Edition

Introduction to the Edition:

Farewell Ride is a song by popular alternative pop and rock musician Beck Hanson. This edition considers three versions of the song’s lyrics: the 2005 Album Version, the 2001 undeveloped precursor to the song called Acoustic Blues, and Beck’s officially authorized remix of the song by himself and the band Subtle. The edition also presents two traditional Blues songs alongside Farewell Ride (as versions of it, perhaps) — Ella Speed by Mance Lipscomb and See That My Grave is Kept Clean by Blind Lemon Jefferson — because Beck is a known fan these songs and artists and lyrical parallels are abundant.

I hope that this edition raises questions for its readers about the song’s lyrical and authorial history, like: should we consider Ella Speed and/or See That My Grave is Kept Clean to be versions of Farewell Ride? How much credit should we (or Beck) attribute to Mance Lipscomb and/or Blind Lemon Jefferson in the authorship of Farewell Ride?

I hope too that it raises questions about the social and thematic contexts surrounding the song, questions like: does Beck’s use of Lipscomb and Jefferson’s lyrics represent appropriation or inspiration? How did Beck transform and distort Blues imagery as he created music which shaped and contributed to the genre of alternative music? And what is the significance of Beck’s identity as a White musician as he takes inspiration from or steals from Black Blues musicians like Lipscomb and Jefferson? Does this reflect broader themes in US music?

This is a visual edition. While the color coding is explained in the edition readers are encouraged to gain a more intuitive understanding of the variants’ shared elements by glossing the edition visually before searching for specifics. Enjoy!

Sources include:

whiskeyclone.net which is a Beck fansite
genius.com for lyrical fact-checking
Smithsonian Folkways for old Blues recordings