#15 "The Ballad of Carol Lynn" by Whiskeytown

Whiskeytown introduced the world to Ryan Adams. Formed when Adams was just twenty years of age, this North Carolina band went on to record three or four albums of critically-acclaimed work. In the end, Whiskeytown was probably more of a lauching pad for Adams than anything else. I'm not too sure what has become of the other members.

Though I'm a HUGE fan of Ryan Adams' solo catalogue, I've never been too into his Whiskeytown material. Sometimes I think it's just a little too country for me. The later albums embraced a more rock sound, which is probably why I liked them more.

"The Ballad of Carol Lynn" is from Whiskeytown's last album. From the first time I heard it, the song has always struck me as being incredibly sad, sung with an almost tangible sense of regret by Adams. The ballad, which is more of a lament, is one person singing about how he's lost someone else. The person has gotten "weird" and "strange" and it seems that nothing left in the world will bring them back again. The speaker pointedly says in the middle "When you need a friend to be there for you, I won't be the one who helps you out... you can count me out." The singer has clearly, sadly, thrown his hands up. He obviously mourns the loss, but sometimes what can you do? I love the end stanza too where it says "When your life has worn you out, you'll have the past left for you to think about." Adams doesn't sing it angrily, but you can hear it in the lines. It's kind of like "Remember what you gave up. You could've had it all and you messed everything up. Goodbye." And though the song is about Carol Lynn, I almost feel more sorry for the singer. He's the one who's had to sit and see it all go down the drain.

"The Ballad of Carol Lynn" is from the album "Pneumonia." To hear the song, click on the icon in the widget jukebox along the side of the blog.