The members of The Band first worked together as The Hawks, the backing band of rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins from 1959 until 1963. Afterwards, Bob Dylan recruited the quintet for his history-making 1965/1966 world tour and they joined him on the informal recordings that became the acclaimed Basement Tapes.
Dubbed "The Band" by their peers, the group left the comfort of their communal home in Saugerties, NY to begin recording as a group unto themselves. The Band recorded two of the most important albums of the late 1960s: their 1968 debut Music from Big Pink (featuring the hit single "The Weight") and 1969's The Band. These critically praised albums helped conceive country rock as something more than a genre, but rather as a celebration of "Americana." As such, throughout their career they would repopularize traditional American musical forms during the psychedelic era. The Band dissolved in 1976; Martin Scorcese's landmark concert film "The Last Waltz" documented their final performance. They reformed in 1983 without founding guitarist and main songwriter Robbie Robertson.
Although always more popular with music journalists and fellow musicians than the general public, The Band has remained an admired and influential group. They have been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Their music fused many elements: primarily old country music and early rock and roll, though the rhythm section often had a bouncy, funky punch reminiscent of Stax or Motown, and Robertson cites Curtis Mayfield and the Staple Singers as major influences. At its best, however, The Band's music was an organic synthesis of many musical genres which became more than the sum of its parts. The group's songwriting was also remarkable as, unlike much earlier rock and roll, and following upon the example set previously by The Byrds, very few of their early compositions were based on conventional blues and doo-wop chord changes.
The Band comprised Robbie Robertson (guitar); Richard Manuel (piano, harmonica, drums, saxophone); Garth Hudson (organ, piano, clavinet, accordion, synthesizer, saxophone); Rick Danko (bass guitar, violin, trombone); and Levon Helm (drums, mandolin, guitar, bass guitar) Excepting Robertson, all were multi-instrumentalists; each person's primary instrument is listed first. There was little instrument-switching when they played live, but when recording, the musicians could offer all manner of subtle aural colors and textures to enhance songs. Hudson in particular was able to coax an impressive range of timbres from his Lowrey electronic organ; on the choruses of "Tears of Rage", for example, it sounds startlingly like a mellotron. Helm's drumming was rarely flashy, but he was often praised for his subtlety and funkiness. Critic Jon Carroll famously declared that Helm was "the only drummer who can make you cry," while prolific session drummer Jim Keltner admits to appropriating several of Helm's techniques.
Singers Manuel, Danko, and Helm each brought a distinctive voice to The Band: Helm's gritty, southern voice had more than a hint of country, Danko sang in a soaring, unfettered tenor, and Manuel alternated between fragile falsetto and a wounded baritone. The singers regularly blended in unorthodox, but uncommonly effective harmonies. Though the singing was more or less evenly shared between the three men, both Danko and Helm have stated that they saw Manuel as the Band's "lead" singer.
Robertson was the unit's chief songwriter (though he sang lead vocals on only three or four songs in The Band's career). This role, and Robertson's resulting claim to the copyright of most of the compositions, would become a point of much antipathy between the group's members, especially between Robertson and Helm.
Producer John Simon is cited as a "sixth member" of The Band for producing and playing on Music from Big Pink, co-producing and playing on The Band, and playing on other songs up through The Band's 1993 reunion album Jericho.
On 10 December 1999 is when Rick Danko died in his sleep at age 56. He had been a long-time drug user. In 1997 he had been found guilty of trying to smuggle heroin into Japan. He told the presiding judge that he had begun using the drug (together with prescription morphine) to fight life-long pain resulting from a 1968 auto accident. No drugs were found in his system at the time of his death. Following the death of Rick Danko, The Band broke up for good.
Levon Helm died on 19 April 2012 from complications of throat cancer.
Torn
The Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You don't love me, would love be my saving grace?
You don't love me, aah ah ah
It's still too young, it's a child like dream and it fades away
It's illusion, would love put in my place
Illusion, aah ah ah
The delusional
The delusional
Now I'm going nowhere
You don't love me, what's to love anyway?
You don't love me, would love be my saving grace?
You don't love me, aah ah ah
Now I'm going nowhere
Oh yeah yeah yeah I'm going nowhere
Oh yeah yeah yeah I'm going nowhere
Oh yeah yeah yeah I'm going nowhere
Put my torn red heart
Put my torn red heart
In these lyrics, The Band explores the theme of unrequited love and the feelings of disillusionment and hopelessness that come with it. The repetition of "You don't love me" emphasizes the singer's realization that their love is not reciprocated. They question the concept of love and whether it is worth holding onto, wondering "what's to love anyway?"
The line "would love be my saving grace?" suggests that the singer, despite the lack of love they receive, still clings to the hope that love could bring them healing and redemption. They seem to be in search of something that can fill the void created by the absence of love. However, they are met with disappointment as the love they yearn for continues to elude them.
The mention of the fading childlike dream symbolizes the fleeting nature of the singer's hope for love. It highlights the fact that their idealized vision of love is just an illusion. The repeated refrain of "illusion" further emphasizes this point, suggesting that the singer is starting to recognize the illusory nature of their desires.
The use of the term "the delusional" seems to refer to the singer themselves, acknowledging that they have been living in a state of delusion, holding onto a love that is not there. This realization further contributes to their sense of despair and their feeling of going nowhere.
The repetition of "Now I'm going nowhere" reflects the singer's resignation and acceptance that their love will not bear fruit. It conveys a sense of defeat and a realization that they need to let go and move on from this unrequited love. The final line, "Put my torn red heart," suggests that the singer's heart has been wounded and damaged by this unfulfilled love, symbolizing their pain and heartbreak.
Overall, these lyrics convey the emotions of unrequited love, the yearning for love's saving power, the recognition of its illusory nature, and the eventual acceptance of the reality that the singer's love is not returned.
Line by Line Meaning
You don't love me, what's to love anyway?
You don't have genuine affection for me, so what is there about me that could be loved?
You don't love me, would love be my saving grace?
If you did love me, would that love be the thing that rescues me from my current state?
You don't love me, aah ah ah
You continue to not love me, a lack of affection evident in my life.
It's still too young, it's a child like dream and it fades away
The love that is present is not strong or mature enough, it's like a fleeting dream that diminishes over time.
It's illusion, would love put in my place
This feeling of love is nothing more than a deceptive illusion, questioning if it has any power to bring fulfillment.
Illusion, aah ah ah
This illusion persists, with no substantial affection felt.
The delusional
The one feeling deceived or misled in this situation.
The delusional
The one feeling deceived or misled in this situation.
Oh yeah yeah I'm going nowhere
Expressing the feeling of being stuck without progress or advancement.
Now I'm going nowhere
Currently, there is no direction or purpose in my life.
Put my torn red heart
Symbolically placing one's broken and wounded heart.
Put my torn red heart
Symbolically placing one's broken and wounded heart.
Lyrics © Red Brick Music Publishing
Written by: Mark Lanegan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind