One of de most beautiful songs ever written! It touches my heart deeply. I heared this song 30 years ago for the last time. I'm very happy to find this song back here. Thanks for uploading!
This is a beautiful song sung and played beautifully. There's a great cover been done by Bombay Bicycle Club's Jack Steadman which is how I found this song in the first place; he really captures the beauty and emotion of the track, have a listen, look for Bombay Bicycle Club - Motel Blues (Live Acoustic).
@Bozmeista this was how i found the video too, i love their version; but the audience in this performance were laughing with the lyrics in '78, i dont know wheather that was because it was being playin in a sight & sound concert full of middle class ponces or what, you just wouldnt get that these days
@VampireWeekendWills Personally I prefer the version done for On Track With SEAT (watch?v=2OxAR1eLQnA), or the one done with Black Cab Sessions (watch?v=H8yf8wZGF1M) That's just me though!
@Bozmeista I think you are being slightly harsh on the '78 audience. Wainwright was known for humour in his songs - he even smiles in the video above. Don't be pretentious, and try and speak for entire groups of people either - I've been to plenty of gigs where audiences have chuckled/laughed. It's fine.
I love the Alex Chilton / Big Star version, but you have to know where things came from. Rufus and Martha's dad was a genius, but most people only know him for his "novelty" tracks. This song aches, and I guess Alex's version really brought out the pain. But this is the real version.
genius first saw him in my first house in market harborough!! why! did i move there! apart from cheap it was full of midlanders who hated the wembley boy!!when i got married 1972 on whistle test? or similar on my new finlandia surround sound tv !!! rushed out bought album had a nervous breakdown!! due to bad marriage choice living!1?? in market harborough!! hahaand drugs!!
fantastic! BUT does anyone else think he looks loads like will ferrell in anchorman here lol? particularly the 'MILK WAS A BAD CHOICE!' moment. either way classic, song, classic film, hats off loudon.
I'm only 40, but have know Loudon's music since the early 70's since my dad was a big fan back then. He is a great and interesting guy from that era. I remember one of his albums, that either the cover, or inner portion had a white statue of this weird looking thing, with Loudon standing next to it.
One of his early records (Attempted Mustache?) had a picture of LWIII standing next to a statue of a polar bear. I think those statues were commonly found outside a particular ice cream parlor chain.
Not that it matters, but I think you are mistaken. It was a white statue of a thing that looked like a cross between a man, ape, and polar bear. It was standing erect like a man, and did not have a snout like a bear does'. I have that album in a box of old records up in my garage rafters. Some day I will pull it down and get back to you. I know the suspense will be killing you, but just hang in there!
OK, I've dome some research. _Attempted Mustache_ was recorded in Nashville. In Nashville there still remains some polar statues that were used by an ice cream chain. There were some in N'ville and one in my home town of Wash. DC. Google "polar bear frozen custard" and "edgehill polar bears" and you will find pictures of 5' high polar bears throwing snowballs. Compare these to the pic on the front of Attempted Mustache. :)
Well Done! Like I mentioned before, Loudon's music dates back to my earliest childhood memories, along with Sgt Peppers & Simon & Garf. Loudon is also in the movie "Big Fish", with Andre The Giant, and Danny Devito, if you haven't seen it it's worth renting. Take Care
I remember hearing this song for the first time when I was 19 and thinking, "whataperv!" I was very naive then. It wasn't until I understood the depths a man can go into loneliness. It wasn't until I understood the need for human contact is precious and can be taken for granted and often trivialized. Once I understood, I wept every time I hear this song. A college roomie had a mix tape of him, I would often borrow it for extended periods of time. This song is still one of my favorites.
Kudos to you gulrotkake, I am mistaken,I was going off of a '72 recording and a WLIR interview in '74 where Alex Chilton himself takes credit for this song. I still think A.C. does better on this one, but that's just preference. Also, I'm a ma'am not a sir, so maybe that's why I like Chilton better. He's a lot easier to picture going to a hotel room with.
I'm afraid you are mistaken, sir. If you look at Big Star's version, you'll see it's even credited to Loudon on the cover. I was so offended by this I was going to delete it, but I shall leave my reply here to others who might be ill-informed.
He's throwing away the conventions of sleeping around as something glamorous. As a man that started a family, and then ran away from it (especially this early in his life) we see a man who is tragically lonely and regretful of what he has done, or what he had to do. Beautifully tragic.
I heard this song on a Delta flight coming back from Europe. Flipping through the audio channels. You never know what you will find. Sometimes you find a gem that you have never heard before. And this is one. Somehow Loudin had slipped my mind over the years. That won't happen again.
I have played many bars and venues,[not on this scale]but this vid sums up everything I always wanted to say,but never had the voice,or honesty to get across.Makes me cry.
you know i 18 years old. i listen to hard rock classic rock punk rock heavy metal, but i sow him on Conan a will back and he sung a song about his grandmother. at the time i didnt thik about it, but i should have remembered his name. a year later my nanna died of cancer, and i was going crazzy thinking of that song. it has been over two years seens i herd of this guy, and im glad i found who he is. i hope some one will post the song NANNY from his album here come the choppers.
I've listened to Loudon for thirty five years and I've seen him in concert many times but these videos are such a wonderful addition to my auditory and visual senses. Thanks dude.
This is just about my favorite LW song - and what a great performance. Such a passionate performance - you can just hear the honesty in his voice. Thanks for posting it.
i think loudons one of the few artists whose voice actually got better as he got older...i saw him play last month and he sounds just as good as he did 10 years...i guess i prefer history/more love songs that era more than his early stuff. But this song is awesome
Not sure if it is the same event, but I have a mono MP3 recording lasting 46:02 of what I think was this concert from a cassette taped off BBC-TV and/or FM radio from England in the late-Seventies.
Sure was and I was 12 at the time.Been a big fan since then along with my father and brother.Seen Loudon many times live - top man.I have got an audio copy on .wmv format - just one big file though.
Hi, hanman1 and cottonsfancy. Just came across your comments here. I taped that concert too. I was 14! I'd seen him a while before at Cambridge Folk Festival. I still have the tape of BBC concert but the quality is V. poor. I'd love to get a copy of your wmv file.
Will Ferrell?? Uh, no. The song is great - still looking for the studio version but Album II doesn't seem to have been released on CD. Well, I do have it on vinyl at least.
I think the various live versions are better than the studio version on Album II. A great version opens "A Live One", that came out not too long after this performance. This is a great version, too!
it was a session he did for the bbc it was broadcast live on bbc1 and radio 1 at the same time one saturday teatime way back when I was a lot lot younger! Superb!
One of my favourite songs for sure! I love how much emotion he puts into it, the lyrics are really genius too :D
LuciiGOLuckyify 3 days ago
you ate a whole wheel of cheese?
goldeneye908 1 week ago
love this song...so much passion..
malbug 3 months ago
that face he does at 1:47 hahaha.
feelingthesubstance 3 months ago
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POSSIBLY ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MOMENTS IN MANKIND
freudastaire 4 months ago
such a passionate ending
mike65730 6 months ago
One of de most beautiful songs ever written! It touches my heart deeply. I heared this song 30 years ago for the last time. I'm very happy to find this song back here. Thanks for uploading!
YourDutchgirl1 7 months ago 3
So glad i finally listened to this rather then just playing the Bombay song.. Now I appreciate them both.
TheLuk3b 8 months ago
thank you youtube!
sucram4545 8 months ago
Jesus Christ
sucram4545 8 months ago
Irony and pictures, sounds like a great song to me.
rievans57 8 months ago
Where was this recorded?
orourkeda 8 months ago
i love this song so much. i dont prefer the bombay bicycle club version but its ok. you cant beat lw3 thoa
MrK9nny 8 months ago
1:49
sunraddin 8 months ago
one of the great lyricists.Freud with a guitar and a bag of speed.
whichbit 10 months ago
Classic !!
supersoulmusiq 10 months ago
This is a beautiful song sung and played beautifully. There's a great cover been done by Bombay Bicycle Club's Jack Steadman which is how I found this song in the first place; he really captures the beauty and emotion of the track, have a listen, look for Bombay Bicycle Club - Motel Blues (Live Acoustic).
Bozmeista 11 months ago
@Bozmeista this was how i found the video too, i love their version; but the audience in this performance were laughing with the lyrics in '78, i dont know wheather that was because it was being playin in a sight & sound concert full of middle class ponces or what, you just wouldnt get that these days
VampireWeekendWills 11 months ago
@VampireWeekendWills Personally I prefer the version done for On Track With SEAT (watch?v=2OxAR1eLQnA), or the one done with Black Cab Sessions (watch?v=H8yf8wZGF1M) That's just me though!
@Bozmeista I think you are being slightly harsh on the '78 audience. Wainwright was known for humour in his songs - he even smiles in the video above. Don't be pretentious, and try and speak for entire groups of people either - I've been to plenty of gigs where audiences have chuckled/laughed. It's fine.
charlier1987 11 months ago
Does Anyone have the guitar tabs for this song?
Lachie182 1 year ago
@Lachie182 if you go on ultimateguitar (DOT) com and search, there are tabs for bombay bicycle clubs version, but not his
ben2sk8 11 months ago
I love the Alex Chilton / Big Star version, but you have to know where things came from. Rufus and Martha's dad was a genius, but most people only know him for his "novelty" tracks. This song aches, and I guess Alex's version really brought out the pain. But this is the real version.
johnnyriggsisdead 1 year ago
@johnnyriggsisdead
Actually, the Alex version sounds nearly identical to the album version by Loudon.
drsteevo 1 year ago
Ha!!!! It's Will Ferrell !!!
GORRRILLA 1 year ago
thank you thank you thank you
freudastaire 1 year ago
He has been my hero ever since I first saw him over 40 years ago. Quite superb!
FENNYMAN 1 year ago
i came up to this song because one of the bands i like (bombay bicycle club) made a great cover of it. it‘s a special song, no doubt about it
superwowyeahcool 1 year ago 19
@superwowyeahcool Same! Amazing amazing.
kate28 1 year ago
they'll think you're my Wife
adamski177 1 year ago 2
I love the pure sadness and wonder in his voice when he says......"they'll think your my life"
Stirrethcharybdis 1 year ago
@Stirrethcharybdis
*wife
you absolute muppet
NikolaRadakovic 1 year ago
@NikolaRadakovic Yeah I know this it was just a keyboard slip
You complete tool...hehe
Stirrethcharybdis 1 year ago
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Anyone who doesnt love this artist and this song has no musical taste whatsoever!!
Timsatim 1 year ago
Anyone who doesn't love this song and this artist ahs no musical taste whatsoever
Timsatim 1 year ago
@Timsatim Very well said i love these songs only one Loudon
boomerhgt 1 year ago
Wow.
MrEllenwork 1 year ago
The way he says "They'll think your my wife" is almost emotionally crippling, hehe
I prefer this to any recording I've heard of the song yet, Loudon is so much better live
Stirrethcharybdis 1 year ago
I have seen Loudon four times. The same magic every time. he is an real artist
Steinens 1 year ago
Frank Turner is playing a great cover of this song. Check out: Frank Turner Musikfestwochen
bundaberg13 1 year ago
@bundaberg13 saw him do this one. great job Frank.
jeffustheguitarist 1 year ago
Checking this out as saw Bombay Bicycle Club play it at Union Chapel last night. Awesome song.
screamedthemouth 1 year ago
sooooooooooooooooooooooooo nice. I never heard of him before.
teamcrumb 1 year ago
Never heard this song until a couple of months ago on WXPN out of Philly. Great tune!!
malbug 1 year ago
genius first saw him in my first house in market harborough!! why! did i move there! apart from cheap it was full of midlanders who hated the wembley boy!!when i got married 1972 on whistle test? or similar on my new finlandia surround sound tv !!! rushed out bought album had a nervous breakdown!! due to bad marriage choice living!1?? in market harborough!! hahaand drugs!!
TheWembleymod 1 year ago
this is a really great song!
i think that bombay bicycle clubs version is one of the best, his voice suits this record so well
fantomdub 1 year ago
Thank-you so much for posting this song. Another astounding performance from Loudon. Beautiful.
lemonyellowsundrop 1 year ago
Thank-you so much for posting this song. very different from the alum version- much more soul. beautiful.
lemonyellowsundrop 1 year ago
Remarkable, many thanks.
Guedingen 1 year ago
What a fantastic song
mrbadexample83 1 year ago
Does anyone know where I can get an .mp3 of this version?
clozeyoureyes 1 year ago
@clozeyoureyes seriously! this one has more emotion and is nicer than the version I have from the album Recovery.
VivaLaKyo 1 year ago
Chronologically I know your young but when you kissed me you bit my tongue.....LOL
Stirrethcharybdis 2 years ago
This is a wonderful, desperately sad song. I don't think he's ever topped it, though I love plenty of his others too.
kareace123 2 years ago 4
fantastic! BUT does anyone else think he looks loads like will ferrell in anchorman here lol? particularly the 'MILK WAS A BAD CHOICE!' moment. either way classic, song, classic film, hats off loudon.
jaishalattacks 2 years ago 24
yes! couldnt think of his name! lmao well said that man.
Somekindacunt 2 years ago
Father of Rufus Wainwright?
Toffelielain 2 years ago
correct
tma2290 2 years ago
Yes. But since I've been listening to Loudon for about 30 years, I would say Rufus is his son.
dustyturtle 2 years ago 3
great hair...beautiful beard....
megaswenson 2 years ago
amen
Somekindacunt 2 years ago
nice cock, too
mikeehokkaido21 2 years ago
saw him at gateshead sage and was a pleasure...i love the man
#
adamski177 2 years ago
Comment removed
daaaaaisy 2 years ago
I'm only 40, but have know Loudon's music since the early 70's since my dad was a big fan back then. He is a great and interesting guy from that era. I remember one of his albums, that either the cover, or inner portion had a white statue of this weird looking thing, with Loudon standing next to it.
cowboysfan782008 2 years ago
One of his early records (Attempted Mustache?) had a picture of LWIII standing next to a statue of a polar bear. I think those statues were commonly found outside a particular ice cream parlor chain.
mcknigs 2 years ago
Not that it matters, but I think you are mistaken. It was a white statue of a thing that looked like a cross between a man, ape, and polar bear. It was standing erect like a man, and did not have a snout like a bear does'. I have that album in a box of old records up in my garage rafters. Some day I will pull it down and get back to you. I know the suspense will be killing you, but just hang in there!
cowboysfan782008 2 years ago
OK, I've dome some research. _Attempted Mustache_ was recorded in Nashville. In Nashville there still remains some polar statues that were used by an ice cream chain. There were some in N'ville and one in my home town of Wash. DC. Google "polar bear frozen custard" and "edgehill polar bears" and you will find pictures of 5' high polar bears throwing snowballs. Compare these to the pic on the front of Attempted Mustache. :)
mcknigs 2 years ago
Well Done! Like I mentioned before, Loudon's music dates back to my earliest childhood memories, along with Sgt Peppers & Simon & Garf. Loudon is also in the movie "Big Fish", with Andre The Giant, and Danny Devito, if you haven't seen it it's worth renting. Take Care
cowboysfan782008 2 years ago
I remember hearing this song for the first time when I was 19 and thinking, "whataperv!" I was very naive then. It wasn't until I understood the depths a man can go into loneliness. It wasn't until I understood the need for human contact is precious and can be taken for granted and often trivialized. Once I understood, I wept every time I hear this song. A college roomie had a mix tape of him, I would often borrow it for extended periods of time. This song is still one of my favorites.
2Cents 2 years ago 8
That Will Ferrell thing is freaky!
belmediauk 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
painfully true
utterly prosaic
modern poetry
but with musical genius thrown in for good measure
sob
laugh
hunch
sigh
(in that order, dammit)
MehefinHeulog 2 years ago
yes it is
MehefinHeulog 2 years ago
Comment removed
MehefinHeulog 2 years ago
he looks like will ferrel.. lol
HAIRMETAL88 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
SHUT THE FUCK UP
elpoo 2 years ago
Probably my favorite song of his.
ERoBB1 2 years ago 2
He's more reflective than his son. Less self-destructive.
I worked at Life magazine with Loudon's dad, Loudon Wainwright. He was a very kind, soft-spoken gentleman.
rootedsorrow 3 years ago
this character is like fuckin Will Ferrell
RudiWeinhold 3 years ago
Will Ferrell wishes.
GgRrYyPpHhOoNn 3 years ago 44
Kudos to you gulrotkake, I am mistaken,I was going off of a '72 recording and a WLIR interview in '74 where Alex Chilton himself takes credit for this song. I still think A.C. does better on this one, but that's just preference. Also, I'm a ma'am not a sir, so maybe that's why I like Chilton better. He's a lot easier to picture going to a hotel room with.
revdrcalm 3 years ago
Comment removed
revdrcalm 3 years ago
I'm afraid you are mistaken, sir. If you look at Big Star's version, you'll see it's even credited to Loudon on the cover. I was so offended by this I was going to delete it, but I shall leave my reply here to others who might be ill-informed.
gulrotkake 3 years ago 50
@gulrotkake
good call
dickchaneyshotaguy 1 year ago
@gulrotkake and hes credited in bombay bicycle clubs cover :)
saggybellend 1 year ago
@gulrotkake somebody somewhere send me video of loudon doing north korea blues its all i want for christmas
MrRascal55 1 year ago
@revdrcalm
Idiot... ignorant idiot ...
audiomanias 1 year ago
He's much better than his son.
JohnMRavenscroft 3 years ago
hard act to follow?
MehefinHeulog 3 years ago
wonderful stuff
MehefinHeulog 3 years ago
I saw him do this song live two days ago. He's now 61 or so. He said "Now it's 'Come up to my motel room and show me how to work the wi-fi.'"
ChicagoBeth1945 3 years ago 4
He's throwing away the conventions of sleeping around as something glamorous. As a man that started a family, and then ran away from it (especially this early in his life) we see a man who is tragically lonely and regretful of what he has done, or what he had to do. Beautifully tragic.
alexvlk 3 years ago
I've nothing to argue about this. Quote for true mate!
Bananaman68 3 years ago
This guy is one of the greats. He is a true wordsmith and his touch on the guitar is so cool.
munsterfloyd 3 years ago 2
In a weird way, this is one of the sweetest songs I have ever heard.
lastofthevictoriana 3 years ago 2
I heard this song on a Delta flight coming back from Europe. Flipping through the audio channels. You never know what you will find. Sometimes you find a gem that you have never heard before. And this is one. Somehow Loudin had slipped my mind over the years. That won't happen again.
bent139 3 years ago
It's Motel Blues........
GoodGigsVids 3 years ago
I have played many bars and venues,[not on this scale]but this vid sums up everything I always wanted to say,but never had the voice,or honesty to get across.Makes me cry.
dogzombii 3 years ago 6
The guy's written so many great songs. This may be his best. Those opening chords are so haunting.
Miachanfeb08 3 years ago
you know i 18 years old. i listen to hard rock classic rock punk rock heavy metal, but i sow him on Conan a will back and he sung a song about his grandmother. at the time i didnt thik about it, but i should have remembered his name. a year later my nanna died of cancer, and i was going crazzy thinking of that song. it has been over two years seens i herd of this guy, and im glad i found who he is. i hope some one will post the song NANNY from his album here come the choppers.
mattfay69 3 years ago
I've listened to Loudon for thirty five years and I've seen him in concert many times but these videos are such a wonderful addition to my auditory and visual senses. Thanks dude.
Wisegeorge 4 years ago
this guy is something else. we all know what he is talking about. he write the truth and our experience make its funny
potatoehead54 4 years ago
it was sad and funny yes,and a lonely and vulnerable confession.
megstubetops 4 years ago 3
such an awesome song, funny and melancholy... and what voice.
SurfaceToday 4 years ago
This is just about my favorite LW song - and what a great performance. Such a passionate performance - you can just hear the honesty in his voice. Thanks for posting it.
Pavl1801 4 years ago 3
this is such a classic version of Motel Blues.
What a song.
I love performing this song too.
I don't know, there's something about it.
A unique honesty without it being as heartbreaking as Your Mother and I (another classic)
Gareth
bemisuk 4 years ago 2
What an amazing song.
piratebrido 4 years ago
i think loudons one of the few artists whose voice actually got better as he got older...i saw him play last month and he sounds just as good as he did 10 years...i guess i prefer history/more love songs that era more than his early stuff. But this song is awesome
jcphockey7 4 years ago
Not sure if it is the same event, but I have a mono MP3 recording lasting 46:02 of what I think was this concert from a cassette taped off BBC-TV and/or FM radio from England in the late-Seventies.
Via FTP be okay?
Mel Lambert
ContentCreator 4 years ago
Sure was and I was 12 at the time.Been a big fan since then along with my father and brother.Seen Loudon many times live - top man.I have got an audio copy on .wmv format - just one big file though.
hanman1 4 years ago
Hi, hanman1 and cottonsfancy. Just came across your comments here. I taped that concert too. I was 14! I'd seen him a while before at Cambridge Folk Festival. I still have the tape of BBC concert but the quality is V. poor. I'd love to get a copy of your wmv file.
thughes44 3 years ago
I love this song his early stuff was the best just like all of us really
boomerhgt 4 years ago
this is very Nick Drake borrowed, talking bout the chords...
"Time has told me" ...
dresikodorinike 4 years ago
yeah, just those first two chords though
evanrkg 4 years ago
man ryan adams sounds like he took some influence from this guy
doyler369 4 years ago
At first I thought it was Will Ferrel. lol,....the lyrics suck by the way!
Napco205 4 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Fuck off.
rdickie 4 years ago
Will Ferrell?? Uh, no. The song is great - still looking for the studio version but Album II doesn't seem to have been released on CD. Well, I do have it on vinyl at least.
NJtoTX 4 years ago
it has got my copy of album 1&2 has now been released a few months on the internet cant remember were sorry
KINKYKEY 4 years ago
I think the various live versions are better than the studio version on Album II. A great version opens "A Live One", that came out not too long after this performance. This is a great version, too!
JoeBBBlow2 4 years ago 2
Man, he could be played by Will Ferrell in a movie, Great song and post. Thanks
jasonant1 4 years ago
Fantastic stuff.
hermes2006uk 4 years ago
Love this guy. Great music...good actor too.
dadof2monkeys 4 years ago
it was a session he did for the bbc it was broadcast live on bbc1 and radio 1 at the same time one saturday teatime way back when I was a lot lot younger! Superb!
dosysod 5 years ago
That voice...
Guedingen 5 years ago
oh poor ignorant me.... I love this song but only knew it as a Chilton / Big Star track !
fiatracer 5 years ago
does anyone know what show this is from?
wrybread 5 years ago
Don't get this kind of genius anymore. Legend
StraubGibson 5 years ago
Got to see this live last year, amazing.
robbmcaulay 5 years ago
Great clip. Loudon has been, for too many years, the most underated songwriting genius of his generation.
delgie6 5 years ago
Loudon is amazing...if you can find this whole show it's brilliant
Filmcode 5 years ago
That was great. Got anymore? Like Suicide SOng or Clockwork Chartruese?
On another note, does everyone see these clips slightly out of synch or is it just me and my crappy comp?
ArchieMoore 5 years ago
He looks a lot like Will Ferrell! I'm sure he'd love that, LOL! Got "Dead Skunk"? Thanks for sharing!
jimmyeightysix 5 years ago
hey packy! oh shit i mean loudon what a guy
guitarmaninthedrum 5 years ago
Always an underrated Genius!!!!
conan550 5 years ago
I don't even know what to say. That was so beautiful.
aeroplaneover 5 years ago
Thanks...Loudon is a hero..
SebastianHawks 5 years ago