For My Sunday Song #476, we are going to go all blues with “Wisdom” by Jonny Lang. In 2017, this Grammy Award winning artist released is stellar album ‘Signs’. And that album blew me away thanks in large part to this song. If you aren’t familiar with Jonny, you are definitely missing out. He is a Blues, Gospel and Rock guitarist, songwriter and singer. There is nothing this man can’t do. He brings in so many influences and crafts them into heartfelt and moving songs that are either blues or straight up rock & roll and when he mixes the two together, watch out!! And this song…Watch The F*&K Out!!
The song was written by Jon Gordon Langseth (or Jonny Lang) and Andrew Maxwell Ramsey. It talks about how much we need wisdom to avoid those mistakes that we are bound to make. However, that lesson and wisdom tend to come way too late to ever help. It is those mistakes that give us the wisdom not to make them again. It is never there for that young man and generally don’t get it until you are much older and by then it is too late. I love the line…
When he sees he was defeated by
What he believed was only right
Was really just another lie
That’s when he’ll cry out for wisdom
For me, that is a really dark statement. What you believe is the right thing to do isn’t always the case. The lies and demons you face can skew that perception and it is the need for wisdom to help you see the correct choice or path. We have all needed wisdom at some point in time as we’ve all made mistakes. The song talks about when you are at that point where your life is on the and you would pay anything to have wisdom at that point…and it would be worth whatever price you have to pay.
Musically, holy crap! The song starts with a bass drum and snare that sounds will send chills down your spine. It is so hauntingly brilliant. The blues guitar has so much soul and pain. Jonny plays both the drums and and the guitar and those are the only instruments he needs throughout the song to convey the blues, the pain, the misery of not having the wisdom needed. The mistake has already been made. The guitar solo is amazing and probably the best guitar solo on a album that is nothing but great guitar solos. Lang is one of the best blues guitarists out there today. The emotions he can generate from those strings is amazing. Vocally, there is so much pain, so much regret, so much grit and so much life that has been lived. You believe every word he is singing.
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