#Jamison was a manager and songwriter who discovered Wright and was largely responsible for his career success‚ writing most of his early

[mariocki]

Infinite list of favourite lyrics: 217/?

O. V. Wright - Everybody Knows (The River Song) (1965)

"I am so miserable,

I am so tired.

Oh, I just sit on the Mississippi River

And watch the fish swim by.

My life is so confused,

But I don't wanna die;

I wanna go to heaven,

But I'm scared to fly."

#favourite lyrics #o. v. wright #everybody knows #everybody knows (the river song) #roosevelt jamison #m. j. keep #(if it is) only for tonight #1965 #wright is a fairly new discovery for me but is currently featuring pretty heavily in my day to day playlist #finding out a little more about this song was something of a challenge; I'd taken it for perhaps a traditional song #perhaps even a spiritual with links to pre american civil war black folk music; apparently not bc this is credited to Keep and Jamison #Jamison was a manager and songwriter who discovered Wright and was largely responsible for his career success‚ writing most of his early #singles including notable hit That's How Strong My Love Is (better knownbin cover versions by Otis Redding and the Rolling Stones) #Wright and Jamison parted company somewhat acrimoniously later in the decade and it's fair to say that neither was quite as successful #without the other. m j keep is more mysterious; digging around online reveals only a single songwriting credit to that name‚ which is this #one. it could always be a pen name i suppose‚ or perhaps a person known to Jamison who helped with the composition; it's pretty useless to #wonder tho bc I'm unlikely to find out much more. wright himself isn't that well remembered today‚ although his work is sometimes sampled #by hiphop artists‚ and some later bigger artists would name him as an influence. it's understandable; the man had an incredible voice #a rich and emotive delivery which really sells the depth of pain that makes for a great blues song but without ever becoming too much #there's a touch of humour too (the opening lines particularly) #but there's something very simple and very beautiful about those final two lines I've quoted #some great insight into the human experience #wright struggled with addiction and criminal charges in later life which certainly hurt his career #he died‚ much too young‚ in 1980