By the time Emmylou Harris released her third Warner Brothers album “Luxury Liner” in 1976 she was on a roll both commercially and artistically. She had her own Hot Band in place which now featured the UK’s own Albert Lee and up-and-coming bluegrass star Ricky Skaggs which made it more Emmylou’s than Gram’s or Elvis’s. The approach of finding obscure covers and new songs by emerging writers had not yet become too stale. “Luxury Liner” included the first cover version of Townes Van Zandt’s ‘Poncho and Lefty’ and Gram Parson’s title track which he had recorded with the International Submarine Band. Both of these tracks would become classics and their inclusion was not too surprising, however, Emmylou’s cover of Chuck Berry’s ‘(You Never Can Tell) C’est La Vie’ was a bit of a surprise choice.
Evidently, Emmylou had a habit of listening to old rock & roll tunes on the road and had covered Chuck Berry as a folk singer, and her version of ‘(You Never Can Tell) C’est La Vie’ featured Hank DeVito’s pedal steel guitar and a snatch of Ricky Skaggs’ fiddle playing bring a touch of Louisiana to the arrangement. Chuck Berry had released the song in 1964 having written it in the early ‘60s while he was in jail for violating the Mann Act. The song involves two teenagers who get married in New Orleans and how they adapt to married life, and it brings a hint of the Caribbean to its arrangement mainly thanks to the piano of the legendary Johnnie Johnson.
The song was successful for Chuck Berry and Emmylou Harris, it was Berry’s last hit until 1972’s ‘My Ding-A-Ling’, and it was the lead single from “Luxury Liner” and a country hit for Harris. Emmylou Harris’s version is a perfect example of her ability to find unusual songs and make them her own. While she came up with her own arrangement, she was also true to the spirit of the original song. The song also proved a perfect fit for the varied skills of the Hot Band at the time. Emmylou has been quoted as saying that she thought ‘(You Never Can Tell) C’est La Vie’ as a fabulous song that simply outstayed its welcome in her repertoire due to over-familiarity.
“It was a teenage wedding and the old folks wished ’em well
And you could see that Pierre did truly love the Mademoiselle
And the young Monsieur and Madame have rung the chapel bell
‘C’est la vie’ – say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell
They furnished off an apartment with a two-room Roebuck sale
The Coolerator was filled with T.V. dinners and ginger ale
But when Pierre found work, the little money comin’ worked out well
‘C’est la vie’ – say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell
They had a hi-fi phono, boy, did they let it blast ?
Seven hundred little records, all rock, rhythm and jazz
But when the sun went down the rapid tempo of the music fell
‘C’est la vie’ – say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell
They bought a souped-up jitney, ’twas a cherry in ’53
They drove it down to New Orleans to celebrate their anniversary
And it was there where Pierre was wedded to the lovely Mademoiselle
‘C’est la vie’ – say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell
They bought a souped-up jitney, ’twas a cherry in ’53
They drove it down to New Orleans to celebrate their anniversary
And it was there where Pierre was wedded to the lovely Mademoiselle
‘C’est la vie’ – say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell”
Dylan recognized Chuck Berry’s songwriting genius.
While others built whole careers out of it, Alison.
Poncho ? It’s Pancho! Her amateurish mistake…
There is more to this than meets the eye, Harry. ‘Poncho and Lefty’ was the original title, and it was subsequently changed to ‘Pancho and Lefty’. What isn’t in doubt is how great that song is.