Will Oldham is a Louisville, Kentucky singer-songwriter who has been releasing records for nearly two decades under a variety of different pseudonyms–Palace Brothers, Palace Music, Palace Songs, even plain ol’ Will Oldham. But in recent years, he’s mostly gone by Bonnie “Prince” Billy, a name that simultaneously references 18th Century English political figure Bonnie Prince Charlie, 19th century outlaw Billy The Kid, and 50s-era crooner Nat King Cole. He’ll be releasing a new EP on his longtime label, Drag City Records, later this summer, called Now Here’s My Plan.
Will Oldham is a Louisville, Kentucky singer-songwriter who has been releasing records for nearly two decades under a variety of different pseudonyms–Palace Brothers, Palace Music, Palace Songs, even plain ol’ Will Oldham. But in recent years, he’s mostly gone by Bonnie “Prince” Billy, a name that simultaneously references 18th Century English political figure Bonnie Prince Charlie, 19th century outlaw Billy The Kid, and 50s-era crooner Nat King Cole. He’ll be releasing a new EP on his longtime label, Drag City Records, later this summer, called Now Here’s My Plan. This EP consists of rerecorded versions of earlier Bonnie “Prince” Billy tunes, featuring the same backing band that Oldham used on last year’s Wolfroy Goes To Town.
This isn’t the first time Oldham’s chosen to base a record around remakes of older songs–2004’s Bonnie “Prince” Billy Sings Greatest Palace Music was constructed similarly, and featured new recordings of songs from the years 1993-1997, when all of Oldham’s band names included the word Palace. He’s used the name Bonnie “Prince” Billy for long enough that Now Here’s My Plan mostly consists of songs that were released under that name originally–“No Gold Digger,” first released on 1996’s Arise Therefore, is the only song here that predates the moniker. The first single from the EP, “I See A Darkness,” is a rerecording of a song that is among Oldham’s most famous–the title track on Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s 1999 debut album, it was covered by Johnny Cash in 2000, for his American III: Solitary Man LP. The original version is a solemn, mournful ballad with an ominous undertone, featuring heartwrenching lyrics in which a man pleads with a trusted friend to help him deal with his persistent struggles with depression. It’s obvious why a song like this would appeal to Johnny Cash, especially towards the end of his life.
What’s surprising about the rerecorded version of “I See A Darkness” is just how different a musical mood it creates. Much more upbeat than the original, the new version feels almost jaunty. This mood is embodied in the video by Oldham’s strutting progress through the streets of Glasgow, Scotland, where director Ben Berman shot this video during a tour stop. Any attempt at solemnity is further punctured by the CGI effects that allow Oldham and the members of his band to roll their eyes around and back into their heads independently of each other. The whole thing is quite appropriate for the kind of silliness that friends can get up to after a few drinks together in a bar–and the fact that it contrasts with the unaltered lyrics, which remain every bit as dark and serious as they were in the original version of the song, is just as fitting in a way. After all, even for a depressed person, it’s pretty easy to feel happy and safe around good friends. Sometimes it’s only during those moments, when everything is going pretty well, that a person can feel comfortable enough expressing themselves that they could make the kind of matter-of-fact admissions of pain and sadness that the lyrics to “I See A Darkness” contain. If anything, this new upbeat version of the song is an even more revealing window into the nature of depression.
But what’s really important is that it’s also a great song with an entertaining video. I first heard it a few weeks ago, and have come back to it many times in idle moments since. Both the newly rerecorded song and its video have had far greater sticking power for me than the original 1999 version ever did. At his best, Oldham’s work has always reminded me of music by such artists as Neil Young, The Band, and the aforementioned Johnny Cash. I can hear all of those influences in this new song, as well as a unique original voice that doesn’t come from anywhere except within Oldham himself. The combination of all these factors and more have made “I See A Darkness” one of my favorite singles released so far this year. Don’t overlook it.
Now Here’s My Plan isn’t up for pre-order quite yet, but be sure to keep an eye on Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s page on the Drag City website–it’s bound to show up there soon.
