The Night they Drove 'Ol Dixie Down

Always thought it was super weird that a group of Canadians penned that one. Amazing song. I wish I liked the subject matter more but it’s an undeniably beautiful song. My favorite versions are for sure by Jerry Garcia Band.

 

Not all Canadians. Levon Helm who was a southerner play a role in writing the song:

The song was written by Robbie Robertson, who spent about eight months working on it.[4]Robertson said he had the music to the song in his head and would play the chords over and over on the piano but had no idea what the song was to be about. Then the concept came to him and he researched the subject with help from the Band's drummer Levon Helm, a native of Arkansas.[5][4] In his 1993 autobiography, This Wheel's on Fire, Helm wrote, "Robbie and I worked on 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down' up in Woodstock. I remember taking him to the library so he could research the history and geography of the era and make General Robert E. Lee come out with all due respect."

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down - Wikipedia

 

Well duh - that’s why they had Levon sing it. Still so weird that Robertson wrote it.

 

Im sorry. You used the term “group of Canadians”, so I was just responding to that.

 

My bad. Robertson wrote it who is Canadian. Should have left it at that.

This one always hit me hard because I live in Richmond and that’s where it’s set (used to be capital of the confederacy at the time). Virginia has come a long way!

 

I understand the feeling. It’s easy for us today to see the civil war academically as a bunch of good guys vs a bunch of evil guys, but songs like this one (and living there) help to transport us to that moment a little more personally. It’s really so astounding that even this country, a shining beacon of political modernity, couldn’t avoid a period where Americans were killing each other on such a scale.

And it is pretty remarkable that a Canadian penned it.

 

Supposedly it was supposed to be a protest against the Vietnam War.

 

I think they had LH sing it cuz he kills it. I went to our local last waltz last year…I guess this years just happened.

 

The Band captured Americana better than just about anyone
But Duchen raises an interesting point. While the song doesn’t glorify the confederacy, it’s certainly sympathetic. And I think there’s a more fervent opposition to that idea than there was.

 

I think a bunch of people confused Americana with confederate nostalgia in the 70s. There’s probably a countercultural rebel / outlaw thing to it.

 

Ultimately the song already exists and it’s perfect. It’s not just the content that’s out of fashion. No one could do baroque style chamber music now either for mostly the same reasons.

 

I never really listened to the song. I assumed it was about an old gal named Dixie who was being driven somewhere. Like "Driving Miss Daisy."

 

I think you mean, "sue-ree"

 

Doesn't get much more southern than having Turkey Scratch Arkansas for a hometown. It's on my Spotify playlist and its full blast carpool karaoke when it comes on.
Its a good song with good lyrics and great melody - I think it could get recorded today.

 

And yet, perhaps we're headed that way again?
BTW, love(d) the song!

 

Unfortunately, I do feel that I’m beginning to better understand how such a development can occur.