Goodnight Irene
Composer: Huddie Ledbetter & John A. Lomax Original performer: Leadbelly (1934)
Recording date: Between April 2011 and 2014
Recording location: Germano Studios, New York City, USA
Producers: Keith
Richards & Steve Jordan
Chief engineer: Dave O'Donnell
Mixers: Dave O'Donnell, Keith
Richards & Steve Jordan
Line-up:
Drums: Steve Jordan
Acoustic guitars (incl. 12-string): Keith
Richards
Cavaquinho (Brazilian mandolin): Keith
Richards
Lead vocals: Keith
Richards
Background vocals: Keith Richards, Steve Jordan, Bernard Fowler & Blondie Chaplin
Well Irene, goodnight Irene, Irene goodnight
Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene
I'll see you in my dreams
Last Saturday night I got married
Me and the wife settled down
Now me and my wife we are parted
I think I'll go out on the town
Cause sometimes I live in the country
Sometimes I live in the town
Sometimes I take that great notion
To jump in the river and drown
Irene, goodnight Irene, Irene goodnight
Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene
I'll see you in my dreams
I love Irene, God knows I do
I'll love her till the seas run dry
If Irene should ever turn me down
I'd take morphine and die
Irene, goodnight Irene, Irene goodnight
Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene
I'll see you in my dreams
Stop rambling, stop your gambling
Stop staying out all night
Go home to your wife and your baby
And stay by your fireside bright
So Irene, goodnight Irene, Irene goodnight
Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene
I'll see you in my dreams
Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene
I'll see you in my dreams
TrackTalk
I always had that hankering to do Irene - I think maybe Tom (Waits) doing Shenandoah
a few years ago, the great American folk song, and being involved in
that - suddenly I've got a 12-string in my hand and it's time for Irene.
-
Keith Richards, June 2015
For some reason, I wanted to do one of those American folk songs and
renew it. In a way, it's a bit of a historical album. I didn't even
realise that 'til I'd finished it.
-
Keith Richards, July 2015
(A)fter we had four or five tracks down, somebody sent me a huge book
on Leadbelly. At the same time, my guitar man, Pierre de Beauport,
arrived at the studio with this 12-string guitar. I was sort of getting
a message - Leadbelly, the King of the 12-String...
-
Keith Richards, September 2015
Goodnight Irene is one of
those songs that I've known forever. I've heard really good versions -
like Leadbelly's - and millions of bad ones. So I went back and checked
the original lyrics and they were pretty heavy: I take morphine and die
- suddenly you're not in The Kingston Trio's version anymore! I tried
to get close to the original, lyric-wise, and then 12-string it. I got
a lovely little Brazilian mandolin that gave it that hurdy-gurdy sort
of touch. It's a wonderful instrument.
-
Keith Richards, August 2015
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