Halloween Song: “Jacksie”

I’ve had a tradition of featuring spooky songs throughout October from when I started this blog in 2009. “Jacksie” by Over The Rhine was the first Halloween song profile I ever posted. It’s from the Cincinnati-based band’s eclectic 1992 debut album Patience, which I reviewed for the Illinois Entertainer. Led by vocalist-acoustic guitarist Karin Bergquist and bassist-keyboards player Linford Detweiler, Over The Rhine has a knack for crafting engaging Americana music that’s garnered critical acclaim over the years. They visit Chicago on a semi-regular basis and host the annual Nowhere Else Festival on their own property in Ohio.

A casual listener could easily assume “Jacksie” 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.” But Detweiler, who wrote the lyrics and music, was inspired by the book, A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis. He spins the author’s reflections on the loss of a loved one into a compelling and beautiful ballad. 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 trying to find your way through a forest at midnight.