
JR: "Walking In Memphis" was partially inspired by watching the Reverend Al Green performing a service at his
"Full Gospel Tabernacle" church in Memphis. In my examination of your career is it fair to say that gospel had
an impact on your vocation?
ED: Cher did a cover of your song, 'Walking in Memphis'. Have you ever performed it with her?
And what can one say about "Walking in Memphis"? It's a hall-of-fame candidate. Cohn mentioned that he heard that Cat Stevens/Yusef Islam has the song on his iPod-mix. He also let people know that the song is a tribute to Muriel the pianist, not Elvis and his blue suede shoes, as some folks assume.
"It's definitely the song I'm identified with the most," said Cohn. "A big part of its expression is that I'm an outsider, I'm not a Christian, I'm not a Southerner. It's a song about what it is like to be an outsider, an outsider that I know I am. It's about being a Clevelander in the Deep South, being a Jew in Al Green's church. I wrote the song with the subtext of wondering and asking who I am and who I'm not."
Übersetzung © 2017 by Volker Pöhls
Transcript © 2017 by Volker Pöhls
The historic marker erected by the "Mississippi Blues Commission" in front of the "Hollywood" says:
"The Hollywood Café, both at this site and its original location in Hollywood, Mississippi, earned fame as a Delta dining institution but also shared in the area's musical history. Pianist Muriel Wilkins performed here for years, and she and the Hollywood were immortalized in the Marc Cohn hit song "Walking in Memphis". Legendary bluesman Son House also performed at this site when the building housed the commissary of the Frank Herbert plantation, where House once resided."
He cites the climactic line of "Walking in Memphis" when the gospel singer Muriel asks him, " 'Are you a Christian child?' And I said, 'Ma'am, I am tonight.' "
The lyric is much misinterpreted by fans who still ask if Cohn became a born-again Christian during his experience in Memphis.
"It means that every other night, I'm something else, and that is a Jew," Cohn said. "And I actually felt really good about that."
Eric: Tell me about the first time you heard the playback for "Walking in Memphis" in the studio. Did you know you had a hit?
Transcript © 2017 by Volker Pöhls
Transcript © 2017 by Volker Pöhls
Transcript © 2017 by Volker Pöhls
Transcript © 2017 by Volker Pöhls
Transcript © 2017 by Volker Pöhls
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