Oh, Death
Whoa, Death
Won't you spare me over 'til another year?
Well what is this that I can't see?
With ice-cold hands taking hold of me
Well I am Death, none can excel
I'll open the door to Heaven or Hell
This is the song that got Ralph Stanley (one of the Stanley Brothers) a Grammy in 2002. It was his first, at age 73. He recorded the song a-capella as part of the soundtrack of the Coen Brothers’ movie O brother, where art thou? That movie is always explained as a modern time retelling of Homer’s epic Greek poem The Odyssey. For me it is 107 minutes of glorifying Americana and bluegrass music. It led me to discovering bluegrass, but also blues and by extension jazz.
It also is the calling card for producer T-Bone Burnett, who was hired by the Coen Brothers to arrange the music. This curated collection was so good, it influenced the direction itself in any ways. From just a travel story it became a musical revue of the styles of the Appalachians. The aforementioned song by Ralph Stanley is just one example of this. It might have been used by Lloyd Chandler, who created this sort of conversation with Death. He was both preacher and musician, and his shows must have attracted big audiences in the 20s.
The score is full of these sort of jewels, and this kind of music was up to then barely known. It meant the breakthrough of Americana and the rediscovery of bluegrass. It is one of the few cases where a soundtrack could change an entire musical landscape.