November - The Black Rider [206]

As we try to unpick some of the interplay between the album The Black Rider and the play of the same name, Jeu Jeu la Foille, Martin & Sam reflect (pun intended) on the fatalistic imagery in the song, the foreshadowing of endings and beginnings, and the benefits of bonfire-building in awkward social situations.

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
November, The Black Rider, Tom Waits (1993)

April Showers, Judy, Judy Garland (1956)

November at 21m27sfrom The Black Rider: The Casting of the 12 Magic Bullets (filmed at the Weiner Festwochen, via YouTube), Wilson/Burroughs/Waits (1990)

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The One That Got Away - Small Change [044]

As we approach the end of Small Change, Tom Waits shifts up a gear by telling not one but eight short stories in a single song, prompting Martin, Sam and Callum to discuss the dexterity and flair of his language, the push towards and against traditional images of loss, and the traumatic life and work of Judy Garland - all in a day's work for Song by Song. 

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
The One That Got Away, Small Change, Tom Waits (1976)

The Man That Got Away - Live at Great American Music Hall, Mystery White Boy, Jeff Buckley (2000)

The Man That Got Away, from A Star Is Born (via YouTube), Judy Garland (1954)

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