Thursday, October 23, 2008

Music Video

One thing I have been doing is putting together some music videos. The first one is one that some of you "old-timers" may remember, a Jim Pepper composition entitled "Witchi Tai To", from Brewer and Shipley's 1969 album, "Weeds". I think it's a beautiful song, and I find it very uplifting and relaxing. I tried to capture that feeling with the images I selected to go with the song.


Here's a little background on the song:
Songwriter and saxophonist Jim Pepper adapted the song "Witchi Tai To" from from an old peyote chant that he learned from his Native American grandfather. Pepper's song was first recorded by his band Everything Is Everything, who to this day are credited with having the only hit to feature an authentic Native American chant in the history of the Billboard pop charts. The group's producers encouraged Pepper to express his Native American heritage in his music, so he brought one of his grandfather's peyote chants and they worked out the arrangement and English translation. "Witchi Tai To", became a cult favorite and leftfield hit, reaching #69 on the Billboard Charts in 1969.

Brewer and Shipley learned the lyrics to "Witchi Tai To" by listening to Everything Is Everything's recording on an FM station beaming out of Little Rock, Arkansas. It is ironic that they correctly interpreted the Native American lyrics but misinterpreted the adapted English lyrics.
Here are the two different versions of the lyrics. Funny thing is that I never noticed that Brewer and Shipley got it "wrong". When I listen to the song, I hear "Water spirit feelings", hence the water images in the video when those lyrics are sung:
Everything is Everything
Water spirit feelings
Springin' round my head
Makes me feel glad
That I'm not dead

Brewer & Shipley
What a spirit spring
Is bringing round my head
Makes me feel glad
That I’m not dead

Indian chant
Witchi Tai Tai, kimarah
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Hey-ney, hey-ney, no-wah




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4 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

Wasn't that song on his "Pepper's Pow-Wow" album?

I used to own it until a long time ago.

12:35 AM GMT+13  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You got me choked up a bit, Joe....

Beautiful presentation.

What ever happened to America?

4:03 AM GMT+13  
Blogger Joe Ramen said...

Vilmar, it could have been; I'm not sure. I do know it was on his self-titled "Everything is Everything" album.

OCM, I don't know, but somewhere along the way we lost it (America). Or, more specifically, we allowed it to be taken from us.

5:02 PM GMT+13  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The video haunts me.....

THE COUNTRY goes out of its way to protect blacks, illegal immigrants. etc......and what does THE COUNTRY do with NATIVE AMERICANS?

Give them a monthly stipend hoping they will kill themselves off with alcohol.

5:16 AM GMT+13  

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