Song by The Band
"
The Weight
" is a song by the Canadian-American group
the Band
that was released as a single in 1968 and on the group's debut album
Music from Big Pink
. It was their first release under this name, after their previous releases as Canadian Squires and Levon and the Hawks. Written by Band member
Robbie Robertson
, the song is about a visitor's experiences in a town mentioned in the lyric's first line as Nazareth. "The Weight" has significantly influenced American popular music, having been listed as No. 41 on
Rolling Stone
'
s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
published in 2004.
[4]
Pitchfork Media
named it the 13th best song of the 1960s,
[5]
and the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
named it one of the
500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll
.
[6]
PBS
, which broadcast performances of the song on
Ramble at the Ryman
(2011),
Austin City Limits
(2012),
[7]
and
Quick Hits
(2012), describes it as "a masterpiece of Biblical allusions, enigmatic lines and iconic characters" and notes its enduring popularity as "an essential part of the American songbook."
[8]
"The Weight" is one of the Band's best known songs, gaining considerable
album-oriented rock
airplay even though it was not a significant hit single for the group in the US, peaking at only No. 63.
[9]
After it was released, the record debuted just six days later on
KHJ
's
"
'Boss 30' records"
[10]
and peaked at No. 3 there three weeks later. The Band's recording also fared well in Canada and the UK, peaking at No. 35 in Canada and No. 21 in the UK in 1968.
Cash Box
called it a "powerhouse performance."
[11]
American Songwriter
and
Stereogum
both ranked the song number three on their lists of the Band's greatest songs.
[12]
[13]
In 1968 and 1969, three
cover versions
were released; their arrangements appealed to a wide diversity of music audiences.
The 1969 movie
Easy Rider
used the song as recorded by the Band, but it was not licensed for the
soundtrack album
. To deal with this, ABC-Dunhill commissioned
Smith
, who recorded for the label at the time, to record a cover version of the song for the soundtrack album.
[14]
[15]
Composition
[
edit
]
"The Weight" was written by
Robbie Robertson
, who found the tune by strumming idly on his guitar, when he noticed that the interior included a stamp noting that it was manufactured in
Nazareth, Pennsylvania
(
C. F. Martin & Company
is situated there) and he started crafting the lyrics as he played.
[16]
The inspiration for and influences affecting the composition of "The Weight" came from the music of the
American South
, the life experiences of band members, particularly
Levon Helm
, and movies of filmmakers
Ingmar Bergman
and
Luis Bunuel
.
[17]
The original members of the Band performed "The Weight" as an
American Southern
folk song
with
country music
(vocals, guitars and drums) and
gospel music
(piano and organ) elements. The lyrics, written in the
first person
, are about a traveler's arrival, visit, and departure from a town called Nazareth, in which the traveler's friend, Fanny, has asked him to look up some of her friends. According to Robertson, Fanny is based on
Frances "Fanny" Steloff
, the founder of a New York City bookstore where he explored scripts by Bunuel.
[18]
The town is related to Nazareth, Pennsylvania, because it was the home of
Martin Guitars
. (Robertson wrote the guitar parts on a 1951
Martin D-28
.)
[17]
[18]
The singers, led by Helm, vocalize the traveler's encounters with people in the town from the perspective of a
Bible Belt
American Southerner,
[19]
like Helm himself, a native of rural
Arkansas
.
The characters in "The Weight" were based on real people that members of the Band knew, as Helm explained in his autobiography,
This Wheel's on Fire
. In particular, "young Anna Lee" mentioned in the third verse is Helm's longtime friend Anna Lee Amsden,
[20]
and, according to her, "Carmen" was from Helm's hometown,
Turkey Scratch, Arkansas
.
[21]
"Crazy Chester" was an eccentric resident of Fayetteville, Arkansas, who carried a cap gun.
Ronnie Hawkins
would tell him to "keep the peace" at his Rockwood Club when Chester arrived.
According to Robertson, "The Weight" was inspired by the movies of Spanish filmmaker Luis Bunuel, whose films are known for their
surreal imagery
and criticism of organized religion, particularly Catholicism. The song's lyrics and music invoke vivid imagery, the main character's perspective is influenced by the
Bible
, and the episodic story was inspired by the predicaments Bunuel's film characters faced that undermined their goals for maintaining or improving their moral character. Of this, Robertson once stated:
(Bunuel) did so many films on the impossibility of sainthood. People trying to be good in
Viridiana
and
Nazarin
, people trying to do their thing. In "The Weight" it's the same thing. People like Bunuel would make films that had these religious connotations to them but it wasn't necessarily a religious meaning. In Bunuel there were these people trying to be good and it's impossible to be good. In "The Weight" it was this very simple thing. Someone says, "Listen, would you do me this favour? When you get there will you say 'hello' to somebody or will you give somebody this or will you pick up one of these for me? Oh? You're going to Nazareth, that's where the Martin guitar factory is. Do me a favour when you're there." This is what it's all about. So the guy goes and one thing leads to another and it's like "Holy shit, what's this turned into? I've only come here to say 'hello' for somebody and I've got myself in this incredible predicament." It was very Bunuelish to me at the time.
[22]
Personnel
[
edit
]
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of
A Musical History
.
[23]
Songwriting credit dispute
[
edit
]
The songwriting credit to Robbie Robertson for "The Weight", like credit for many of the songs performed by the Band, was disputed years later by Levon Helm. Helm insisted that the composition of the lyrics and the music was collaborative, declaring that each band member made a substantial contribution. In an interview, Helm credited Robertson with 60 percent of the lyrics, Danko and Manuel with 20 percent each of the lyrics, much of the music credit to
Garth Hudson
, and a small credit to himself for lyrics.
[24]
Versions by other artists
[
edit
]
- Jackie DeShannon
recorded "The Weight" for her 1968 album
Laurel Canyon
. Released as a single, it reached number 55 on the
Billboard
Hot 100
on September 28, 1968.
[25]
- The Staple Singers
recorded it, which was released on their 1968 album
Soul Folk in Action
. Later, as part of the production of the concert film
The Last Waltz
, the group recorded a performance of the song with the Band,
[26]
and the song has continued to be closely associated with Mavis Staples.
[27]
- Aretha Franklin
released a cover of "The Weight" in 1969, with
Duane Allman
on
slide guitar
,
[28]
that reached number 19 on the
Billboard
Hot 100 and number four on its
Rhythm & Blues Singles
chart on March 22, 1969.
[29]
The song is included on her 1970 album
This Girl's in Love with You
.
[28]
- In 1969,
Diana Ross & the Supremes
and
the Temptations
recorded a version of "The Weight" for their album
Together
.
[30]
Released as a single, it appeared on several charts, including numbers 46 on
Billboard
magazine's
Hot 100
and 33 on its
Best Selling Soul Singles
charts.
[31]
[a]
- In 2006, Canadian
country music
artist
Aaron Pritchett
covered "The Weight" on his album
Big Wheel
. It was released as a single and reached number six on the
Billboard
Canada Country
chart,
[36]
and number 90 on the
Canadian Hot 100
.
[37]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Fontenot, Robert.
"What is Country Rock?"
. ThoughtCo.
About.com
. Retrieved
March 12,
2017
.
- ^
Bruce Pollock (August 26, 2005).
Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock and Roll Era
. Routledge. p. 398.
ISBN
9780415970730
.
- ^
Valdez, Steve (2014). "Folk rock". In Henderson, Lol; Stacey, Lee (eds.).
Encyclopedia of Music in the 20th Century
. London: Routledge. p. 223.
ISBN
978-1-135-92946-6
.
- ^
"The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time"
. RollingStone.com. Archived from
the original
on April 16, 2007
. Retrieved
2007-06-02
.
- ^
"The 200 Greatest Songs of the Sixties"
.
Pitchfork
. August 18, 2006. Archived from
the original
on 17 March 2009
. Retrieved
2022-11-06
.
- ^
"500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll: 'The Weight' – The Band"
.
Rockhall.com
. 1995. Archived from
the original
on July 4, 2007
. Retrieved
September 20,
2022
.
- ^
Leahey, Andrew
(2012-11-08).
"Watch 'The Weight' From Austin City Limits' Americana Awards Episode"
.
American Songwriter
. Retrieved
2016-10-02
.
- ^
"PBS Arts : Levon Helm Performs the Weight"
.
PBS
. Archived from
the original
on 2012-04-13
. Retrieved
2013-01-06
.
- ^
Joel Whitburn's
Top Pop Singles
8th edition
- ^
"KHJ's 'Boss 30' Records In Southern California! Official Issue No. 163"
. KHJ. 1968-08-14
. Retrieved
2019-08-29
.
- ^
"CashBox Record Reviews"
(PDF)
.
Cash Box
. August 17, 1968. p. 18
. Retrieved
2022-01-12
.
- ^
Beviglia, Jim (14 July 2021).
"The Top 20 Songs Of The Band"
.
American Songwriter
. Retrieved
April 29,
2022
.
- ^
Bracy, Timothy; Bracy, Elizabeth (May 3, 2013).
"The 10 Best The Band Songs"
.
Stereogum
. Retrieved
April 29,
2022
.
- ^
Kubernik, Harvey (2006).
Hollywood Shack Job: Rock Music in Films & on Your Screen
. UNM Press. p. 105.
ISBN
9780826335425
.
- ^
Ruhlmann, William.
"Easy Rider (Music from the Soundtrack)"
.
AllMusic
. AllMusic, Netaktion LLC
. Retrieved
18 October
2020
.
- ^
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band
- ^
a
b
Myers, Marc
(November 29, 2016).
"
'The Weight' by the Band's Robbie Robertson"
.
The Wall Street Journal
.
Archived
from the original on November 12, 2022
. Retrieved
September 9,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
Rogovoy, Seth (December 2016).
"One of the Greatest Rock and Roll Songs of All Time was Inspired by a Jewish Bookseller"
.
Forward
. Retrieved
1 Sep
2022
.
- ^
Margolis, Lynne (2012-08-30).
"No False Bones: The Legacy of Levon Helm"
.
American Songwriter
. p. 2
. Retrieved
2016-10-02
.
- ^
Guarino, Mark (March?April 2008).
"Keeping Anna Lee Company"
. Screen Door.
No Depression
. No. 74. Archived from
the original
on 2013-07-29
. Retrieved
2013-01-26
.
- ^
Guarino, Mark (20 April 2012).
"Levon Helm and The Band: a rock parable of fame, betrayal, and redemption"
.
The Christian Science Monitor
. Retrieved
26 October
2023
.
- ^
Grogan, Jake (2018).
Origins of a Song
. Kennebunkport, Maine: Cider Mill Press Books. pp. 49?50.
ISBN
978-1604337754
.
- ^
The Band: A Musical History
(CD). The Band. Capitol Records. 2005. 72435-77409-0-6 CCAP77409-6.
{{
cite AV media notes
}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link
)
- ^
Getlen, Larry (2012-04-19).
"Larry Getlen's Random Thoughts: Levon Helm, RIP"
.
Larrygetlen.com
. Archived from
the original
on 2017-02-25
. Retrieved
2016-10-02
.
- ^
"Hot 100".
Billboard
. Vol. 80, no. 39. September 28, 1968. p. 82.
ISSN
0006-2510
.
- ^
Green, Elon (2014-06-17).
"Mavis Staples Remembers Singing "The Weight"
"
.
The New Yorker
.
ISSN
0028-792X
. Retrieved
2023-08-10
.
- ^
"Mavis Staples' All-Star Cover of 'The Weight' Brought the House Down"
.
Uproxx
. March 28, 2017
. Retrieved
2023-08-10
.
- ^
a
b
Unterberger, Richie
.
"
This Girl's in Love with You
– Review"
.
AllMusic
. Retrieved
August 24,
2023
.
- ^
"Hot 100, Rhythm & Blues Singles".
Billboard
. Vol. 81, no. 12. March 22, 1969. pp. 72, 24.
ISSN
0006-2510
.
- ^
"www.allmusic.com"
.
allmusic.com
. Retrieved
September 21,
2023
.
- ^
Whitburn, Joel
(1988). "The Supremes".
Top R&B Singles 1942?1988
. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin:
Record Research
. p. 396.
ISBN
0-89820-068-7
.
- ^
"RPM 100"
.
RPM
. No. 6093. p. 5 – via
Library and Archives Canada
.
- ^
"Cash Box Top 100 Singles"
.
Cashbox
. October 4, 1969
. Retrieved
December 31,
2020
.
- ^
"100 Top Pops: Week of September 27, 1969"
(PDF)
.
Record World
. September 27, 1969
. Retrieved
January 29,
2021
.
- ^
"Top 50 R&B: Week of October 11, 1969"
(PDF)
.
Record World
. October 11, 1969. p. 41
. Retrieved
January 29,
2021
.
- ^
"Aaron Pritchett Chart History (Canada Country)"
.
Billboard
. Archived from
the original
on November 18, 2021
. Retrieved
December 22,
2023
.
- ^
"Aaron Pritchett Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)"
.
Billboard
. Retrieved
July 9,
2021
.
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Related
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- Discography
- Bob Dylan
- Bob Dylan World Tour 1966
- Bob Dylan and the Band 1974 Tour
- Cate Brothers
- Ronnie Hawkins
- The Weight Band
- Big Pink
- Shangri-La
- List of
Basement Tapes
songs
- List of
Basement Tapes
songs (1975)
- So Many Roads
(1965, Helm, Hudson, Robertson)
- The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album
(1975, Helm, Hudson)
- No Reason to Cry
(1976, Danko, Helm, Hudson, Manuel, Robertson)
- Let It Rock
(1995, Bell, Ciarlante, Danko, Helm, Hudson, Weider)
- Carry Me Home
(2022, Helm, Weider)
- Endless Highway: The Music of the Band
- The Complete Last Waltz
- This Wheel's on Fire: Levon Helm and the Story of the Band
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