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Emmylou Harris — Wrecking Ball
Album: Wrecking Ball
Avg rating:
6.7

Your rating:
Total ratings: 2569









Released: 1995
Length: 4:40
Plays (last 30 days): 5
My life's an open book, you read it on the radio
We've got no where to hide, we got no where to go
But' if you still decide you want to take a ride.

Meet me at the Wrecking ball
Wrecking Ball, I'll wear something pretty and white
And we'll go dancing tonight
Meet me at the Wrecking Ball
Wrecking Ball, I'll wear something pretty and white
And we'll go dancing tonight.

I see smokey eyes right across the bar
I've seen that look before shining from star to star
Though I can't take that change
If you've got time for one dance.

The restless line of cars goes stretching down the road
But I won't telephone cause you might say hello
What is it makes me feel this way
What is it makes me want to say...
Comments (144)add comment
I’m sure Neil is proud. Emmylou is a treasure!
neil youngs freedom album was greatly underrated. 
is she drunk?
Her voice is a bit whiny and pathetic on this on, but thats the point.
She's The One.
 NoEnzLefttoSplit wrote:
Shesdifferent wrote: Excuse my ignorance, but if this is Neil's song, did he originally sing "I'll wear something pretty?" The mind boggles.

He simply sang, "Wear something pretty and white" with the "you" being implied to the girl he was singing to.
If you've never heard it, give "Elite Hotel" a listen. "If I Could Only Win Your Love." 
 kkoouu wrote:

a new feature suggestion: skip songs with personal rating below <number>



You obviously want to live in an echo chamber....

What I love about my life, now having been on this earth for more than half a century, is that some things I once disliked now have new meanings to me. And some of the things that I liked when I was younger have lost their meaningfulness.  You're either constantly evolving or you're already dead, you just don't know it.
She touches my heart when she sings, "I'll wear something pretty...."
I love that Neil Young does the backing vocals . Emmylou's beautiful, haunting version here echoes his, just as good.
She is just........fabulous. I particulary like this song....not that I don't like Miley too!
I really wanted to hear that male backing vocal sing the part about wearing something pretty.
 RabbitEars wrote:

Lanois also wrote Where Will I Be? and co-wrote Deeper Well. 
Bob Dylan - Every Grain of Sand
Lucinda Williams - Sweet Old World

Daniel Lanois definitely breathed new life into her career with this album. 



also Going Back to Harlan by the Kate and Anna McGarrigle
Fabulous album, produced by Daniel Lanois - who by the by should be played on RP if not already
 deniseperry wrote:

Love the doomed lyrics.


especially with neil singing backup - the lyrics could have been written together (but weren't)
 2Hawks wrote:

oh.. that voice... just can't stand the whine....




That's the voice of a life lived.  Unlike some young thing with plenty of power or breathiness, but only a fraction of the soul.
Love the doomed lyrics.
a new feature suggestion: skip songs with personal rating below <number>
 2Hawks wrote:

oh.. that voice... just can't stand the whine....



Yeah, I had the same problem with your mom.
An all time favorite song from an all time favorite artist!
 iloveradio wrote:

Emmylou Harris is an American treasure


And Lanois is a Canadian genius
Bad timing, Bill. I desperately want to turn this up loud but the wife is recording a podcast. Can you play this again in 18 minutes? 
A life changer in the way I listened to music when this record came out. 
 brianlj wrote:
What's this called ?

I didn't quite catch the title. What with me being busy slitting my wrists and all.
 
I wish you success in everything you do


 mikegrinker wrote:
not usually a fan of covers, but she nailed it IMHO
 
Yep this kills the Miley Cyrus version.
not usually a fan of covers, but she nailed it IMHO
 fedtho wrote:
This song is really making me gloomy, clinging to happiness that never happened (I don't get all the lyrics, just my feeling ). 
At the very same time, Harris breathes beauty crushing sadness, grace that rises above all into the despair. I'm both depressed and revived listening to this. 
 

You're not alone.  Believe me.
Daniel Lanois brought a whole new sensibility to EmmyLou on this album - what a fantastic sound
oh.. that voice... just can't stand the whine....
This song is really making me gloomy, clinging to happiness that never happened (I don't get all the lyrics, just my feeling ). 
At the very same time, Harris breathes beauty crushing sadness, grace that rises above all into the despair. I'm both depressed and revived listening to this. 
 CyrusPaul wrote:
I really love this era of Emmylou with Daniel Lanois at the producing helm....
 
Desert Island Disc - No Brainer.
Along with Teatro by Willie Nelson - another Lanois masterpiece.
Along with Joshua Tree - you guessed it.
I fall a little more in love with Emmylou every time I hear her voice.
...and I've been listening since the early 70's, thanks to Mom :)
What's this called ?

I didn't quite catch the title. What with me being busy slitting my wrists and all.
+5 to a 6. First time hearing this one at home, nice mellow fall Saturday afternoon, yeah this isn't a 1, silly me...LLRP!!
That pick was a great way to attempt launching the weekend the way it should be. Could have sworn I heard an LP's fizz & pop at some point too. Likely just the speaker & imagination running away with me. But goddammit, gonna get me THIS kinda weekend. Even if I gotta imagine it. 
 xray38 wrote:

FYI: Sacha Skarbek wrote this song.
 
Wrong. He wrote the Miley Cyrus song. Neil Young wrote this one.
 Laptopdog wrote:
Hearing this beautiful, haunting melody makes me realize how much I'd prefer
to hear the original Neil Young version instead.
 
FYI: Sacha Skarbek wrote this song.
 MachinistNL wrote:
Can’t stand this song. Just wanted to share that.
 

I've heard so much worse and can't really see what could be SO wrong with this song.
 MachinistNL wrote:
Can’t stand this song. Just wanted to share that.
 

Not a big fan of Emmylou in general. I find her vocal style pretty obnoxious... definite PSD over here.
 MachinistNL wrote:
Can’t stand this song. Just wanted to share that.
 
I agree, and it's the 2nd time it's been played today! Dreary and plodding
 MachinistNL wrote:
Can’t stand this song. Just wanted to share that.
 
I'm with you.  It's horrible, and played very regularly!
Can’t stand this song. Just wanted to share that.
 DocStrangelove wrote:
the voice of an angel
{#Heartkiss}

 
ahh NO
 hallogallo wrote:

I do love Emmylou and she gives a very good accounting of herself on the Neil Young title track here.

Wrecking Ball is a great - perhaps underappreciated - album of great cover tunes;

 - Blackhawk (Daniel Lanois)
 - May This Be Love (Hendrix)
 - Orphan Girl (Gillian Welsh)
 - Goodbye (Steve Earle) 
 


 
Lanois also wrote Where Will I Be? and co-wrote Deeper Well. 
Bob Dylan - Every Grain of Sand
Lucinda Williams - Sweet Old World

Daniel Lanois definitely breathed new life into her career with this album. 
Hearing this beautiful, haunting melody makes me realize how much I'd prefer
to hear the original Neil Young version instead.
I really love this era of Emmylou with Daniel Lanois at the producing helm....
the voice of an angel
{#Heartkiss}
 Jota wrote:

She has a voice in the way a seagull has one.

 
And Bob Dylan is the greatest tenor of all times, too.
 Jota wrote:

She has a voice in the way a seagull has one.

 
And this from someone who gives the Smashing Pumpkins 9's.  {#Beat}
Seriously? This is one of my favorite songs ever, so haunting and beautifull! I love Neil's version of his song, But Emmylou nails it as well, especially with Neil in the background!
 BKardon wrote:
Emmylou doesn't have a voice? 


Jota wrote:
Sounds like someone who is trying to sound like they have a voice but doesn't.

 

 
She has a voice in the way a seagull has one.
 boxofrain wrote:
Neil wrote this and he's the only one who can deliver this song correctly.  Sorry Emmylou.

 
I concur.
Yes, yes you will.
 

Narocircus wrote:


 


Neil wrote this and he's the only one who can deliver this song correctly.  Sorry Emmylou.
 On_The_Beach wrote:
https://s2.glbimg.com/j6zecaaXjmTRcKQxfzf5Hy4b94k=/top/s.glbimg.com/jo/eg/f/original/2014/11/21/zmiley_cyrus_wrecking_ball_2013__18_.gif
Forgive me, RP community.
I'm sure I will burn in hell for this crime against good taste.  ; )

 


 Gerry941 wrote:
Agreed, she doesn't here

 


 BKardon wrote:
Emmylou doesn't have a voice? 


Jota wrote:
Sounds like someone who is trying to sound like they have a voice but doesn't.

 

 


Emmylou doesn't have a voice? 


Jota wrote:
Sounds like someone who is trying to sound like they have a voice but doesn't.

 


Sounds like someone who is trying to sound like they have a voice but doesn't.
Doesn't do much for me. Sounds whiney  monotonous and very repetitive
Love your graphic and the song. on the beach! 


I do love Emmylou and she gives a very good accounting of herself on the Neil Young title track here.

Wrecking Ball is a great - perhaps underappreciated - album of great cover tunes;

 - Blackhawk (Daniel Lanois)
 - May This Be Love (Hendrix)
 - Orphan Girl (Gillian Welsh)
 - Goodbye (Steve Earle) 
 


An unsubtle video, in the vein of you-know-who, might help this song quite a bit...
"eat me like a rack of bones"
If only Bill would follow this with Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball".....
Great segue Bill.... from AfroCelts... ran into the intro on this seamlessly.. 
 
Emmylou Harris is an American treasure
 MrsTom wrote:
A bit whiny. Is she talking to Miley Cyrus I wonder?
 
Well, Ms. Cyrus was 3 when this was released — so I'd guess 'no' :-)
Not her best.
A bit whiny. Is she talking to Miley Cyrus I wonder?
Drony, dreamy, and not that great. Neil did it much better.
make it end...
Wow, this is really... uh... bad.
frednic wrote:
Oh man! You made me laugh. I'm a big Emmy fan. I can see how this might grate on some ears. I've been listening to Emmy and Neil for over 30 years so maybe it's an acquired taste.
I never heard her before, but clicked on her name cuz I liked it so much...
Oh man! You made me laugh. I'm a big Emmy fan. I can see how this might grate on some ears. I've been listening to Emmy and Neil for over 30 years so maybe it's an acquired taste. grassfolk420 wrote:
Oh Supreme Being that may or may not exist...save me from this hell!
Just plain awful
radiojunkie wrote:
Ethereal is the word for it.
i agree - love her voice - song is great -
Yucky.
Oh Supreme Being that may or may not exist...save me from this hell!
you've REALLY gotta get the Neil Young version of this a little airtime.....
Not my fave of hers...
querulousness
Least accessible song on a great album.
Cannot.Stand.This.Song. Hate her voice on it. Hate it.
Like Emmylou - don't like this song. :-(
Beautiful song. Emmylou's voice gives, in my opinion, a haunting desperation to the song.
Emmylou Harris is a goddess. Superb Daniel Lanois production on this album, and nice Neil Young song here.
Tis true... Neil gets all lyrical credit for this song (at least with all the info I could obtain online) As a late-blooming, yet well-versed and dedicated "Rustie", I recognized the connection almost immediately. Good call, Pope!!! pope183 wrote:
mm hmm Neil simply says " Meet me at the wrecking ball Wrecking ball Wear something pretty and white And we'll go dancin' tonight " yup
boileymon wrote:
It was a Neil Young composition on "Freedom" which came out in 1989. I think originally the pronoun in question was 2nd person. This is one of Neil's strongest CD's.
mm hmm Neil simply says " Meet me at the wrecking ball Wrecking ball Wear something pretty and white And we'll go dancin' tonight " yup
trempel wrote:
I'm not so sure it was a Niel original either.
It was a Neil Young composition on "Freedom" which came out in 1989. I think originally the pronoun in question was 2nd person. This is one of Neil's strongest CD's.
NoEnzLefttoSplit wrote:
Excuse my ignorance, but if this is Neil's song, did he originally sing "I'll wear something pretty?" The mind boggles.
I'm not so sure it was a Niel original either.
Shesdifferent wrote:
Love the Neil original much better...not a fan of this lady...but it's a beautiful song, but she just doesn't lend the smoothness to it that's needed for such a song.
Excuse my ignorance, but if this is Neil's song, did he originally sing "I'll wear something pretty?" The mind boggles.
Friend wrote:
Meet me at the wrecking ball...I'll wear something pretty? Is this a trailer trash date? Am I missing some crucial context here?
what? who doesn't bring dates to the junkyard? you're totally missing out.
This is the very definition of eclectic! Just love it, her vocals would break your heart... For the record, I'm a Neil Young fan, but credit where credit is due. I like this better. There's a fragility to the vocals Neil can't even reach.
this is NOT music to my ears
Love the Neil original much better...not a fan of this lady...but it's a beautiful song, but she just doesn't lend the smoothness to it that's needed for such a song.
From an incredible album.
Ethereal is the word for it.
haunting, I like it..
stripes wrote:
This makes me feel suicidal..
Ah! So it makes you feel. Isn't that what art is supposed to do?
Meet me at the wrecking ball...I'll wear something pretty? Is this a trailer trash date? Am I missing some crucial context here?
pilgrim wrote:
yep, jus got a taste of the meself It's tough beat many/most of Mr. Goldsmith's segues
He's got a gift, ain't he?
LaChinchon wrote:
Holy, bat guano! I love Neil's original, but this cover is the very definition of sacrilege. There must be some FCC regulation prohibiting this. Fines double with every repeated assault.
Neil is singing back-up harmony, so he must like this version, wouldn't ya think?
Sweet and haunting.
CruzanBits wrote:
All right, whoever noticed that this is the same song as "Riviera" by Big Head Todd and programmed 'em together is a genius! Bill?
yep, jus got a taste of the meself It's tough beat many/most of Mr. Goldsmith's segues
llazare wrote:
Love this album. Love the Daniel Lanois Emmylou combination. This is an amazing album start to finish.
Amen to that. This is one of my least favorite tracks off the CD, which makes it merely outstanding. It's impossible to say what my favorite is because there's so much great music on Wrecking Ball, but let's just say I wouldn't be upset to hear her version of Jimi Hendrix' "May This Be Love" on RP. 8)
Love this album. Love the Daniel Lanois Emmylou combination. This is an amazing album start to finish. I finally got to see Emmylou live last winter at the Ann Arbor Folk Festival and I got the chills.
All right, whoever noticed that this is the same song as "Riviera" by Big Head Todd and programmed 'em together is a genius! Bill?
Duncan54 wrote:
Liner notes from the Wrecking Ball CD, Neil Young: Harmony Vocals. Love the song, Love the whole CD, Love Emmylou Harris.
Ditto. Don't forget LOVE Daniel Lanois!
Liner notes from the Wrecking Ball CD, Neil Young: Harmony Vocals. Love the song, Love the whole CD, Love Emmylou Harris.
Wow...a version of this song that makes Neil's version almost palatable. (Not all that fond of Neil's version, either.) I know Emmylou is capable of much better. (And the Neil-bashing is just me--I know lots of other folks like him very much.) #-o
Too much negativity, man. This is a great cover of a great song off a great album by a great artist.
bigpomp wrote:
This whole album is fantastic. Who'd a thought combining Emmylou and Daniel Lanois would have turned out soooo cool?
I agree this is an exceptionally beautiful album, especially "can't remember if we said goodbye."
Holy, bat guano! I love Neil's original, but this cover is the very definition of sacrilege. There must be some FCC regulation prohibiting this. Fines double with every repeated assault.
go ahead, say "wear something pretty" again horrible
annoying.
KevDog wrote:
Why did Emmylou think she had to actually attempt to mimic Neil Young's voice to do this cover? Bad judgment, babe. But I still love you.
That's no mimic, that's Neil himself doing the background.
Beat me with a wrecking ball, A wrecking ball. Or I'm gonna put up a fight, Just don't play this song tonight.
i can't stand this song. whiny vocals do NOT please me in the slightest.