TED2018
Elise LeGrow: "You Never Can Tell" / "Over the Mountain, Across the Sea"
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Singer-songwriter Elise LeGrow pays homage to early soul and rock innovators with intimate, stripped-down interpretations of their hits. Listen as she and her band perform two of these soulful renditions: Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell" and "Over the Mountain, Across the Sea," first popularized by Johnnie and Joe.
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
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(Music)
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(Singing) It was a teenage wedding
and the old folks wished them well.
and the old folks wished them well.
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You could see that Pierre
did truly love the mademoiselle.
did truly love the mademoiselle.
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Oh,
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and now the young monsieur and madame
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have rung the chapel bell.
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C'est la vie, say the old folks,
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it goes to show you never can tell.
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No, no.
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They furnished off an apartment
with a two-room Roebuck sale.
with a two-room Roebuck sale.
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The coolerator was crammed
with TV dinners and ginger ale.
with TV dinners and ginger ale.
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Oh,
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but when Pierre found work,
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the little money comin' worked out well .
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C'est la vie, say the old folks,
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it goes to show you never can tell.
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You never can tell.
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They bought a souped-up jitney,
was a cherry red '53.
was a cherry red '53.
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They drove it down to New Orleans
to celebrate their anniversary.
to celebrate their anniversary.
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Oh,
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it was there where Pierre
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was wedded to the lovely mademoiselle.
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C'est la vie, say the old folks,
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it goes to show you never can tell.
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No, no,
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you never can tell.
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No, no,
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you never can tell.
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You never can tell.
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You never can tell.
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No, no,
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you never can tell.
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(Applause and cheers)
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Thank you.
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I recently had the tremendous opportunity
of searching for gold
of searching for gold
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in the vast mine of songs
released by Chess Records,
released by Chess Records,
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a Chicago-based label that was really
very active in the '50s and '60s in the US
very active in the '50s and '60s in the US
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and that music spread all over the world.
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And the songs that I'm singing tonight
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are from an album that I just put out
called, "Playing Chess,"
called, "Playing Chess,"
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that pays homage to those songs.
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And these guys were really the innovators
of rock 'n' roll and soul and R&B
of rock 'n' roll and soul and R&B
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as we now know it.
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(Applause)
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(Music)
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(Singing) Over the mountain,
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across the sea,
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there's a girl waiting,
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she's waiting for ...
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me.
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(Music)
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Over the river,
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beyond every cloud,
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she's passed the wind blowin' loud.
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Over the mountain,
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a girl waits for me.
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(Music)
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Tell the sands,
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every blade of grass,
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please tell the wind to let my love pass.
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Over the mountain,
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a girl waits for me.
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Tell the moon up --
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up in the sky.
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Tell all the birds that fly on by
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that over and over the mountain ...
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my love waits for me.
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Oh,
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into each dark, starry night,
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oh, what a mystery
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that's sealed so tight.
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Over the mountain,
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a girl waits for me.
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Tell the moon up --
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up in the sky.
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Tell the birds that fly by
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that over and over the mountain
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my love waits for me.
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Into each dark and starry night,
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oh, what a mystery
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that's sealed so tight.
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Over the mountains,
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a girl waits for me.
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She waits for me.
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Oh, she waits for me.
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I know, I know, I know, I know, I know.
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Oh,
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I know, I know, I know, I know, I know.
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Oh,
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I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,
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oh oh, oh oh.
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(Applause and cheers)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Elise LeGrow - SingerPowerhouse singer Elise LeGrow plays with the classic sounds of R&B.
Why you should listen
With a thunderous rasp, spellbinding style and elegant, dynamic mystique, Elise LeGrow is the Canadian powerhouse defying pop culture chronology -- wowing Questlove, Betty Wright and a crew of R&B legends along the way. She melds fiery passion and sophistication with just a hint of sandpaper grit in a voice that could only belong to a star, no matter the era or genre.
LeGrow's debut album, Playing Chess (S-Curve/BMG), draws from the catalog of Chicago's iconic Chess Records, home to pioneers like Muddy Waters, Etta James, Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry. Rather than faithfully recreate such revered material, LeGrow's interpretations completely transport these classic tracks to a world where the past and present are inextricably intertwined.
Elise LeGrow | Speaker | TED.com