Kenesaw Mountain Landis
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Kenesaw Mountain Landis | |
Release | Smoking Monkey |
---|---|
Length | 3:31 |
Release date | 11-05-2003 |
Related Pages | Other media |
Blog entry |
"Kenesaw Mountain Landis" is a song on Jonathan Coulton's first album, Smoking Monkey.
History
Jonathan has said that this song was influenced by Bob Dylan's Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts: "that kind of crazy long story song with no chorus."
Live performance
"Kenesaw Mountain Landis" is occasionally at Jonathan Coulton concerts. It is performed both with and without Paul and Storm. When played with Paul and Storm, Storm does full background accompanying vocals, while Paul does none. Despite playing two shows in Atlanta near the original Kennesaw Mountain, Jonathan has yet to play this song at an Atlanta concert.
Trivia
OK, there's a lot going on in this here song. So let's back and talk about all the players, shall we?
- Kenesaw Mountain Landis was the first commissioner of Major League Baseball. He was brought in by the owners of baseball to restore the credibility of the game after the Black Sox Scandal, in which members of the Chicago White Sox baseball team were paid by gamblers to throw the 1919 World Series. This song is a version of that achievement, told in the form of an American myth.
- There are two different men known as Joe Jackson referenced in this song. One was Joseph Jefferson Jackson ("Shoeless Joe"), a star player for the White Sox who was banned from professional baseball in 1920 for his part in the Black Sox scandal. Despite how the song portrays him, there is some doubt as to how involved Shoeless Joe Jackson was involved in the scandal.
- The other was Joe Jackson, an English singer whose best known song is the 1979 hit, "Is She Really Going Out With Him?". He comes from the same musical New Wave background as the more well known Elvis Costello. The 'Shoeless Joe Jackson' of this song anachronistically combines the important events in the lives of both.
- Jonathan has said in concert that when he spoke with a record producer who has met Joe Jackson, the producer indicated that Jackson really is pretty bitter about being overshadowed by Elvis Costello. video
Availability
Downloads
"Kenesaw Mountain Landis" is available for purchase in the Jonathan Coulton MP3 Store as an individual track or as part of Smoking Monkey. Of course, this song is also included as part of the "Everything" playlist.
Downloadable FLAC versions of the above are available in the Jonathan Coulton FLAC Store
CD
"Smoking Monkey" is available for purchase as a CD here.
Themes
- Baseball
Smoking Monkey |
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