Dust My Broom - Elmore James
Song of the Day #26
Apple Music link: https://music.apple.com/us/album/dust-my-broom/250106034?i=250106441
Note this was a review of the Fire session recording, not the original recording on Trumpet records.
In my view, this may indeed be the heaviest song of all time. Oh sure, there have been songs in metal and hardcore punk with loud riffage and speedy soloing. Yet, I don't think any of them ever truly surpassed the brutal effect of this song's riff, how each and every note assault your mind, body, and soul into submission. The effect is so annihilating that I almost mentally black out while it's on, my brain totally shut off by its ruthless barrage of stinging tones. It's not just the riff though: Elmore's voice, while seeming thin on the surface, is absolutely shredding spiritually. He was an intense, fiery musician, where his songs even at their lightest moments scorch and explode with emotion. His presence alone is enough for a song to truly overwhelm, but with that monstrous riff, nothing before him even begins to compare and few things did after. Anyone who can call Elmore a "hack" for not writing the riff himself after hearing this should be barred from listening to this genre. So what if he didn't write it? This genre is much more about musicianship and performance than songwriting, and on that scale, he succeeded with flying colors.
Much has been said about Elmore James essentially rewriting this song dozens of times, and this is true. From his take on "Blues Before Sunrise" to "Standing At Crossroads," a huge chunk of the catalog sports the riff. However, I feel that he didn't include it everywhere because he was lazy: that riff is the musical representation of who he is. It's his own musical signature, letting you know it is him, and no one else, who is playing on that track. And what could be a better representation of his musical personality than the ferocious sound of that riff? This recording is his soul translated into the language of the blues, and it's a testament to how incredible a presence he was that it remains one of the genre's most celebrated recordings. Play this one on a speaker very, very loud, and get ready to be taken to another dimension.
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