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Daniel Lanois — Rocky World
Album: For The Beauty Of Wynona
Avg rating:
6.5

Your rating:
Total ratings: 605









Released: 1993
Length: 2:51
Plays (last 30 days): 0
My hands are wrapped in your raven hair
In the faded picture on the back stair
We were narrow, we were steady, trembling and ready
To give it hell in this rocky world

You said do I look like I could be a strong mother
And raise the good side of a young daughter
In the hotel Shangri La, let me tell you
I've been thinking of her in this rocky world

Chicago is heavy but I can't turn around
I'm smuggling that whiskey over flesh and pound
Michigan I worry and Suzy I'm sorry
That I lost you out there in the rocky world

Would you build me a building, a chapel out there
At the top of the hill in the still blue air
Near the weather vane, by the track and train
I'll be looking for you in the rocky world

She's turning twenty and out on the make
Pounding the blacktop with a habit to shake
She's looking for a manger, in the eyes of a stranger
Down in the streets of a rocky world

Jenny has religion, she sinks in a chair
She's made a decision to color her hair
The black man cut the sugarcane, and she watches the rain
In a building away from the rocky world

Yeah, I'll tell you something I'll never forget
The sight of you in the sillhouette
Outside Sault Saint Marie, ah you really threw me
When you pulled me down to your rocky bed

In a crowded room, I stood there empty
Looking for salvation and glory be
When a shot turned my head, and I saw you instead
Walking into my rocky world
Comments (61)add comment
magnificent!
 victory806 wrote:
Lanois's Production Credits are tres magnifique! Year Artist … 1981 Martha and the Muffins… 1982 Nash the Slash… 1983 Martha and the Muffins…

Oh man, I didn’t realize that Lanois produced both ‘Dance After Curfew’ and ‘And You Thought You Were Normal’ for Nash the Slash (or the M+M records for that matter). A bit embarrassing since I have both on vinyl. In my defence, I didn’t really know who Lanois is until ‘83/‘84 when a couple of friends of mine who were studying at McMaster in Hamilton rented a room in a house in the student ghetto around the corner from the Grant Avenue Studio. This was also before the string of hits with U2, Gabriel, Robbie Robertson Emmylou Harris, etc.

Looking at his earlier production credits, I’m curious to know what prompted Eno to contact him about collaborating on ambient projects. 

T.P. Vibe
What a gem of an artist/producer this man is.
 mattenuttall wrote:

This is an excellent album by an artist best known for his U2 production. Saw him a couple of times in concert and he does not disappoint, always brings something and someone interesting.

Uh oh. I thought Monsieur Lanois was best known for his two Bob Dylan albums.....
Lanois's Production Credits are tres magnifique! Year Artist 1974 Simply Saucer 1976 Jackie Washington 1977 Raffi 1977 Willie P. Bennett 1978 Crackers 1978 Ron Neilson 1979 Scott Merritt 1980 The Millionaires 1981 Bernie LaBarge 1981 Martha and the Muffins 1982 Brian Eno 1982 Mama Quilla II 1982 Nash the Slash 1983 Brian Eno 1983 Martha and the Muffins 1983 Parachute Club 1984 Harold Budd and Brian Eno 1984 Luba 1984 M + M 1984 U2 1985 Brian Eno 1985 Michael Brook 1985 Peter Gabriel 1985 Roger Eno 1986 Jon Hassell 1986 Peter Gabriel 1987 Robbie Robertson 1987 U2 1988 Jon Hassell/Farafina 1989 Bob Dylan 1989 Daniel Lanois 1989 Neville Brothers 1990 Hothouse Flowers 1991 U2 1992 1992 Peter Gabriel 1993 Daniel Lanois 1994 Ron Sexsmith 1995 Emmylou Harris 1996 Geoffrey Oryema 1996 Luscious Jackson 1997 Bob Dylan 1998 Brian Blade 1998 Scott Weiland 1998 Willie Nelson 2000 U2 2003 Harold Budd 2004 U2 2006 Bob Lanois 2006 Dashboard Confessional 2007 Mother Superior 2007 Sinéad O'Connor 2009 Rocco DeLuca and the Burden 2009 Sinéad O'Connor 2009 U2 2010 Brandon Flowers 2010 Neil Young 2012 Jim Wilson 2012 The Killers 2014 Rocco Deluca 2019 various artists


Asa001 wrote:

This is an excellent album by an artist best known for his U2 production. Saw him a couple of times in concert and he does not disappoint, always brings something and someone interesting.




 nannimae wrote:


Apologies to U2, Mr. Lanois is better known for his production of Emmy Lou Harris' Wrecking Ball.  

Uh oh. I thought Monsieur Lanois was best known for his two Bob Dylan albums.....
Anything DL touches I'll buy sound unseen. Truth in sound.
 Asa001 wrote:

This is an excellent album by an artist best know for his U2 production. Saw him a couple of times in concert and he does not disappoint, always brings something and someone interesting.



One of the most interesting guitarists that I've seen. His producer credits speak for themselves. Some of my favorite albums. Thanks to RP, I don't hear his solo stuff enough! 
 Asa001 wrote:

This is an excellent album by an artist best know for his U2 production. Saw him a couple of times in concert and he does not disappoint, always brings something and someone interesting.



Apologies to U2, Mr. Lanois is better known for his production of Emmy Lou Harris' Wrecking Ball.  
 On_The_Beach wrote:
Yep, arm every citizen with an AR-15; just for the love of God don't let us see a nipple!!
Gotta love America.



In all fairness that's two nipples.
 sjccroquet wrote:

Hey, now, let's keep the slander to a minimum - it's AR-15s that we all carry around stacked like cordwood in the backs of our pickup trucks.

Haha, I will adjust my post accordingly.   ; )
 On_The_Beach wrote:

Yep, arm every citizen with an AK-47; just for the love of God don't let us see a nipple!!
Gotta love America.


Hey, now, let's keep the slander to a minimum - it's AR-15s that we all carry around stacked like cordwood in the backs of our pickup trucks.
Genius, anything he touches I'll purchase.
This maybe one of my favorite album covers.
 Ivan-de-Nice wrote:

Musique de fond agréable pour recevoir et discuter des ami(e)s....


Je suis d'accord, cher ami....
I bought this CD in Riyadh, KSA. Only the head was visible. The Mutawa had coloured the body with opaque black felt pen. Awesome album.
Musique de fond agréable pour recevoir et discuter des ami(e)s....
Yep, arm every citizen with an AR-15; just for the love of God don't let us see a nipple!!
Gotta love America.


Update November 2023: I see Bill has replaced the tacky edited cover; yay!
This is an excellent album by an artist best know for his U2 production. Saw him a couple of times in concert and he does not disappoint, always brings something and someone interesting.
 weena wrote:
I've never heard a radio station play this track before. Love this album; bought it when it first came out.
 
Ditto!  RP continues to surprise me in all kinds of good ways... Great to hear this again.
 westslope wrote:

Daniel was born in Hull but grew up in Ancaster, Ontario.  That is probably why some of us think of him as Franco-Ontarian.  The Americans who believe that he is Cajun—Acadian are wrong though I suppose the error is natural enough.

 
Lanois himself has been strongly influenced by Acadian music and the Acadian experience:

https://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/03/arts/review-rock-daniel-lanois-and-the-sounds-of-acadia.html?mcubz=0

Damn good, that Lanois he's a give'r
 ThePoose wrote:
Love my homeboy. He was from Hull, now Gatineau, Quebec, where I work. Amazing singer-songwriter-musician-producer. Ask Bob, Neil, Peter or Bono. Oh, and only the American edition has the words covering the nipple.

 
Daniel was born in Hull but grew up in Ancaster, Ontario.  That is probably why some of us think of him as Franco-Ontarian.  The Americans who believe that he is Cajun—Acadian are wrong though I suppose the error is natural enough.

Lanois is brilliant.  His range of talents make me think of Steven Wilson and vice versa even if the music styles are quite different.  
Love my homeboy. He was from Hull, now Gatineau, Quebec, where I work. Amazing singer-songwriter-musician-producer. Ask Bob, Neil, Peter or Bono. Oh, and only the American edition has the words covering the nipple.

More Daniel Lanois, please.  He's nothing less than brilliant.
 
That was some good stuff.
Can never get enough of this song.  Can never get enough of this album
big love for danny any day of the week. a mystery to me why Bill doesn't play Black Dub - some of his best work ever. 
The album cover is from the great Czech photographer Jan Saudek. 
The voice sucks. Really hard to find talented singers these days 
Daniel Lanois is awesome. I just saw him last Friday night in the tiniest club in Hattiesburg, MS. It was one of the best shows I've ever been to. This is not the best song he has done, but it is a good album. I don't care for the picture on the cover, either, but it's what's inside that counts, right? ;)
Tomorrow night at 7:30 I'll be watching Danny Boy playing guitar and presenting his new film, Silvio, on the world's longest skating rink, the Rideau Canal, in Ottawa, Canada's capital, just across the river from Hull, Quebec, where Mr. Lanois came from. It will be a migic evening. This song has elements of Bob's Chimes of Freedom Flashing.
Shawneeo wrote:
Ditto on the comments about his chops as a producer. Admittedly more interesting than as a performer.
you gotta see him live to appreciate him as a performer. He's almost unbearably intense and charismatic. I never miss him when he comes to my town.
It's Mardi Gras time in my former hometown, the sad city of New Orleans. Do yourselves a favor: listen to Lanois' excellent "Acadie", and to the Lanois-produced "Yellow Moon" by the Neville Brothers, simply one of the best albums ever made.
guiguy wrote:
anything Lanois touches is superb, except this CD cover!
she needs a ham biscuit or three
Segued from Wilco to Lanois; a cathedral of songs; anything Lanois touches is superb, except this CD cover!
jbtidwell wrote:
This CD cover freaks me out! Somebody get that girl a cheeseburger, PLEASE!
Maybe that's what the knife is for ... she's going to kill a cow. A *small* cow, admittedly, but more would apparently be a waste at this point.
jbtidwell wrote:
This CD cover freaks me out! Somebody get that girl a cheeseburger, PLEASE!
My friend always says that when he sees an overly thin girl: "Mix in a burger!" LOL
This CD cover freaks me out! Somebody get that girl a cheeseburger, PLEASE!
I've never heard a radio station play this track before. Love this album; bought it when it first came out.
I think Lanois is someone you have to be introduced to album by album, not song by song. I'm a fan.
He sure creates a mood! transports you........ :sunny.gif: :sunny.gif:
Dylan tributes conciously or not, by Daniel Lanois notwithstanding I must show my appreciation to RP. Bill, what a great set this morn between Tull and Lanois. My favorite radio of all time!
Ditto on the comments about his chops as a producer. Admittedly more interesting than as a performer.
trell wrote:
U2 the unforgetable fire
He is definitely de man! A 10.
not doing much for me, really. rgrace hit the nail on the head with the Jackson Browne reference.
mdalston wrote:
this song is for guys who can't get girls. like rosie o'donnell
Rosie gets all the chicks
I for one love this song, I think it is one of his best songs ever. So nyah and to all you naysayers! ;)
Oh my God, I cannot stand this guy. A more sensitive Jackson Browne if such a thing were possible. Yep, a three-puker.
Originally Posted by brucergtr58: That guy is a production genius! I think he did Robbie Robertsons solo cd as well the great U2 and Dylan cd's.
He should have stuck to that.
Well this one kinda snuck up on me. Gonna need to hear it a few more times.
whoa! first he\'s singing something about Michigan then he says my name
Originally Posted by brucergtr58: That guy is a production genius! I think he did Robbie Robertsons solo cd as well the great U2 and Dylan cd's.
Not to mention production for Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, and Willie Nelson... and I'm sure there's a bunch more.
There are several terrific songs on that album. Rocky World is nice, but it would be a welcome surprise every once in a great while to hear something like Still Learning How To Crawl, Death of a Train, or Sleeping in the Devil\'s Bed.
beautiful song. Sound alot like Jackson Browne. But gentler and sweeter.