Ohio River Vibes: Music about the river
Picture this: You’re cycling along the Ohio. You’re going for a riverside run, or even just a stroll. Maybe you’re driving down a River Road or you’ve dropped anchor on your powerboat. Heck, maybe you’re three hours into an all-day paddle. For moments like these, you might need some tunes. No need to panic, though. The Ohio River Way is here for you with a custom curated playlist.
More than that, we’ve written this blog post to showcase the stories behind some of our favorite artists and songs that are inspired by the Ohio River. These pieces span different times and styles, but they’re rooted in a connection to the waterway that binds our region.
A few top songs:
Ben Sollee, a Louisville-based artist and one of our all-around favorite human beings, explained his song Eva Kelley this way in an interview with the Bluegrass Situation:
The Eva Kelley under the Big Four pedestrian bridge connecting Louisville, KY, and Jeffersonville, IN. Photo by: Joe Schneid Louisville, KY.
“Early in 2016, after a week of heavy rain, the Ohio River was running high. It was muddy, full of debris, and dangerous-looking… all kinds of reasons to stay home. But there she was, a white and green tug boat, pushing eight barges of coal against the current. The name of the boat was Eva Kelley. It was such a visual poem. In the context of climate change and the declining coal industry, here was this tough machine pushing against everything to make a living. She and her crew know a certain way of life and it’s all changing… whether they like or not.”
Ohio River, a hazy, gentle song by Caroline Says, longs for a home that can’t be reached. As quoted in Stereogum, Says offers this description:
“This song is about growing up in a small southern town, having fun as a teenager while you’re there, moving away, and then visiting it later in life as a different person with a different perspective, but having fond memories of it there. I guess a common theme for me… also very Bruce Springsteen. They’re watching a river to distract themselves from a sad thing.”
Bluegrass musician Jonas Friddle is a native of North Carolina, a graduate of Berea College in Kentucky, and now lives in Chicago. In Belle De Louisville, the lyrics of the album’s titular song are told from the perspective of someone drawn north to Chicago by romance. But he longs to return: “all my rivers, they run back south.” in his minds-eye, he’s searching for the Belle of Louisville rolling down the Ohio from atop a hill.
This is a modern, bluesy interpretation of The Lovely Ohio, an American folk tune, by Moses Nesh of Atlanta. It sounds old and new at the same time, with “hardly intelligible lyrics in his slurred, reedy and captivating voice.”
Originating within the context of the manifest destiny movement, the song is about going to settle on the banks of the river.
The Banks of the Ohio, another folk tune, is told from the perspective of a man who asked his lover to take a walk with him. When she says no to his marriage proposal, he kills her on the banks of the Ohio. There are many artistic interpretations, ranging from cheerful Bluegrass versions like Tony Rice’s to mournful versions of the song with exposed vocals, like Dolly Parton’s rendition. A particularly eerie, a capella version plays on the second-floor outdoor balcony at Louisville’s Speed Art Museum.
Enjoy the music!
We hope you enjoy the tunes! If you ever have suggestions of songs about the Ohio River or rivers in general, you’re welcome to shoot us an email at info@ohioriverway.org. We also hope you make it out to hear some live music in our river towns! Especially in warm weather, make sure to check the Ohio River Way’s events page for music events you can attend.
Waterfront Wednesday in Louisville, a monthly concert series (in warm weather) by Louisville Public Media. Photo by Susan Griffin Ward.
