With searing guitar, pounding drums, harmonica flourishes and the voice of Margo Price, this foot-tapper from Jeremy Ivey ticks all the boxes. The duet is a light-hearted love song performed by the couple, who are partners in life as well as musically. Ivey explains: “I wrote this very fast. As I remember, I was sitting at the kitchen table and I was calling lines out to Margo in the other room. I was just trying to get a chuckle out of her. ‘You know how many times I’ve dreamt of you?’… ‘No, how many?”5,200,562.’ It’s basically an ‘I love you’ song.”
The video lets us see behind the scenes in the recording studio, which is always a privilege with such accomplished artists. You’ll see that Ivey had a black eye at the time as a result of a basketball accident. Price says: “He had the shiner during the recording too and I couldn’t keep a straight face while we were singing because he was so pitiful and beat up looking. It was perfect actually.” Of the song, she explains: “I have always loved this song of Jeremy’s so much. In fact, I once put him on the spot and begged him to play it for John Prine and he loved it too. That was a really special moment to witness because I know Jeremy’s songs are quirky but I think that’s what makes them brilliant. I know John would like it because it’s colorful, detailed and funny and has that certain thing you can’t pin down. When Jeremy sang the ‘if Jesus Christ were here today he’d probably get a face tattoo’ line, John lit up like a Christmas tree and let out an audible chuckle.” We can imagine Prine enjoying that kind of lyrical humour. It’s a fine follow-up to last year’s album ‘Waiting Out the Storm’.
The playful tone of ‘All Kinds of Blue’ is a welcome tonic in a troubled world. Enjoy.
