A Musical Interlude

A playlist of songs listened to on the Cahaba

While out on the river I asked my friends via Instagram to please send along their best Alabama and river songs. What follows is a comprehensive list of everything I listened to out on the water. Cell service was sparse most times, but when I really needed a boost, I was able to reach enough connection waves to eek out some tunes. Many of these songs were new to me. Many of these songs are old friends.

The river is a bastion for the community and this project, while a solo trip down the river, was very much a community endeavor. I loved the ways in which people wanted to be involved and sharing songs about place and water seemed like a good way to include others on my journey. Plus, it made me feel supported and carried. Thank you, friends, for sharing your tunes with me.

I’ve not included the Gorecki Symphony No 3 from Day Five on these playlists because I feel strongly you should make that a listening experience entirely unto itself. It’ll take you about an hour to get through all three movements. Here’s its Youtube link and here’s one to it on Spotify. Find yourself a quiet space and time where you don’t do anything but sit (or maybe take a gentle walk) and listen. Immerse yourself in the moment and then come back and tell me about it.

I would also like to draw your attention to an artist who I didn’t know about until I was trying to search Cahaba related music. It’s been a delight getting to know the music of Murph Murphy. I love getting to hear the places I adore sung into being. And for those of you who don’t live here, songs like these are a lovely way to share a bit of Alabama with you.

So, without further ado and for your listening pleasure, here you go:

The Cahaba Project on Youtube

The Cahaba Project on Spotify

SONGS SENT TO ME BY FRIENDS

“Alabama Shamrock”—Hacksaw Boys (Raye Hendrix)
“Magic City Stomp”—Lee Bains + The Glory Fires (Raye Hendrix)
“Centreville”—Lee Bains + The Glory Fires (Raye Hendrix)
“Alabama Woman”—Red Steagall (Raye Hendrix)
“Proud Mary”—Tina Turner (Ginny Brown)
“Wayside / Back in Time”—Gillian Welch (Adam Vines)
“You’re Lookin’ at Country”—Loretta Lynn (Adam Vines)
“Alabama Darlin”—Tomi Lunsford (Kerry Madden-Lunsford)
“Chickens Don’t Roost Too High”—Red Mountain White Trash (Matt Layne)
“Summer’s End”—John Prime (Nickole Brown)
“Fishing in the Dark”—Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (Jody Courson)
“Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven”—Tyler Childers (Jody Courson)
“Nickel Bridge”—Avail (Billy Luttrell)
“River”—Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (Kristin Entler)
“Stono River Blues”—Shovels & Rope (Rob Cole)
“Sleeping Off Summer”—Boy’s Life (Billy Luttrell)
“Pink Moon”—Nick Drake (Erin Dorman)
“Better in the Morning”—Birdtalker (Erin Dorman)
“Deceptacon”—Le Tigre (Nickole Brown)
“Down by the Water”—Abigail Lapell (Nickole Brown) 
“Alabama Wild Man”—Jerry Reed (Carson Colenbaugh)
“Down by the River”—Neil Young & Crazy Horse (Rob Cole)

ADDITIONAL SONGS PLAYED

“Take me to the River”—The Talking Heads
“Rivers and Roads”—The Head and the Heart
“Down in the Valley”—The Head and the Heart
“Plastic Jesus”—Paul Newman
“Hooked on a Feeling”—Blue Swede
“Friday I’m in Love”—The Cure
“Come on Aphrodite”—Natalie Merchant
“Cowboy Take Me Away”—The Chicks
“I am My Mother’s Savage Daughter”—Sarah Hester Ross
“Dream Sweet in Sea Major”—Kurt Acker
“Crash Into Me”—Dave Matthews Band
“Won’t Say”—Trent Johnson
“I Will Follow You into the Dark”—Death Cab for Cutie
“Emerald Eyes”—Anson Seabra
“I Wish Grandpas Never Died”—Riley Green
“Alabama Pines”—Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
“Down by the Water”—PJ Harvey
“Galway Girl”—Tophouse
“Wide Open Spaces”—The Chicks
“The Mountain Song”—Tophouse
“I was Born under a Wandering Star”—Lee Marvin
“Birmingham”—Shovels & Rope
“Vanilla Twilight”—Owl City
“Fireflies”—Owl City
“Islands in the Stream”—Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers
“Hold On”—Alabama Shakes
“Sweet Home Alabama”—Lynyrd Skynyrd
“Copperhead Road”—Steve Earle
“The Green River Below”—Tomi Lunsford
“Ode to Billie Joe”—Bobbie Gentry
“Down from Dover”—Dolly Parton
“Down to the River to Pray”—Alison Krauss
“Away Down the River”—Alison Krauss
“Jacob’s Dream”—Alison Krauss
“You Will Be My Ain True Love”—Alison Krauss
“Skinny Love”—Bon Iver
“Lilac Wine”—Nina Simone
“Kiss Me”—Sixpence None the Richer
“Linger”—The Cranberries
“Suit and Jacket”—Judah & The Lion
“The Otter”—Caamp
“I Want You”—Bea Troxel
“Indiana Jones Theme”—Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
“Stars Fell on Alabama”—Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
“Wait in the Truck”—HARDY
“Boondocks”—Little Big Town
“Shake ‘Em On Down”—North Mississippi Allstars
“Spirit in the Sky”—Norman Greenbaum
“Big Yellow Taxi”—Counting Crows
“Black Betty”—Ram Jam
“Black Water”—The Doobie Brothers
“Cahaba Dreams”—Murphy Murphy
“Little Huck Finn”—Murphy Murphy
“Taking Care of Dreamers”—Tomi Lunsford
“Like a Mighty River”—St Paul & The Broken Bones
“Wade in the Water”—Big Momma Thornton
“Ring Tang Ring Toon”—Mountain Man
“Lay All Your Love on Me”—ABBA
“You Can Call Me Al”—Paul Simon
“Down in the Valley”—Johnny Cash
“Come and Get Your Love”—Redbone
“Dancing’ in the Moonlight”—King Harvest
“Jolene”—Dolly Parton