Crucifixion (song)
Encyclopedia
"Crucifixion" is a 1966 song by Phil Ochs
, a U.S.
singer-songwriter
. Ochs described the song as "the greatest song I've ever written".
According to Ochs's manager
, Arthur Gorson
, the composer was "wary" of how his audience might react to the new song because it did not have an explicit political message. He needn't have worried; his first public performance of "Crucifixion" was greeted by a standing ovation.
The song is about the rise and fall of a hero, and the public's role in creating, destroying, and deifying its heroes. The first verse describes an event of cosmic proportions: "the universe explodes", "planets are paralyzed, [and] mountains are amazed" by the raising of a falling star. In the second stanza, a baby is born; the child has been "chosen for a challenge that is hopelessly hard", to redeem the world. The third and fourth verses describe the hero's development: he has the insight that "beneath the greatest love, there's a hurricane of hate", yet he is driven to spread his message of redemption despite the tremendous difficulty.
The fifth and sixth stanzas describe the public acceptance of the hero's message and their adoration of the hero, but warns that "success is an enemy to the losers of the day" and that the people who are applauding the hero are salivating for his destruction. The hero's downfall comes in the seventh verse, when "the gentle soul is ripped apart and tossed into the fire". The eighth stanza quotes the public's reaction to the hero's destruction: "Who would want to hurt such a hero?" "I knew he had to fall." "How did it happen?" "Tell me every detail." In the ninth and tenth verses, the hero's myth grows as the public's memory of the events fades, and his message is sterilized; the cycle has ended. "Crucifixion" ends with a repetition of the first stanza, suggesting the birth of a new hero.
"Crucifixion" usually is interpreted as an allegory likening the life and assassination of U.S. President
John F. Kennedy
to the career of Jesus
, although the song may refer to other heroes as well. In 1973, Ochs explained "Crucifixion" to Studs Terkel
. In the distant past, Ochs said, the people would sacrifice a healthy young man to the gods; today, things were the same.
Critical response to "Crucifixion" was mixed. A writer at Beat described the song as "Ochs' most important work to date" and Billboard
wrote that it was "very hip". Robert Christgau
, however, wrote that the song "suffer[s] from elephantiasis
of the ambitions". In March 1967, U.S. Senator
Robert F. Kennedy
and journalist Jack Newfield
met Ochs, who sang "Crucifixion" for them; when Kennedy realized the song was about his brother, tears came to his eyes.
, a musical duo made up of Ochs's college friend Jim Glover
and Glover's wife, Jean Ray.
. Three acoustic versions of the song performed by Ochs were released after his death.
was invited by Ochs and producer
Larry Marks to arrange "Crucifixion". Byrd recalled:
The resulting arrangement included brass instrument
s, flute
s, strings
, organ
, electric harpsichord
, percussion
, backward tapes
, and electronic oscillations
.
Opinions concerning Byrd's arrangement vary. Mark Brend describes it as "one of the most audacious arrangements in all of pop music" and "one of the great moments of experimentation in all of 1960s pop music". Jeremy Simmonds writes that the production "diluted" the song. Richie Unterberger
says the arrangement "works against the song"; both Unterberger and Christgau compare Ochs's recording unfavorably to that of Jim and Jean.
Ochs defended the orchestration when the album was released, but years later he confided in his brother that he felt it had been a failure.
, was recorded on March 13, 1969, in Vancouver
, British Columbia
. It was released in 1991 on There and Now: Live in Vancouver 1968
.
Another acoustic version of the song was recorded at New York
's Carnegie Hall
on March 27, 1970. Portions of the concert were released in 1975 as Gunfight at Carnegie Hall
. This acoustic version was first issued on the 1976 compilation Chords of Fame
, released shortly after Ochs's death. It is also included in the 1997 box set Farewells & Fantasies
.
A third acoustic version of "Crucifixion" was released on the 1976 compilation Sings for Broadside. It is believed to have been recorded at Vassar College
on October 12, 1974.
by several performers beside Jim and Jean, including Greg Greenway
, Jeannie Lewis
, David Massengill
, Garnet Rogers
, and Glenn Yarbrough
.
Phil Ochs
Philip David Ochs was an American protest singer and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and haunting voice...
, a U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
. Ochs described the song as "the greatest song I've ever written".
The song
Ochs wrote "Crucifixion" during a two-hour car ride in the middle of his November 1965 concert tour of the U.K.United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
According to Ochs's manager
Talent manager
A talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
, Arthur Gorson
Arthur Gorson
Arthur Gorson, also known as Arthur H. Gorson is a film and record producer. He also has experience as a cinematographer, screenwriter, cameraman and composer. As a record producer, he produced over 20 albums for major labels with artists such as Golden Earring, Phil Ochs and Tom Rush. His...
, the composer was "wary" of how his audience might react to the new song because it did not have an explicit political message. He needn't have worried; his first public performance of "Crucifixion" was greeted by a standing ovation.
The song is about the rise and fall of a hero, and the public's role in creating, destroying, and deifying its heroes. The first verse describes an event of cosmic proportions: "the universe explodes", "planets are paralyzed, [and] mountains are amazed" by the raising of a falling star. In the second stanza, a baby is born; the child has been "chosen for a challenge that is hopelessly hard", to redeem the world. The third and fourth verses describe the hero's development: he has the insight that "beneath the greatest love, there's a hurricane of hate", yet he is driven to spread his message of redemption despite the tremendous difficulty.
The fifth and sixth stanzas describe the public acceptance of the hero's message and their adoration of the hero, but warns that "success is an enemy to the losers of the day" and that the people who are applauding the hero are salivating for his destruction. The hero's downfall comes in the seventh verse, when "the gentle soul is ripped apart and tossed into the fire". The eighth stanza quotes the public's reaction to the hero's destruction: "Who would want to hurt such a hero?" "I knew he had to fall." "How did it happen?" "Tell me every detail." In the ninth and tenth verses, the hero's myth grows as the public's memory of the events fades, and his message is sterilized; the cycle has ended. "Crucifixion" ends with a repetition of the first stanza, suggesting the birth of a new hero.
"Crucifixion" usually is interpreted as an allegory likening the life and assassination of U.S. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
to the career of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
, although the song may refer to other heroes as well. In 1973, Ochs explained "Crucifixion" to Studs Terkel
Studs Terkel
Louis "Studs" Terkel was an American author, historian, actor, and broadcaster. He received the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1985 for The Good War, and is best remembered for his oral histories of common Americans, and for hosting a long-running radio show in Chicago.-Early...
. In the distant past, Ochs said, the people would sacrifice a healthy young man to the gods; today, things were the same.
The Kennedy assassination, in a way, was destroying our best in some kind of ritual. People say they really love the reformer, they love the radical, but they want to see him killed. It's a certain part of the human psyche—the dark side of the human psyche.
Critical response to "Crucifixion" was mixed. A writer at Beat described the song as "Ochs' most important work to date" and Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
wrote that it was "very hip". Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
, however, wrote that the song "suffer[s] from elephantiasis
Elephantiasis
Elephantiasis is a disease that is characterized by the thickening of the skin and underlying tissues, especially in the legs and male genitals. In some cases the disease can cause certain body parts, such as the scrotum, to swell to the size of a softball or basketball. It is caused by...
of the ambitions". In March 1967, U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
and journalist Jack Newfield
Jack Newfield
Jack Newfield was a muckraking journalist, employed by The Village Voice, the Daily News and the New York Post. He covered the emergence of the New Left and the civil rights movement, and was a close friend of Robert F...
met Ochs, who sang "Crucifixion" for them; when Kennedy realized the song was about his brother, tears came to his eyes.
Recordings
The first recording of "Crucifixion" was released in 1966 by Jim and JeanJim and Jean
Jim and Jean, composed of Jim Glover and Jean Ray were an American folk music duo, who performed and recorded music from the early to the late 1960s....
, a musical duo made up of Ochs's college friend Jim Glover
Jim Glover
Jim R. Glover is a long-time peace activist and folk singer from Cleveland, Ohio, who currently lives in Brandon, Florida.-Relationship with Phil Ochs:...
and Glover's wife, Jean Ray.
Recordings by Ochs
Ochs released a densely arranged version of the song on his 1967 album Pleasures of the HarborPleasures of the Harbor
Pleasures of the Harbor was Phil Ochs' fourth full-length album and his first for A&M Records, released in 1967. It is one of Ochs's most somber albums...
. Three acoustic versions of the song performed by Ochs were released after his death.
Pleasures of the Harbor version
Joseph ByrdJoseph Byrd
Joseph Byrd was the leader of The United States of America, a notable rock band from the 1960s, as well as the psychedelic group Joe Byrd and the Field Hippies, of cult fame through their release The American Metaphysical Circus...
was invited by Ochs and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Larry Marks to arrange "Crucifixion". Byrd recalled:
Phil asked me to arrange the song. I really didn't think it should be arranged, because its power is in the simplicity of the lyric. But he wanted the kitchen sink: SchoenbergArnold SchoenbergArnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
, StravinskyIgor StravinskyIgor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
, CageJohn CageJohn Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
, electronic soundElectronic musicElectronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
.
The resulting arrangement included brass instrument
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
s, flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
s, strings
String section
The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
, organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, electric harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
, percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, backward tapes
Backmasking
Backmasking is a recording technique in which a sound or message is recorded backward on to a track that is meant to be played forward...
, and electronic oscillations
Electronic oscillator
An electronic oscillator is an electronic circuit that produces a repetitive electronic signal, often a sine wave or a square wave. They are widely used in innumerable electronic devices...
.
Opinions concerning Byrd's arrangement vary. Mark Brend describes it as "one of the most audacious arrangements in all of pop music" and "one of the great moments of experimentation in all of 1960s pop music". Jeremy Simmonds writes that the production "diluted" the song. Richie Unterberger
Richie Unterberger
Richie Unterberger is a US author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing.-Life and writing:Having worked as a DJ at WXPN in Philadelphia, he started reviewing records for Op magazine in 1983...
says the arrangement "works against the song"; both Unterberger and Christgau compare Ochs's recording unfavorably to that of Jim and Jean.
Ochs defended the orchestration when the album was released, but years later he confided in his brother that he felt it had been a failure.
Acoustic versions
An acoustic version of "Crucifixion", consisting of Ochs accompanying himself on guitarGuitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, was recorded on March 13, 1969, in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. It was released in 1991 on There and Now: Live in Vancouver 1968
There and Now: Live in Vancouver 1968
There And Now: Live in Vancouver 1968 [sic] was a 1990 archival release of a concert by Phil Ochs in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, at the PNE Garden Auditorium on Thursday, March 13, 1969...
.
Another acoustic version of the song was recorded at New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
on March 27, 1970. Portions of the concert were released in 1975 as Gunfight at Carnegie Hall
Gunfight at Carnegie Hall
Gunfight At Carnegie Hall was Phil Ochs' final album, comprising songs recorded at the infamous, gold-suited, bomb-threat shortened first set at Carnegie Hall in New York City on March 27, 1970, though it contains less than half of the actual concert...
. This acoustic version was first issued on the 1976 compilation Chords of Fame
Chords of Fame
Chords Of Fame was a 2-LP compilation of folksinger Phil Ochs' career, compiled by his brother shortly after Ochs' death in 1976. Released on A&M Records, it compiled tracks Ochs had recorded for both that label and Elektra Records...
, released shortly after Ochs's death. It is also included in the 1997 box set Farewells & Fantasies
Farewells & Fantasies
Farewells & Fantasies is the 1997 posthumous box set of the work of singer/songwriter Phil Ochs, chronicling his life and career in music from 1964 through 1970. With its non-chronological running order, it plays like three separate albums, each showcasing a different side of Ochs...
.
A third acoustic version of "Crucifixion" was released on the 1976 compilation Sings for Broadside. It is believed to have been recorded at Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
on October 12, 1974.
Cover versions
"Crucifixion" has been coveredCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by several performers beside Jim and Jean, including Greg Greenway
Greg Greenway
Greg Greenway is an American folk singer/songwriter. Currently living in the Boston area, he is part of the folk scene there...
, Jeannie Lewis
Jeannie Lewis
Jeannie Lewis is an Australian musician and stage performer whose work covers many different styles such as folk, jazz, Latin, blues, opera, rock, fusion. Her music often includes a strong social consciousness and she is capable of making very strong political statements in her work.-Early...
, David Massengill
David Massengill
David Massengill is an American folk singer/songwriter, guitar and appalachian dulcimer player. His best-known songs include "On The Road to Fairfax County," recorded by The Roches and by Joan Baez, "The Great American Dream," and "My Name Joe," about an illegal immigrant restaurant worker...
, Garnet Rogers
Garnet Rogers
Garnet Rogers is a Canadian folk musician, singer, songwriter and composer. He began his professional career working with his brother, folk musician Stan Rogers, and arranging Stan's music.-Career:...
, and Glenn Yarbrough
Glenn Yarbrough
Glenn Yarbrough is an American folk singer. He was the lead singer with The Limeliters between 1959 and 1963, and had a prolific solo career, recording on various labels.-Biography:...
.
External links
- Phil Ochs performing "Crucifixion" at DailymotionDailymotionDailymotion is a video sharing service website, headquartered in the 18th arrondissement, Paris, France. According to Comscore, Dailymotion is the second largest video site in the world after YouTube....
(begins at 3:40)