Notice the "quoting" of "Chain Gang" and the harmony sung by Paul Simon. Dion — who is 80 years old — says it's "an old song," but it's a new recording, part of a new album, "Blues with Friends" — which has also features Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Gibbons and Jeff Beck. And the liner notes were written by the Nobel laureate, Bob Dylan.
About "Song for Sam Cooke":
“At first, I just had the melody and the refrain ‘Here in America.’ A friend suggested I use an episode from my memoir about walking southern streets with Sam Cooke in 1962. It’s a good story, a true story. We were in the South together. And he stood up for me. He was a good guy. I miss him.”I've loved Dion since 1961, when "Runaround Sue" was a hit. And — as I told you back in 2006 — "I saw him in a small club here in Madison in 1990, and I can honestly say it was the most enjoyable concert I've seen in my whole life."
He finished the song, he said, but put it aside, thinking it was too personal for other people to get. He put it in his drawer, where it remained, unsung and unrecorded, for years.
“Then in 2019,’ Dion said, “I saw the movie Green Book and after that, I couldn’t shake the song. I thought, 'Hey, they almost wrote a movie about my song.’ I loved the movie so much that I thought I’d better take that song out to see it if works. And it did. It actually did.”
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Interesting comment from Dion at the You Tube site where the song was filmed for TV use:
DION ~ RUNAROUND SUE. I recorded Runaround Sue with “The Del-Satins” and black musicians from the Apollo theater, Buddy Lucas on Sax, Sticks Evans on drums, Panama Francis on percussion,Teacho Wilshire on piano, Milt Hinton on bass, and Mickey “Guitar” Baker. ~ When Hollywood filmed this rendition they use all white actors playing musicians behind me, knowing the film wouldn't get played in the South at that time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik57HLn0Nm0
Dion is 80? Wow. Maybe its me but to me when I listen to the oldies I alway see them in my minds eye as young. I almost always prefer to just hear them instead of seeing and hearing them.
That guy is very hearty looking and solid for 80. Dang.
Dion's mother is still with us. I can't find her death notice. She was born in 1914.
I downloaded a few of the tracks of the new album from iTunes last night. Pretty good. I would never know he is 80 just by listening, he sounds great.
Dion is among the greatest. “The Wanderer” is a perfect rock & roll song.
I saw Bob Dylan in 1963, Kenyon College, Ross Hall, Gambier, Ohio, admission $1.00, crowd of maybe 60, and it was fabulous. I was 13. He changed everything for lots of folks.
Sorry, I must correct myself, it was 1964!
Endless Bronx swagger as a performer, he declined a seat on a charter flight with Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper out of Clear Lake, Iowa, following their stop on the Winter Dance Party because the $36 fee was too extravagant.
Dion can flat out sing. Great voice.
Dion's voice is pretty strong for someone who's 80. Instantly recognizable.
He has such a clear, strong voice. Perhaps the song would work better with a bit of senescent quiver such as Johnny Cash had towards the end. On the other hand, a senescent quiver wouldn't work with Runaround Sue.
A beautiful tribute to a great performer by great performers.
Narr
Very fine
"Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper"
One of the most surprising things I've ever heard is that they continued the tour.
I saw the headline and skimmed a little and thought, "Wow! Celine is really branching out! You go, girl!"
During Dion's Christian Album years (80's), he played at our Southern CA Megachuch (one of the first in America)often, trying out new stuff. I would see him backstage and while in awe, he was more down to earth than just about anyone of the hundreds of famous people I have met. Stories from his early years freely shared and so often followed with questions about you personally. You always remember how someone makes you feel.
I love all the early stuff--some of my favorite songs of all time. But his 1970s album produced by Phil Spector is also fantastically weird and good. Born to Be With You. Somewhat like the Leonard Cohen album Death of a Ladies Man, also produced by Spector. Reimagining an icon.
I'm desperate to see Dion live before he stops, as I was able to do with Cohen...I don't know if he still tours.
Rory, yes, they continued the tour, with Waylon Jennings as the vocalist.
I strongly prefer his early doo-wop influenced rock n roll output to his later singer-songwriter shtick, but still give him credit for chugging along as an artist doing his own thing across several eras. My kids love Dion's early stuff more than almost any of the roots rock I play for them, with only the Ramones registering as strongly with them when they were very young.
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