Walker, Sojourner Truth, Angela Davis, Winnie Mandela, Harriet Tubman, and Cicely Tyson), and footage of the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. youtu.be -- Here's an academic analysis of each of these rappers' flow: sites.google.com

Both Queen Latifah and Monie Love make guest appearances on this song, "Buddy," off "3 Feet High and Rising." -- According to Pitchfork, “Buddy” wasn’t a ‘pal’ or ‘friend’: Their album would be full of inside jokes [and] invented slang (“A phrase called talk” was their rhyme style, “Public Speaker” was a dope emcee, “Buddy” was a hot body, and “Strictly Dan Stuckie” meant “awesome”) -- Enjoy a throwback KEXP staff "Review Revue" of 3 Feet and Rising here: kexp.org

Ahhh....the Friday song! That's Posdnuos (from De La Soul) who's rapping here... --- You'll be able to stream "Six Degrees of Dolly Parton" for two week at KEXP's streaming archive.: www.kexp.org

This was the debut single from De La Soul; a remixed single appeared on "3 Feet High and Rising." It sampled The Invitations' 1965 song, "Written on the Wall" and Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise."

This song was sampled by De La Soul in "Plug Tuning." -- Speaking of sampling, since its 1987 release, “Bring the Noise” has been sampled more than 900 times: www.whosampled.com

James Brown is sampled three times on the previous song. You may hear the "Give It Up or Turnit a Loose (remix)", the hook from, "Get Up, Get Into It, Get involved," and, of course, the drums from "Funky Drummer." -- Listen to Larry Mizell, Jr.'s OG Thursday tribute to Clyde Stubblefield--yesterday, April 22nd,from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m: www.kexp.org

Siouxsie and the Banshee's "Kiss Them for Me" uses a sample of James Brown's "Funky Drummer." -- "Kiss Them for Me" was Siouxsie and the Banshees' biggest hit in the United States. It became their second and last entry on the Billboard Hot 100 and their first single to hit the top 40, peaking at No. 23.

This is a cover of The Beatles' song from "The White Album." (Siouxsie and the Banshees had previously covered "Helter Skelter" from that album.) -- “Quite a lot of people thought Dear Prudence was our original,” says Siouxsie. Read the story behind the song: www.loudersound.com

The previous song, "Dear Prudence," was a Beatles cover. -- This song was made up of four distinct song fragments, and took its title from a gun magazine, The American Rifleman, which Lennon saw in the studio at Abbey Road. The majority of the lyrics were actually dreamt up during an acid trip shared by Lennon and friends.: faroutmagazine.co.uk

The Breeders cover the previous Beatles song. --- Watch The Breeders play it live in 2013: www.youtube.com

This is tUnE-yArDs' cover of The Breeders' original! -- Watch tUnE-yArDs playing live in the KEXP studio in 2014: www.youtube.com

In a 2009 interview with 60 Minutes, Parton talked about the unlikely inspiration for this song: her fingernails. She had very long, acrylic nails, and discovered that when she rubbed them together she could create a rhythm that sounded like a typewriter, and since the movie was about secretaries, she was able to use that sound to compose the song on the set. She even played her fingernails as part of the percussion sound when she recorded the track.: americansongwriter.com

Dolly Parton likes The White Stripes and says this is one of the best cover versions of "Jolene.": bit.ly -- The title was inspired by an encounter with a 10-year-old fan. "She had this beautiful red hair, this beautiful skin, these beautiful green eyes, and she was looking up at me, holding [out] for an autograph," Parton recalled to NPR in 2008. "I said, 'Well, you're the prettiest little thing I ever saw. So what is your name?' And she said, 'Jolene.' And I said, 'Jolene. Jolene. Jolene. Jolene. That is pretty. That sounds like a song. I'm going to write a song about that.'" The song was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2014. It was Parton's second tune to receive the prestigious honor - "I Will Always Love You" was included in 2007.

When she got her coronavirus vaccine shot on March 2, 2021, Parton adapted "Jolene" into a pro-vaccine song, singing: Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine I'm begging of you please don't hesitate Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine 'Cause once you're dead then that's a bit too late Parton, who helped fund vaccine research with a $1 million donation to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, posted the video on her social media channels. "I want to say to all you cowards out there, don't be such a chicken squat," she said. "Get out there and get your shot."

This is not a love song in the conventional sense; Parton wrote it for a close friend. In 1967, she was invited by the country star Porter Wagoner to co-host his TV show, where they became famous for their duets. In time though, her enormous talent eclipsed that of her mentor, and she moved on to greener pastures. She wrote the song for him to show her appreciation for the time they had worked together. Leaving Wagoner wasn't easy - he thought Parton was making a mistake and felt she was being disloyal. Parton played the song to Wagoner the morning after she wrote it as her way of letting him know that her mind was made up and to express how she felt about him. Apparently, it got the message across: Parton said that Wagoner was in tears when she finished, and he called it "the prettiest song I ever heard." -- Parton performed this song to Porter Wagoner on May 19, 2007 during his Porter 50th Anniversary Celebration at the Grand Ole Opry. "This was my goodbye song to Porter," Parton said before singing to him. Wagoner was suffering from lung cancer at the time and died on October 28, 2007.

Whitney Houston covered this Chaka Khan song for "The Bodyguard." It was the debut solo single for Chaka Khan, who had established a career with the group Rufus. The song was written by the famous husband-and-wife songwriting team Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson.

This Chaka Khan song was written by Prince who released it on his second album. It was the first single and title track from Chaka Khan's 1984 album. Oh, by the way, that's Stevie Wonder on the harmonica. He recorded it the same day he attended Marvin Gaye's funeral.

You know, that previous song was written by Mr. Prince.... --- Don't miss the chance to see Prince singing this song with The Muppets: www.youtube.com

"The Rainbow Connection" made its first appearance in "The Muppet Movie." Written by songwriters Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher, it was later nominated in the Best Song category at the 52nd Academy Awards in 1980. Says Williams: "The best part of being a songwriter - beyond being able to make a living at it - is what I call the 'heart payment' of a song. That's when somebody comes up after a concert and says, 'My mom was a single mom, and 'You And Me Against The World' was a really important song to us.' Or 'We got married to 'We've Only Just Begun'' or 'Evergreen.' Or 'I Won't Last A Day Without You' got me through some hard times.' That's heart payment for a songwriter." -- Watch Kermit (The Green Boss!) performing it here: www.youtube.com

Dolly and Kermit covered this one on the "Dolly" show. Watch a live performance by Sly & the Family Stone: www.youtube.com

This is The Staple Singers' fine cover of the 1968 Sly & The Family Stone hit. One of the most powerful vocal groups of the '60s and '70s, the Staple Singers embraced an impressive stylistic diversity while always staying true to their roots in gospel harmonies. Led by Roebuck "Pops" Staples, the quartet first rose to stardom in the gospel music community before detouring into folk and a socially conscious gospel and R&B hybrid, then enjoying their greatest success with a handful of soul music hits for Stax Records in the '70s.: www.allmusic.com

The Staple Singers covered Bob Dylan's 1963 classic. -- "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" is based on an old folk ballad variously titled "Lord Randall" or "Lord Ronald," in which a mother repeatedly questions her son (beginning with "Where have you been?"), leading him to reveal he has been poisoned. The song ends when he falls dead to the ground. -- In the liner notes to The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, Dylan wrote: "'Hard Rain' is a desperate kind of song. Every line in it, is actually the start of a whole song. But when I wrote it, I thought I wouldn't have enough time alive to write all those songs so I put all I could into this one.": www.bobdylan.com

Watch Bob Dylan perform this song 49 years after he originally recorded it. Someone wrote of this 2012 performance," In Bob's early versions he sang this song like a young man would have -- with enthusiasm and passion. His voice has lost its youthful edge since then, but now he sings it the way it ought have been sung all along: with the conviction of an old man who not only knew the words to be wise, but who have lived to see them be true.": www.youtube.com

He was called "The Singing Brakeman" and America's Blue Yodeler." Read this biography of the Father of Country Music: countrymusichalloffame.org