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An Entity of Type : wsb:Song, within Data Space : covidontheweb.inria.fr associated with source document(s)

AttributesValues
type
sameAs
has title
  • The Shape I'm In
Subject
  • 1970 songs
  • Capitol Records singles
  • 1970 singles
  • The Band songs
  • Songs written by Robbie Robertson
  • The Good Brothers songs
abstract
  • %22The Shape I'm In%22 is a song by The Band, first released on their 1970 album Stage Fright. It was written by Robbie Robertson, who did little to disguise the fact that the song's sense of dread and dissolution was about Richard Manuel, the song's principal singer. It became a regular feature in their concert repertoire, appearing on their live albums Rock of Ages, Before the Flood, and The Last Waltz. Author Neil Minturn described the song as %22straightforward rock.%22 Along with %22The Weight,%22 it is one of the Band's songs most performed by other artists. It has been recorded by Bo Diddley, The Good Brothers, The Mekons, The Pointer Sisters, She & Him, and Marty Stuart.It was also released as the b-side to their single %22Time to Kill,%22 and proved more popular than the hit side, recognized by Capitol Records in its promotion kit for the single. The mix used for the single is disputed, as the Band had second thoughts about the work of initial engineer Todd Rundgren, and sent the tapes to be remixed by British engineer Glyn Johns. Most likely it was the Johns mixes used for both the album and the single.The Band drummer Levon Helm has written that the song is about %22desperation.%22 Author Barney Hoskyns describes it as %22a first person account of winding up on Skid Row, positing the sanctuary of rural life against the aggravation of hustling on the street.%22 Critic Greil Marcus thought the song %22set the stage for the apocryphal political drama that is woven into the fabric of Stage Fright,%22 although he didn't think the Band ever pulled off this drama satisfactorily.Hoskyns describes the music as being %22set to an insistent, crudely funky bass pulse.%22 He describes Manuel's vocal as sounding appropriately %22frantic.%22 Minturn particularly praised Robbie Robertson's guitar playing and Garth Hudson's organ. Hoskyns points out that the end of Hudson's organ part quoted the vocal line from Bob Dylan's %22I Pity the Poor Immigrant,%22 noting that the quote may have been a coincidence, but also that it might be making a political point.Rolling Stone Magazine critic Dave Marsh called %22The Shape I'm In%22 one of the most notably fine moments of the Stage Fright album. Critic Mark Kemp called it a %22highlight%22 of the album, further noting that it reveals %22a growing sense of anxiety and cynicism%22 by the band.%22 Music critic Paul Evans praised the %22penetrating psychological acuity%22 of its writing.
schema:author
  • Robbie Robertson
homepage
musicbrainz
Musicbrainz GUID
  • 185d8b27-05a9-433d-aab3-77737985656e
universally unique identifier
  • 5714dee725ac0d8aee534ffe
wikipedia
producer
  • The Band
track number
schema:album
wsb:allMusic_page
wsb:amazon_page
wsb:has_explicit_lyrics
wsb:iTunes_page
wsb:language_detected
  • english
wsb:rank
wsb:record_label
  • Capitol Records
wsb:recording_description
  • Bearsville Studios
  • Woodstock, New York
  • May to June, 1970
wsb:title_without_accent
  • The Shape I'm In
wsb:youTube_page
wsb:arousal
wsb:has_emotion_tags
wsb:has_social_tags
wsb:lastFm_song_id
  • TRVXCXW128F149471C
wsb:valence
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