My Top 2000 Songs #1039: 1952 Vincent Black Lightning

Richard Thompson has always been comparable to Bob Dylan for me. Meaning I view them as incredible songwriters... but I tend to like their songs as covered/interpreted by others. (Which isn't to say seeing Thompson perform live wasn't pretty great.)

In this case, I came to Thompson's "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" through Mary Lou Lord, who covered the track on a b-side (backing the 1998 single "Lights Are Changing"). Lord's sweet, sometimes-straining-to-hit-the-notes vocals matched with Thompson's heart-tugging narrative (a modern-day spin on "Leader Of The Pack," or thereabouts) was a perfect recipe for emotional devastation. 

Yeah, I cry when I hear it. What about it?

Of course, I later circled back to Thompson's original, and it's incredible, of course. That version, off 1991's Rumor & Sigh, shows off the majesty of his folk guitar picking and songwriting. But I still like Mary Lou's a little better.

Thompson's original:

Thompson live:

Mary Lou live:

Miranda Russell:

Speaking of Dylan, here he is giving it a shot in 2013. (On an audience recording full of confused dipshits who keep talking about how they don't recognize the song.)

Trio Red Molly (who took their name from the song):