Genre: Roots Rock
The song "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" (or simply, "Dixie") by The Band is a story about the downfall of the Confederacy in the U.S. Civil War. The lyrics are sung from the point of view of a Virgil Cain, a man working for the confederacy and living in the south during the time of their defeat. The following version of the song is a live recording from The Band's last concert together in 1976, titled "The Last Waltz". "The Last Waltz" is said to be one of the greatest live albums in the history of rock music.
The song begins with a slow, somber introductory tune from a horn section, foreshadowing the depressing nature of Virgil Cain's story. At this point, there is no obvious meter. However, as the last note of the horn section rings out, drummer Levon Helm plays a four-count with the kick drum, signaling a 4/4 meter. One the next beat, the brass instruments come back in along with the piano, playing a punchy-sounding upward scale. This provides an an intro to the first verse, as it smoothly transitions the song in to the 4/4 timing. This same basic 4 count bar is seen before the start of every verse in the song, and is used for the same reason every time- a transition, to get the song back on track in 4/4.
At the end of every verse, Helm (vocals) holds a single note for an 8 count, accompanied by the notes held by the other instruments. These long notes create a sense of desperation in his voice, as the background instruments seem to fade away. However, right after the 8 count, Helm sings the first line of the chorus, "The night they drove old dixie down". Unlike the verse however, he now has two backup vocals providing a three-person chorus. The chorus, along with the re-introduction of the brass section further expresses the desperation and fight shown in Virgil Cain, the narrator. Although he knows the war is over, and his side has lost, he seems unwilling to accept the fact and continues to press on.
I chose the live version of this song as opposed to the studio recording mainly because of the added texture. The studio record does not include the massive amounts of horns and backing instruments, which is what I feel makes this song so great. It seems as if every time the chorus comes up (the song has 4 in total, 2 separated by verses, with the last two repeated) the brass section, piano, guitar, drums and bass all seem to become more evident and loud. This chronological addition addition of texture further reveals Virgil's anguish as he seemingly reaches a breaking point throughout the song.
Great song choice Brad. This is a fantastic song by one of my favorite bands. As you mentioned, The Last Waltz is one of the greatest live albums of all time. In addition, I also consider it one of the greatest music documentaries of all time. The documentary, which was directed by Martin Scorsese, really showcases the brilliance of Levon Helm and The Band's live performances. The film, as well as the album, also feature many other renowned musicians such as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Eric Clapton (to name a few). I always find it interesting to see watch great musicians collaborate with one another on stage. Along with The Last Waltz being considered one of the greatest live albums of all time, I would argue that The Band also have a studio album that should be considered one of the greatest albums of all time, that being Music From The Big Pink, although I'll save a discussion on that album for another time.
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