Improbable Soundtrack

Carol and I watched Silver Linings Playbook recently.

We even paid for the goddamn thing, which we don't usually do. Our cable bill is $14,000/month, so we prefer not to increase that burden.

I was a little disappointed. The movie got a lot of hype. It started off with promise.  The relationship between Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper as father and son was intense.

But eventually it devolved into just another love story.

That is not why I am here today.

Bob Dylan put out an album called Nashville Skyline. On it, he duets with Johnny Cash on a song called "Girl From The North Country."

This song pops up in the movie as background to a scene. I don't even remember what the scene was because I was so amused to hear this song on a soundtrack, wondering how the hell it fit the scene.

Four verses. Dylan takes the first, Cash takes the second, they duet on the 3rd and 4th. The 3rd and 4th verses are the ones you want to zero in on.

They are the most out of sync duo in the history of duos. Halfway through the 3rd verse they actually begin to sing different lyrics. After a few seconds Dylan bends to Cash's will and sings what he is singing. The song ends raggedly.

Go to YouTube. Dial it up. You will be amused. You might even learn to love the song.

As I have.

The song fit the scene. It set the mood. It complemented the mood.

I don't know how the hell that happened, but it worked.