Jerry Lee Lewis’ ferocious wailing version of \u201cAmazing Grace\u201d is hard to find – off an obscure album recorded in a Memphis church in 1970, following his religious conversion. I tripped over his “Amazing Grace” one day on YouTube – I had never heard it before. It stunned me. I couldn’t MOVE listening to it. I couldn’t find reference to it anywhere else, it wasn’t available for purchase on iTunes, and so – a desperate woman – I downloaded it from YouTube, and then uploaded to my iTunes because I needed to HAVE this thing, whatever IT was, I had never heard ANYTHING like it. <\/p>\n
Then it vanished from YouTube and I was very glad I stole it. I so wanted to link to it today and in a discussion with Cal (see post below) he tracked it down for me, after much Google searching. He knew instantly what I was talking about.) He found it, on Daily Motion. And so I post it for you now after the jump (the video loads automatically so I didn’t want it to be blasting over my main page indiscriminately). <\/p>\n
His performance is hair-raising in many ways. I may be alone in feeling that way. He is filled with faith but above all you can hear – no, you can FEEL – that this man has been THROUGH. IT. He has been to the depths. He is now emerging, and he feels the light. He is not graceful or gentle or even humble about his journey, where he has gone to and where he is now. He cannot hide anything. He is in the light now but he is still dangerous. There’s something tentative about all of it, like … he can’t even believe in grace, maybe because it can’t last? Or he’s not worthy? Or he knows that … he will descend again? (I know Nick Tosches’ version of JLL has definitely influenced me.) <\/p>\n
At any rate: below the jump: more thoughts on this absolutely extraordinary once-in-a-lifetime performance:<\/p>\n
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