1952 Vincent Black Lightning

May 2023 1952 Vincent Black Lightning Richard Thompson Rumor and Sigh May 1991 1991 Sunset Sound, Los Angeles and Konk Studios, London Folk 4 43 Richard Thompson Mitchell Froom tNRAsJupiA4 "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" is a song by English guitarist and songwriter Richard Thompson from his 1991 album Rumor and Sigh. It tells the story of a thief named James and the girl Red Molly whom he charms with a ride on his 1952 Vincent Black Lightning motorcycle, which he bequeaths to her on his deathbed. In 2011 Time magazine listed the song in its "All TIME 100 Songs", a list of "the most extraordinary English-language popular recordings since the beginning of TIME magazine in 1923," praising it as "a glorious example of what one guy can accomplish with just a guitar, a voice, an imagination and a set of astonishingly nimble fingers.""All-TIME 100 Songs: 1952 Vincent Black Lightning" (retrieved on Feb. 26, 2014). Despite not being issued as a single, the ballad became a fan favourite and is one of Thompson's most highly acclaimed solo compositions.http://www.allmusic.com/song/1952-vincent-black-lightning-mt0027516374 1952 Vincent Black Lightning - Richard Thompson - Song Info - AllMusic 18 September 2016 A live version of the song appears on Thompson's album Two Letter Words: Live 1994. The band Red Molly, who has covered the song, takes its name from the lead female character in the song.Extended Bio (accessed March 7, 2011) from redmolly.com The motorcycle thumb|A Vincent Black Lightning The song focuses on the main character's love for both his girlfriend and his 1952 Vincent Black Lightning, a rare British motorcycle of which perhaps 30 were made. The character James compares it to other cycles of the age in his dying speech: Says James, in my opinion, there's nothing in this world Beats a '52 Vincent and a red headed girl. Now Nortons and Indians and Greeveses won't do They don't have a soul like a Vincent '52. Beviglia Jim https://americansongwriter.com/1952-vincent-black-lightning-by-richard-thompson/ '1952 Vincent Black Lightning,' By Richard Thompson American Songwriter 12 August 2012 9 May 2020 While most cover versions of this song by different artists remain with the original lyrics listing those same three makes of motorcycle (that "don't have a soul like a Vincent '52"), Thompson himself often varies the makes in his performances, variously including the following makes: Triumph, Harley, Enfield, Douglas, Rudge, Matchless, and Ducati.August 2018 Interviewed in the 2003 BBC Four documentary Solitary Life, Thompson said: "When I was a kid, that was always the exotic bike, that was always the one, the one that you went "ooh, wow". I'd always been looking for English ideas that didn't sound corny, that had some romance to them, and around which you could pin a song. And this song started with a motorcycle, it started with the Vincent. It was a good lodestone around which the song could revolve".http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074nw0 Richard Thompson: Solitary Life - BBC Four 18 September 2016 Covers The song has been covered by many artists: Dick Gaughan, on Sail On (1996)https://www.allmusic.com/album/sail-on-mw0000028718 Sail On - Dick Gaughan | Album | AllMusic www.allmusic.comhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFpFqT7lWnY 1952 Vincent Black Lightening 5 November 2014 YouTubehttps://singout.org/he-smiled-to-see-her-cry/ He smiled to see her cry Ken Bigger 6 June 2012 Jeff Lang, on Disturbed Folk (1995) and Disturbed Folk vol. 2 (1999) Del McCoury Band, on Del and the Boys (2001) Bob Dylan, during a concert at Clarkston, Michigan, on 14 July 2013.http://www.bobdylan.com/us/tour/2013-07-14-dte-energy-music-theatre July 14, 2013 Clarkston, MI - The Official Bob Dylan Site bobdylan.com 18 September 2016 When Thompson heard Dylan's cover of the song, he said, "It was a surprise, totally. I thought it was a hoax. I thought it was a joke!"http://somethingelsereviews.com/2013/07/30/i-thought-it-was-a-hoax-richard-thompson-wasnt-easily-convinced-about-bob-dylan-cover/ 'I thought it was a hoax': Richard Thompson wasn't easily convinced about Bob Dylan cover Something Else! 7 April 2017 Sean Rowe, as a frequent concert stapleDec 2, 2014 Sean Rowe - "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrGOs1a1lOk Anti- Records Robert Earl Keen on Happy Prisoner: The Bluegrass Sessions (2015) American artists who cover the song frequently change the place reference, Box Hill to Knoxville. Himes Geoffrey 21 August 2018 The Curmudgeon: How an English Song about an English Motorcycle Became an American Classic https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/richard-thompson/the-curmudgeon-how-an-english-song-about-an-englis/ Paste Atlanta, GA 9 May 2020 References Category:Richard Thompson (musician) songs Category:1991 songs Category:Song recordings produced by Mitchell Froom Category:Songs written by Richard Thompson (musician)