Dalton, whose heritage was Cherokee, was born Karen J. Cariker in Enid, Oklahoma. Her bluesy, world-weary voice is often compared to that of iconic jazz singer Billie Holiday. She sang blues, folk, country, pop, Motown - making over each song in her own style. She played the twelve string Gibson guitar and a long neck banjo.
In his 2004 autobiography, Bob Dylan wrote this in his description of discovering and joining the music scene at Greenwich Village's Cafe Wha? after arriving in New York City, New York, United States in 1961: "My favorite singer in the place was Karen Dalton. Karen had a voice like Billie Holiday and played guitar like Jimmy Reed... I sang with her a couple of times."
Dalton's second album, In My Own Time (1971), was recorded at Bearsville Studios and originally released by Woodstock Festival promoter Michael Lang's label, Just Sunshine Records. The album was produced and arranged by Harvey Brooks, who played bass on it. (Harvey Brooks played bass also on the Miles Davis album Bitches Brew, on the Bob Dylan album Highway 61 Revisited and on the Richie Havens album Mixed Bag.) Piano player Richard Bell guested on In My Own Time. Its liner notes were written by Fred Neil and its cover photos were taken by Elliot Landy. Less well-known is Dalton's first album, It's So Hard to Tell Who's Going to Love You the Best (Capitol, 1969), which was re-released by Koch Records on CD in 1996.
Both Dalton's albums were re-released in November 2006: It's So Hard To Tell Who's Going To Love You The Best, on the French Megaphone-Music label, included a bonus DVD featuring rare performance footage of Dalton. In My Own Time was re-released on CD and LP on November 7, 2006 by Light In The Attic Records.
The version of the song Something on Your Mind (composed by Dino Valenti) that is sung by Dalton on her album In My Own Time is the soundtrack during the ending credits of the 2007 film Margot at the Wedding, which was written and directed by Noah Baumbach and starred Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
Known as "the folk singer's answer to Billie Holiday" and "Sweet Mother K.D.", Dalton is said to be the subject of the song Katie's Been Gone (composed by Richard Manuel and Robbie Robertson) on the album The Basement Tapes by The Band and Bob Dylan. She struggled with drugs and alcohol for many years. It has been widely reported that she died in 1993 on the streets of New York City after an eight-year battle with AIDS.
However, an article in Uncut magazine confirmed that Dalton was actually being cared for by the guitarist Peter Walker in upstate New York during her last months.
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A cult singer, 12-string guitarist, and banjo player of the New York 1960s folk revival, Karen Dalton still remains known to very few, despite counting the likes of Bob Dylan and Fred Neil among her acquaintances. This was partly because she seldom recorded, only making one album in the 1960s - and that didn't come out until 1969, although she had been known on the Greenwich Village circuit since the beginning of the decade. It was also partly because, unlike other folksingers of the era, she was an interpreter who did not record original material. And it was also because her voice - often compared to Billie Holiday, but with a rural twang - was too strange and inaccessible to pop audiences. Nik Venet, producer of her debut album, went as far as to remark in Goldmine, "She was very much like Billie Holiday. Let me say this, she wasn't Billie Holiday but she had that phrasing Holiday had and she was a remarkable one-of-a-kind type of thing.... Unfortunately, it's an acquired taste, you really have to look for the music."
Dalton grew up in Oklahoma, moving to New York around 1960. Peter Stampfel of the Holy Modal Rounders, who was in her backup band in the early '70s, points out in his liner notes to the CD reissue of her first album that "she was the only folk singer I ever met with an authentic 'folk' background. She came to the folk music scene under her own steam, as opposed to being 'discovered' and introduced to it by people already involved in it." There is a photograph from February 1961 (now printed on the back cover of the It's So Hard to Tell Who's Going to Love You the Best reissue) of Dalton singing and playing with Fred Neil and Bob Dylan, the latter of whom was barely known at the time. Unlike her friends she was unable to even capture a recording contract, spending much of the next few years roaming around North America.
Dalton was not comfortable in the studio, and her Capitol album It's So Hard to Tell Who's Going to Love You the Best came about when Nik Venet, who had tried unsuccessfully to record her several times, invited her to a Fred Neil session. He asked her to cut a Neil composition, "Little Bit of Rain," as a personal favor so he could have it in his private collection; that led to an entire album, recorded in one session, most of the tracks done in one take. Dalton recorded one more album in the early '70s, produced by Harvey Brooks (who had played on some '60s Dylan sessions). Done in Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, it, like her debut, had an eclectic assortment of traditional folk tunes, blues, covers of soul hits ("When a Man Loves a Woman," "How Sweet It Is"), and contemporary numbers by singer/songwriters (Dino Valente, the Band's Richard Manuel). The Band's "Katie's Been Gone," included on The Basement Tapes, is rumored to be about Dalton.
How Sweet It Is
Karen Dalton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How sweet it is to be loved by you
I needed the shelter of someone's arms and there you were
I needed someone to understand my ups and downs and there you were
With sweet love and devotion
Deeply touching my emotions
I want to stop and thank you baby
I want to stop and thank you baby
How sweet it is to be loved by you
I close my eyes at night
And wonder what would I be without you in my life
Everything was just a bore
All the things I did seems I'd done'em before
But you brighten up for me all of my days
With a love so sweet in so many ways
I want to stop and thank you baby
I want to stop and thank you baby
How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you
You were better to me than I've been to myself
For me, there's you and nobody else
I want to stop and thank you baby
I want to stop and thank you baby
How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you
The song "How Sweet It Is" by Karen Dalton is a beautiful ode to the feeling of being loved by someone. The singer expresses her gratitude towards the person who has given her the love and support she needed in her life. The repeated line "How sweet it is to be loved by you" serves as a simple yet powerful chorus that captures the essence of the song.
The lyrics talk about how the singer found comfort and shelter in the arms of her lover during her difficult times. The person understood her ups and downs and gave her sweet love and devotion that deepened the connection between them. The singer appreciates and acknowledges the value of love in her life and takes a moment to thank her partner for being there for her.
In the second verse, the singer reflects on the time before she met her lover when everything seemed dull and repetitive. But with this person in her life, she feels that her days are brighter and sweeter. She expresses her dependence on this love and how it has made her life more meaningful. The lyrics also convey the message that the person has been better to her than she has been to herself, which shows the impact of their love on her life.
Overall, "How Sweet It Is" is a beautiful love song that celebrates and honors the power of love and gratitude towards the person who has given it.
Line by Line Meaning
How sweet it is to be loved by you
It is a wonderful experience to be loved by you
I needed the shelter of someone's arms and there you were
I was in need of comfort and you provided me the support I needed
I needed someone to understand my ups and downs and there you were
I needed someone to empathize with my highs and lows and you were there to offer me comfort
With sweet love and devotion
You have been consistent in your love and commitment
Deeply touching my emotions
Your love has resonated deeply within me on an emotional level
I want to stop and thank you baby
I want to take a moment and express my gratitude to you
I close my eyes at night
At bedtime, I take a moment to reflect on my life
And wonder what would I be without you in my life
I think about the impact you have had on my life and how different it would be without you
Everything was just a bore
Before you came along, my life lacked excitement and enjoyment
All the things I did seems I'd done'em before
My actions felt repetitive and lacked novelty before I met you
But you brighten up for me all of my days
Your presence brings joy and light to every day of my life
With a love so sweet in so many ways
Your love is pure, genuine, and expressed in various meaningful ways
You were better to me than I've been to myself
You have treated me with more kindness and compassion than I have shown to myself
For me, there's you and nobody else
You are the only person in my life who matters to me
How sweet it is to be loved by you
It is a wonderful experience to be loved by you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Brian Holland, Edward Jr. Holland, Lamont Dozier
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ed Greenman
Amazing phrasing!
Taciturn Atmosphere
Karen <3
Matthew DeLisle
absolutely.
Papa Jeriko
biiiim