Casey Jones

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Grateful Dead

About Casey Jones

"Casey Jones" is a song by the American rock band the Grateful Dead. The music was written by Jerry Garcia, and the lyrics are by Robert Hunter. Hunter stated in a 2015 interview with Rolling Stone that "Casey Jones" didn't start out as a song, it just suddenly popped into my mind: "driving that train, high on cocaine, Casey Jones, you better watch your speed." I just wrote that down and I went on to whatever else I was doing, and some time later I came across it and thought, "That's the germ of a pretty good song. " The song first appeared on the Dead's 1970 album Workingman's Dead. Subsequently it was included on a number of their live albums. The Grateful Dead played "Casey Jones" in concert on a regular basis from June 1969 through October 1974. After that, they continued playing it live, but less often. In total they performed the song in concert more than 300 times."Casey Jones" is about a railroad engineer who is on the verge of a train wreck due to his train going too fast, a sleeping switch man, and another train being on the same track and headed for him. Jones is described as being "high on cocaine" (the song even makes a double entendre of advising Jones to "watch his speed"). It was inspired by the story of an actual engineer named Casey Jones. The engineer's exploits were also sung of in an earlier folk song called "The Ballad of Casey Jones", which the Grateful Dead played live several times. 


Year:
1998
4:26
93 
#1

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Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long musical improvisation. "Their music," writes Lenny Kaye, "touches on ground that most other groups don't even know exists." These various influences were distilled into a diverse and psychedelic whole that made the Grateful Dead "the pioneering Godfathers of the jam band world." They were ranked 57th in the issue The Greatest Artists of all Time by Rolling Stone magazine. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and their Barton Hall Concert at Cor… more »

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12 facts about this song

Origin
"Casey Jones" is a song by the American rock band the Grateful Dead. The music was written by Jerry Garcia, the lead guitarist of the band, while the lyrics were written by Robert Hunter, the band's lyricist.
Album Release
The song was first released on the Grateful Dead's 1970 album "Workingman's Dead".
Genre and Music Style
The song adheres to country and folk-rock genres and is an exemplification of the band's shift from psychedelic rock towards a more acoustic sound in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Inspiration From a Real-Life Event
The song was inspired by the true story of a railroad engineer, John Luther "Casey" Jones, known for his bravery and professional ethics. Reportedly, he died while trying to stop his train from colliding with another, thus saving everyone onboard except himself.
Song Theme
The song reflects middle-class American values and dares to tell a story about heroic prowess, love for work, and devotion to duty highlighting Jones’ drive to keep up with the schedule, despite dangerous circumstances.
Song Interpretation
There are interpretations of the song that believe it's an allegory for drug addictive behaviors, primarily because of its repeated line, "driving that train, high on cocaine."
Song Popularity
"Casey Jones" is one of the Grateful Dead's most famous songs, having been covered by numerous other artists over the years. However, it was never released as a single.
Live Performances
Despite its popularity, the Grateful Dead played "Casey Jones" live relatively infrequently, performing it fewer than 200 times in their 2,300+ concerts.
Television Appearance
In 2011, the song was prominently featured in the television show "Freaks and Geeks," providing exposure to a whole new generation of listeners.
Cultural Impact
The song has contributed to the cultural mythos of Casey Jones and further popularized the heroic figure, bearing the essence of American folklore.
Garcia's Perspective
According to Garcia, the song was a fun one to write as he was very fond of trains and enjoyed incorporating them into his music.
Animated Short Film
"Casey Jones" as a song was used in an animated short film by the same name, released in 1971, shared through 'The Sunshine Makers'.

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