Hello Again, (the tune formerly known as
New Song #3,) did not take the focus of my attention as much as its sister
songs that premiered on June 17th.
I found out where this bouncing pick-up truck ride down a dusty road in the south was taking us with help from the
lyrics to DMB's Hello Again which were put up on WeeklyDavespeak on June 20th.
As the lyrics suggest the song is about the guilt of a man who has killed his lover. That struck me with the curiosity of how Dave feels about the song, in relation to the untimely death of his sister, Anne. Is it therapeutic perhaps to hear this character, the narrator of the song, concede that he is not worthy to live? That is of course speculation. The inspiration for the song could very well be the ongoing Laci Peterson trial.
Many thanks to a fellow
Warehouse member that provided me with the link to the first performance of the new songs. I burnt them to a CD, in preparation for my streak of shows in late June and early July, and was glad to be able to share a preview of the new tunes while tailgating at the first Pittsburgh, PA show. On the morning of the second show at the Post-Gazette Pavilion,
Hello Again lived up to its name and its catchy chorus acted as an internal alarm clock.
Fan reaction seems very positive, considering that it is new, and in most cases fans prefer to hear something they can sing along to. I believe at the Darien Lake show on July 13th, we were treated to a glimpse of things to come for
Hello Again. Dave moved into the song through a very heart-felt bluesy introduction in which you could really feel the pain of the narrator. It was there that I felt like I was watching a movie about prison life in the south, in perhaps the 1920’s. It brings to mind many of the images from the film
The Shawshank Redemption. [Editor's Note: The lyrical phrasing, and guitar strum of
Hello Again is reminiscent of Woody Guthrie's 1940 tune
Worried Man Blues]
It’s my opinion that this performance should be considered for the next volume of the Warehouse compilations. The music clearly paints a picture of how the events move along faster and faster in succession until there is the explosion that is the storm of a chorus. This tempest is added to by added bit of information that the narrator “grows jealous at the bottom of a bottle.” Then the hurricane makes landfall with a torrent of a drum solo from Carter and a whirlwind of ad-libbing from Dave, all taking place over the wailing of Boyd, LeRoi and Stefan; like air raid warning sirens.
It is easy to see how this song has grown in less than a month’s time. From a song that was just over five minutes long at its first performance to a length almost double its original self. They lyric content has grown to be more descriptive of the circumstances. The music has seen some overhauls, and the intro from the Darien Lake show is beyond awe!
I predict that this will become a very dear song to fans, and has the potential to become a radio hit. I would love to see a show where the chorus was played to kick off the song for an encore, or even as an opener. I also urge you to notice how greetings will change as this song becomes more familiar to fans and radio-listeners alike. Until we say hello again….
