Walking in Memphis WikipediaWalking in Memphis is a song composed and originally recorded by the American singer songwriter. Marc Cohn, for whom it remains his signature song. Cohn said the song is 1. He described it as a song about a Jewish gospel music lover,2 and as a pretty literal transcription of a visit I made. I went to Graceland, I heard Al Green preach the gospel, I saw W. C. Handys statue. Lyrics to Walking In Memphis song by Marc Cohn Put on my blue suede shoes and I boarded the plane Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues In th. But the song is about more than just a place, its about a kind of spiritual awakening, one of those trips where youre different when you leave. URL It reflects on Cohns experience as a Jew who feels the Gospel spirit of Memphis. The last verse refers to Cohns inspirational encounter with singer Muriel Wilkins, with whom he performed Amazing Grace. This all culminates in the iconic lyric,  Tell me are you a Christian, child and I said, Maam, I am tonight 4 Cohn finds it funny that many listeners infer from the lyric that he is a Christian or born again. But to me, Cohn said, that line could have only been written by a Jew. Its such a Jewish line, and I love that. Cohn reached number 1. Billboard Hot 1. 00 chart. Buy Walking In Memphis Read 78 Digital Music Reviews Amazon. It is the only Top 4. Cohn. Walking in Memphis has since been remade several times, notably in 1. Cher number 1. 1 UK and in 2. Lonestar number 8 C W number 6. Hot 1. 00. Marc Cohn versioneditInspirationeditMarc Cohn was inspired to write Walking in Memphis by a 1. Walking In Memphis' title='Walking In Memphis' />Walking in Memphis is a song composed and originally recorded by the American singersongwriter Marc Cohn, for whom it remains his signature song. Lyrics to Walking In Memphis by Marc Cohn. Put on my blue suede shoes And I boarded the plane Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues In the middle. Read guaranteed accurate humanedited Marc Cohn Walking in Memphis lyrics from lyrics007. MARC COHN Marc Cohn Amazon. Music. and instantly bought it. The entire CD is so great. My favorite song is Walking in Memphis a classic Cohn tune. MARC COHN Marc Cohn Amazon. Music. and instantly bought it. The entire CD is so great. My favorite song is Walking in Memphis a classic Cohn tune. IDSERP,5223. 1Walking in Memphis Channel Awesome FANDOM powered by Todd plays Walking in Memphis on the piano. MARC COHN WALKING IN MEMPHIS A onehit wonder. Singer Marc Cohn, known for the 1991 smash hit Walking in Memphis, was shot in the head Sunday during an attempted carjacking in Denver but survived, his. Todd plays Walking in Memphis on the piano. MARC COHN WALKING IN MEMPHIS A onehit wonder. Memphis, Tennessee area he was then based in New York City working as a session singer while pursuing a recording contract quote One night while listening to all of my demos, I came to the realization that I shouldnt be signed, because I didnt have any great songs yet. My voice was good and the demos were interesting, but the songs were only just okay. I was 2. 8 years old and not in love with my songs. Rolling Thunder Patches. James Taylor had written Fire and Rain when he was 1. Jackson Browne wrote These Days when he was only 1. I thought Im already ten years older than these geniuses. Its never going to happen for me. So it was a pretty desperate time, and I went to Memphis with that struggle at the forefront of my mind. Cohn made his first excursion to Memphis after reading an interview with James Taylor in which Taylor stated he overcame writers block by going somewhere Ive never been, hoping to find some idea I wouldnt get just by sitting at home Cohn emulated Taylor, choosing Memphis as his destination I always knew it was a place I had to visit because so much of my favorite music came from there. From Al Green, Ann Peebles, and everything on Hi Records, to Elvis Presley, Isaac Hayes, David Porter, and the Stax catalog, an almost endless stream of brilliance and soul came out of Memphis. I was aware early on that. Memphis that was utterly inexplicable. It was part of what made me want to be a musician in the first place. Cohn recalls that on arrival in Memphis I did all the expected touristy things. I went to Graceland, and I saw Elvis Presleys tomb and his airplanes 5 Cohn would express misgivings after, eventually referencing Presley in the lyrics of Walking in Memphis To me, the song is so minimally about him, but I worry that it gets cast off as another Elvis tribute. Its a testament to the power of his name, even if you just mention it in one verse, the song becomes about him because people focus on it. But a friend told me there were two things in particular that I had to do, things that would forever change me. They would later become the centerpieces of Walking in Memphis. The first thing was go to the Full Gospel Tabernacle Church on a Sunday morning to hear the Reverend Al Green preach. I soon had chills running up and down my spine. The service was so deeply moving that I found myself with sweat running down my face and tears in my eyes, totally enveloped by everything I was seeing and hearing. There was something incredibly powerful about Al Greens voice in that context. Even after three hours of continuous singing, his voice only got stronger and his band only got better. I sat there crying in the church, aware of the irony of how I used to cry in Synagogue in Cleveland as a kid but because I wanted to get the heck out of there Al Greens service was one of the great experiences of my life. The second advisement of his friend was that Cohn visit the Hollywood Caf in Robinsonville, Mississippi, 3. Memphis, to see Muriel Davis Wilkins, a retired school teacher who performed at the cafe on Friday nights When I arrived, Muriel, who. I felt an immediate connection to her voice, her spirit, her face, and her smile. I was totally transfixed by her music. While many of the patrons were busy eating and not paying close attention to Muriel, I couldnt take my eyes off her. During her breaks, the two of us would talk. Muriel asked me why I was there, and I told her I was a songwriter trying to find inspiration. I also told her a little bit about my childhood how when I was two and a half years old, my mom had passed away very unexpectedly, and about ten years later, my dad had passed away and Id been raised by a stepmother. My mothers death was a central event in my life, and Id been writing a lot about it over the years, both in songs and in journals. I think a part of me felt stuck in time, like Id never quite been able to work through that loss. By midnight, the Hollywood was still packed, and Muriel asked me to join her onstage. We soon realized that there wasnt a song in the universe that both of us knew in common. A quick thinker, Muriel started feeding me lyrics to gospel songs so that I could catch up in time to sing somewhat in rhythm with her and make up my own version of the melody. Some songs I was vaguely familiar with, and some I didnt know at all. The very last song we sang together that night was Amazing Grace. Ps3 Game S For Rpcs3 there. After we finished and people were applauding, Muriel leaned over and whispered in my ear Child, you can let go now. It was an incredibly maternal thing for her to say to me. Just like sitting in Revered Al Greens church, I was again transformed. It was almost as if my mother was whispering in my ear. From the time I left Memphis and went back home to New York City, I knew I had a song in me about my experience there. CompositioneditSoon after returning to New York City, Cohn began constructing the melody for his Memphis song on his guitar I started playing an arpeggiated figure that I liked, but it didnt take long for me to realize that I couldnt play it very well on guitar. So I went to the piano, where that kind of rolling rhythm was easier for me to play. Then I added that first line to the piano riff and I was off to the races. The music for Walking in Memphis, except for the bridge, is really just the same thing over and over again. Its an attempt to keep things simple so that the narrative is what the listener focuses on. The story keeps changing it goes from one scenario to another, all following the thread of my elation, described in the lyric Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale. Whats being expressed is my love of music and the spiritual transformation Ive always felt through it. The line Tell me are you a Christian child, and I said Maam I am tonight even in the moment I wrote it down, I knew I was getting closer to finding my songwriting voice. To this day, people still ask me if I am a Christian. Marc Cohn Walking in Memphis Lyrics. Put on my blue suede shoes. And I boarded the plane. Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues. In the middle of the pouring rain. W. C. Handy, wont you look down over me. Yeah I got a first class ticket. But Im as blue as a boy can be. Then Im walking in Memphis. Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale. Walking in Memphis. But do I really feel the way I feel. Saw the ghost of Elvis. On Union Avenue. Followed him up to the gates of Graceland. Then I watched him walk right through. Now security they did not see him. They just hovered round his tomb. But theres a pretty little thing. Waiting for the King. Down in the Jungle Room. Then Im walking in Memphis. Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale. Walking in Memphis. But do I really feel the way I feel. Theyve got catfish on the table. Theyve got gospel in the air. And Reverend Green be glad to see you. When you havent got a prayer. But boy youve got a prayer in Memphis. Now Muriel plays piano. Every Friday at the Hollywood. And they brought me down to see her. And they asked me if I would. Do a little number. And I sang with all my might. And she saidTell me are you a Christian childAnd I said Maam I am tonightThen Im walking in Memphis. Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale. Walking in Memphis. But do I really feel the way I feel. Put on my blue suede shoes. And I boarded the plane. Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues. In the middle of the pouring rain. Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues. In the middle of the pouring rain.