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Crucifixion (song)

January 01, 1970

For the American traditional song sometimes called "Crucifixion", see He Never Said a Mumblin' Word.

"Crucifixion" (sometimes titled "The Crucifixion") is a 1966 song by Phil Ochs, a US singer-songwriter. Ochs described the song as "the greatest song I've ever written".[2]

"Crucifixion"
Song by Phil Ochs
from the album Pleasures of the Harbor
Published1966
Released1967
GenrePsychedelic folk,[1] topical song
Length8:45
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)Phil Ochs
Producer(s)Larry Marks

The song edit

Ochs wrote "Crucifixion" during a two-hour car ride in the middle of his November 1965 concert tour of the UK[3][4] According to Ochs's manager, Arthur Gorson, the composer was "wary" of how his audience might react to the new song because it did not have an explicit political message.[5] He need not have worried; his first public performance of "Crucifixion" was greeted by a standing ovation.[6]

The song is about the rise and fall of a hero, and the public's role in creating, destroying, and deifying its heroes. The first verse describes an event of cosmic proportions: "the universe explodes", "planets are paralyzed, [and] mountains are amazed" by the raising of a falling star. In the second stanza, a baby is born; the child has been "chosen for a challenge that is hopelessly hard", to redeem the world.[7][8] The third and fourth verses describe the hero's development: he has the insight that "beneath the greatest love, there's a hurricane of hate", yet he is driven to spread his message of redemption despite the tremendous difficulty.[9][10]

The fifth and sixth stanzas describe the public acceptance of the hero's message and their adoration of the hero, but warns that "success is an enemy to the losers of the day" and that the people who are applauding the hero are salivating for his destruction. The hero's downfall comes in the seventh verse, when "the gentle soul is ripped apart and tossed into the fire". The eighth stanza quotes the public's reaction to the hero's destruction: "Who would want to hurt such a hero?" "I knew he had to fall." "How did it happen?" "Tell me every detail."[11][12] In the ninth and tenth verses, the hero's myth grows as the public's memory of the events fades, and his message is sterilized; the cycle has ended. "Crucifixion" ends with a repetition of the first stanza, suggesting the birth of a new hero.[13][14]

"Crucifixion" usually is interpreted by listeners as an allegory likening the life and assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy to the career of Jesus,[10][15][16][17] although Ochs intentionally chose not to tie the title directly to the famous crucifixion, allowing the listener to understand that "the same tragic sacrifice recurs throughout history".[18] In 1973, Ochs explained "Crucifixion" to Studs Terkel. In the distant past, Ochs said, the people would sacrifice a healthy young man to the gods; today, things were the same.

The Kennedy assassination, in a way, was destroying our best in some kind of ritual. People say they really love the reformer, they love the radical, but they want to see him killed. It's a certain part of the human psyche—the dark side of the human psyche.[10]

Critical response to "Crucifixion" was mixed. A writer at Beat described the song as "Ochs' most important work to date"[19] and Billboard wrote that it was "very hip".[20] Robert Christgau, however, wrote that the song "suffer[s] from elephantiasis of the ambitions".[21] In March 1967, U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy and journalist Jack Newfield met Ochs, who sang "Crucifixion" for them; when Kennedy realized the song was about his brother, tears came to his eyes.[22][23]

Recordings edit

The first recording of "Crucifixion" was released in 1966 by Jim and Jean, a musical duo made up of Ochs's college friend Jim Glover and Glover's wife, Jean Ray.[24]

Recordings by Ochs edit

Ochs released a densely arranged version of the song on his 1967 album Pleasures of the Harbor. Three acoustic versions of the song performed by Ochs were released after his death.

Pleasures of the Harbor version edit

Joseph Byrd was invited by Ochs and Record producer Larry Marks to arrange "Crucifixion". Byrd recalled:

Phil asked me to arrange the song. I really didn't think it should be arranged, because its power is in the simplicity of the lyric. But he wanted the kitchen sink: Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Cage, electronic sound.[25]

The resulting arrangement included brass instruments, flutes, strings, organ, electric harpsichord, percussion, backward tapes, and electronic oscillations.[15][25]

Opinions concerning Byrd's arrangement vary. Mark Brend describes it as "one of the most audacious arrangements in all of pop music" and "one of the great moments of experimentation in all of 1960s pop music".[25] Jeremy Simmonds writes that the production "diluted" the song.[26] Richie Unterberger says the arrangement "works against the song";[27] both Unterberger and Christgau compare Ochs's recording unfavorably to that of Jim and Jean.[24][28]

Ochs defended the orchestration when the album was released, but years later he confided in his brother that he felt it had been a failure.[29]

Acoustic versions edit

An acoustic version of "Crucifixion", consisting of Ochs accompanying himself on guitar, was recorded on March 13, 1969, in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was released in 1991 on There and Now: Live in Vancouver 1968 [sic].[30]

Another acoustic version of the song was recorded at New York City's Carnegie Hall on March 27, 1970. Portions of the concert were released in 1975 as Gunfight at Carnegie Hall. This acoustic version was first issued on the 1976 compilation Chords of Fame, released shortly after Ochs's death. It is also included in the 1997 box set Farewells & Fantasies.[31]

A third acoustic version of "Crucifixion" was released on the 1976 compilation Sings for Broadside. It is believed to have been recorded at Vassar College on October 12, 1974.[32]

Cover versions edit

"Crucifixion" has been covered by several performers beside Jim and Jean, including Greg Greenway, Jeannie Lewis, David Massengill, Garnet Rogers, Anna Coogan and Glenn Yarbrough.[33][34]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Hainey, Kevin (August 1, 2004). "Psych-Folk Confidential". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  2. ^ Eliot, Marc (1989) [1979]. Death of a Rebel: A Biography of Phil Ochs. New York: Franklin Watts. p. 110. ISBN 0-531-15111-5.
  3. ^ Doggett, Peter (2007). There's a Riot Going On: Revolutionaries, Rock Stars, and the Rise and Fall of the '60s. New York: Canongate. p. 64. ISBN 978-1-84767-180-6.
  4. ^ Schumacher, Michael (1996). There But for Fortune: The Life of Phil Ochs. New York: Hyperion. pp. 109–110. ISBN 0-7868-6084-7.
  5. ^ Doggett (2007). There's a Riot Going On. Canongate. p. 65. ISBN 9781847671806.
  6. ^ Eliot. Death of a Rebel. pp. 111–112.
  7. ^ Niemi, Robert (Winter 1993). "JFK as Jesus: The Politics of Myth in Phil Ochs' 'Crucifixion'". Journal of American Culture. 16 (4): 37. doi:10.1111/j.1542-734X.1993.00035.x.
  8. ^ Schumacher. There But for Fortune. p. 109.
  9. ^ Niemi. "JFK as Jesus". Journal of American Culture: 37–38.
  10. ^ a b c Schumacher. There But for Fortune. p. 110.
  11. ^ Niemi. "JFK as Jesus". Journal of American Culture: 38.
  12. ^ Eliot. Death of a Rebel. p. 111.
  13. ^ Niemi. "JFK as Jesus". Journal of American Culture: 39.
  14. ^ Eliot. Death of a Rebel. p. 123.
  15. ^ a b Brend, Mark (2001). American Troubadours: Groundbreaking Singer-Songwriters of the 60s. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. p. 106. ISBN 0-87930-641-6.
  16. ^ DeLeon, David (1994). Leaders from the 1960s: A Biographical Sourcebook of American Activism. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. p. 424. ISBN 0-313-27414-2.
  17. ^ Harris, James F. (1993). Philosophy at 33 1/3 rpm: Themes of Classic Rock Music. Chicago: Open Court. p. 230. ISBN 0-8126-9241-1.
  18. ^ Niemi. "JFK as Jesus". Journal of American Culture: 37, 39.
  19. ^ "Turning On", Beat, December 30, 1967. cited in Cohen, David (1999). Phil Ochs: A Bio-Bibliography. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. p. 112. ISBN 0-313-31029-7.
  20. ^ "Album Reviews: Folk Spotlight", Billboard, November 4, 1967. cited in Eliot. Death of a Rebel. pp. 137–138.
  21. ^ Christgau, Robert (September 1969). "Rock Critics". Harper's Magazine. Retrieved March 3, 2010.
  22. ^ Newfield, Jack (2002). Somebody's Gotta Tell It: A Journalist's Life on the Lines. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 176–178. ISBN 0-312-26900-5.
  23. ^ Gates, Anita (June 7, 1998). "The Private Side of a Political Story". The New York Times. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
  24. ^ a b Unterberger, Richie (2002). Turn! Turn! Turn!: The '60s Folk-Rock Revolution. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. p. 204. ISBN 0-87930-703-X.
  25. ^ a b c Brend, Mark (2005). Strange Sounds: Offbeat Instruments and Sonic Experiments in Pop. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. p. 93. ISBN 0-87930-855-9.
  26. ^ Simmonds, Jeremy (2008) [2006]. The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars: Heroin, Handguns, and Ham Sandwiches. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. p. 87. ISBN 978-1-55652-754-8.
  27. ^ Unterberger, Richie (2003). Eight Miles High: Folk-Rock's Flight from Haight-Ashbury to Woodstock. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. p. 94. ISBN 0-87930-743-9.
  28. ^ Christgau, Robert (May 1968). "Dylan-Beatles-Stones-Donovan-Who, Dionne Warwick and Dusty Springfield, John Fred, California". Esquire. Retrieved March 3, 2010.
  29. ^ Schumacher. There But for Fortune. p. 162.
  30. ^ Cohen. Phil Ochs. pp. 199–200.
  31. ^ Cohen. Phil Ochs. pp. 196–197, 202–205.
  32. ^ Cohen. Phil Ochs. pp. 194–195, 225.
  33. ^ Cohen. Phil Ochs. pp. 284, 287, 293.
  34. ^ Healy, Barry (July 29, 1998). "What Phil Ochs Heard". Green Left Weekly. Retrieved November 2, 2010.

Further reading edit

  • Niemi, Robert (Winter 1993). "JFK as Jesus: The Politics of Myth in Phil Ochs' 'Crucifixion'". Journal of American Culture. 16 (4): 35–40. doi:10.1111/j.1542-734X.1993.00035.x.

External links edit

  • Phil Ochs performing "Crucifixion" at Dailymotion (begins at 3:40)

January 01, 1970
crucifixion, song, american, traditional, song, sometimes, called, crucifixion, never, said, mumblin, word, crucifixion, sometimes, titled, crucifixion, 1966, song, phil, ochs, singer, songwriter, ochs, described, song, greatest, song, ever, written, crucifixi. For the American traditional song sometimes called Crucifixion see He Never Said a Mumblin Word Crucifixion sometimes titled The Crucifixion is a 1966 song by Phil Ochs a US singer songwriter Ochs described the song as the greatest song I ve ever written 2 Crucifixion Song by Phil Ochsfrom the album Pleasures of the HarborPublished1966Released1967GenrePsychedelic folk 1 topical songLength8 45LabelA amp MSongwriter s Phil OchsProducer s Larry Marks Contents 1 The song 2 Recordings 2 1 Recordings by Ochs 2 1 1 Pleasures of the Harbor version 2 1 2 Acoustic versions 2 2 Cover versions 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External linksThe song editOchs wrote Crucifixion during a two hour car ride in the middle of his November 1965 concert tour of the UK 3 4 According to Ochs s manager Arthur Gorson the composer was wary of how his audience might react to the new song because it did not have an explicit political message 5 He need not have worried his first public performance of Crucifixion was greeted by a standing ovation 6 The song is about the rise and fall of a hero and the public s role in creating destroying and deifying its heroes The first verse describes an event of cosmic proportions the universe explodes planets are paralyzed and mountains are amazed by the raising of a falling star In the second stanza a baby is born the child has been chosen for a challenge that is hopelessly hard to redeem the world 7 8 The third and fourth verses describe the hero s development he has the insight that beneath the greatest love there s a hurricane of hate yet he is driven to spread his message of redemption despite the tremendous difficulty 9 10 The fifth and sixth stanzas describe the public acceptance of the hero s message and their adoration of the hero but warns that success is an enemy to the losers of the day and that the people who are applauding the hero are salivating for his destruction The hero s downfall comes in the seventh verse when the gentle soul is ripped apart and tossed into the fire The eighth stanza quotes the public s reaction to the hero s destruction Who would want to hurt such a hero I knew he had to fall How did it happen Tell me every detail 11 12 In the ninth and tenth verses the hero s myth grows as the public s memory of the events fades and his message is sterilized the cycle has ended Crucifixion ends with a repetition of the first stanza suggesting the birth of a new hero 13 14 Crucifixion usually is interpreted by listeners as an allegory likening the life and assassination of U S President John F Kennedy to the career of Jesus 10 15 16 17 although Ochs intentionally chose not to tie the title directly to the famous crucifixion allowing the listener to understand that the same tragic sacrifice recurs throughout history 18 In 1973 Ochs explained Crucifixion to Studs Terkel In the distant past Ochs said the people would sacrifice a healthy young man to the gods today things were the same The Kennedy assassination in a way was destroying our best in some kind of ritual People say they really love the reformer they love the radical but they want to see him killed It s a certain part of the human psyche the dark side of the human psyche 10 Critical response to Crucifixion was mixed A writer at Beat described the song as Ochs most important work to date 19 and Billboard wrote that it was very hip 20 Robert Christgau however wrote that the song suffer s from elephantiasis of the ambitions 21 In March 1967 U S Senator Robert F Kennedy and journalist Jack Newfield met Ochs who sang Crucifixion for them when Kennedy realized the song was about his brother tears came to his eyes 22 23 Recordings editThe first recording of Crucifixion was released in 1966 by Jim and Jean a musical duo made up of Ochs s college friend Jim Glover and Glover s wife Jean Ray 24 Recordings by Ochs edit Ochs released a densely arranged version of the song on his 1967 album Pleasures of the Harbor Three acoustic versions of the song performed by Ochs were released after his death Pleasures of the Harbor version edit Joseph Byrd was invited by Ochs and Record producer Larry Marks to arrange Crucifixion Byrd recalled Phil asked me to arrange the song I really didn t think it should be arranged because its power is in the simplicity of the lyric But he wanted the kitchen sink Schoenberg Stravinsky Cage electronic sound 25 The resulting arrangement included brass instruments flutes strings organ electric harpsichord percussion backward tapes and electronic oscillations 15 25 Opinions concerning Byrd s arrangement vary Mark Brend describes it as one of the most audacious arrangements in all of pop music and one of the great moments of experimentation in all of 1960s pop music 25 Jeremy Simmonds writes that the production diluted the song 26 Richie Unterberger says the arrangement works against the song 27 both Unterberger and Christgau compare Ochs s recording unfavorably to that of Jim and Jean 24 28 Ochs defended the orchestration when the album was released but years later he confided in his brother that he felt it had been a failure 29 Acoustic versions edit An acoustic version of Crucifixion consisting of Ochs accompanying himself on guitar was recorded on March 13 1969 in Vancouver British Columbia It was released in 1991 on There and Now Live in Vancouver 1968 sic 30 Another acoustic version of the song was recorded at New York City s Carnegie Hall on March 27 1970 Portions of the concert were released in 1975 as Gunfight at Carnegie Hall This acoustic version was first issued on the 1976 compilation Chords of Fame released shortly after Ochs s death It is also included in the 1997 box set Farewells amp Fantasies 31 A third acoustic version of Crucifixion was released on the 1976 compilation Sings for Broadside It is believed to have been recorded at Vassar College on October 12 1974 32 Cover versions edit Crucifixion has been covered by several performers beside Jim and Jean including Greg Greenway Jeannie Lewis David Massengill Garnet Rogers Anna Coogan and Glenn Yarbrough 33 34 See also editCultural depictions of John F KennedyReferences edit Hainey Kevin August 1 2004 Psych Folk Confidential Exclaim ca Retrieved October 25 2019 Eliot Marc 1989 1979 Death of a Rebel A Biography of Phil Ochs New York Franklin Watts p 110 ISBN 0 531 15111 5 Doggett Peter 2007 There s a Riot Going On Revolutionaries Rock Stars and the Rise and Fall of the 60s New York Canongate p 64 ISBN 978 1 84767 180 6 Schumacher Michael 1996 There But for Fortune The Life of Phil Ochs New York Hyperion pp 109 110 ISBN 0 7868 6084 7 Doggett 2007 There s a Riot Going On Canongate p 65 ISBN 9781847671806 Eliot Death of a Rebel pp 111 112 Niemi Robert Winter 1993 JFK as Jesus The Politics of Myth in Phil Ochs Crucifixion Journal of American Culture 16 4 37 doi 10 1111 j 1542 734X 1993 00035 x Schumacher There But for Fortune p 109 Niemi JFK as Jesus Journal of American Culture 37 38 a b c Schumacher There But for Fortune p 110 Niemi JFK as Jesus Journal of American Culture 38 Eliot Death of a Rebel p 111 Niemi JFK as Jesus Journal of American Culture 39 Eliot Death of a Rebel p 123 a b Brend Mark 2001 American Troubadours Groundbreaking Singer Songwriters of the 60s San Francisco Backbeat Books p 106 ISBN 0 87930 641 6 DeLeon David 1994 Leaders from the 1960s A Biographical Sourcebook of American Activism Westport Conn Greenwood Press p 424 ISBN 0 313 27414 2 Harris James F 1993 Philosophy at 33 1 3 rpm Themes of Classic Rock Music Chicago Open Court p 230 ISBN 0 8126 9241 1 Niemi JFK as Jesus Journal of American Culture 37 39 Turning On Beat December 30 1967 cited in Cohen David 1999 Phil Ochs A Bio Bibliography Westport Conn Greenwood Press p 112 ISBN 0 313 31029 7 Album Reviews Folk Spotlight Billboard November 4 1967 cited in Eliot Death of a Rebel pp 137 138 Christgau Robert September 1969 Rock Critics Harper s Magazine Retrieved March 3 2010 Newfield Jack 2002 Somebody s Gotta Tell It A Journalist s Life on the Lines New York St Martin s Press pp 176 178 ISBN 0 312 26900 5 Gates Anita June 7 1998 The Private Side of a Political Story The New York Times Retrieved March 1 2010 a b Unterberger Richie 2002 Turn Turn Turn The 60s Folk Rock Revolution San Francisco Backbeat Books p 204 ISBN 0 87930 703 X a b c Brend Mark 2005 Strange Sounds Offbeat Instruments and Sonic Experiments in Pop San Francisco Backbeat Books p 93 ISBN 0 87930 855 9 Simmonds Jeremy 2008 2006 The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars Heroin Handguns and Ham Sandwiches Chicago Chicago Review Press p 87 ISBN 978 1 55652 754 8 Unterberger Richie 2003 Eight Miles High Folk Rock s Flight from Haight Ashbury to Woodstock San Francisco Backbeat Books p 94 ISBN 0 87930 743 9 Christgau Robert May 1968 Dylan Beatles Stones Donovan Who Dionne Warwick and Dusty Springfield John Fred California Esquire Retrieved March 3 2010 Schumacher There But for Fortune p 162 Cohen Phil Ochs pp 199 200 Cohen Phil Ochs pp 196 197 202 205 Cohen Phil Ochs pp 194 195 225 Cohen Phil Ochs pp 284 287 293 Healy Barry July 29 1998 What Phil Ochs Heard Green Left Weekly Retrieved November 2 2010 Further reading editNiemi Robert Winter 1993 JFK as Jesus The Politics of Myth in Phil Ochs Crucifixion Journal of American Culture 16 4 35 40 doi 10 1111 j 1542 734X 1993 00035 x External links editPhil Ochs performing Crucifixion at Dailymotion begins at 3 40 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Crucifixion song amp oldid 1186963761, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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