Sunday, October 3, 2021

Halloween Song: Over The Rhine - “Jacksie"


This was the first Halloween song profile I wrote for Broken Hearted Toy. Over The Rhine continue to perform and record impressive music, and recently hosted their annual Nowhere Else Festival.

Over The Rhine, the Cincinnati-based band founded by vocalist/guitarist Karin Bergquist and bassist/keyboards player Linford Detweiler, has garnered critical acclaim for weaving elements of folk, country, and indie rock behind thought-provoking lyrics. “Jacksie,”  the opening track from the band’s 1992 debut Patience, was inspired by the book, A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis.


Detweiler spins the author’s reflections on the loss of a loved one into a compelling and beautiful ballad. Still, a casual listener could be forgiven for thinking this is a classic ghost story. Especially with lyrics such as, “They laid her in the ground./She still comes around./A love that never dies takes you by surprise.” Bergquist’s ethereal vocals, set to a slow, melodic arrangement, send chills up your spine, especially the way her “la la la la la la la” echoes like you’re traveling through a dark forest.

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