Dave38885 Posted February 28, 2005 Report Share Posted February 28, 2005 Can someone tell the name of the song they use in the AT&T commercial. Part of the words are "Take a load off granny" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunt_Acid Posted February 28, 2005 Report Share Posted February 28, 2005 Haha. Fannie. It's called "The Weight" by The Band. I think The Band was just on some sort of tour or something too. When they came out in the 60s, they were called the hawks. I'm really liking these commercials. On another one they played Sweet Melissa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazooka Posted February 28, 2005 Report Share Posted February 28, 2005 "Take a load off granny" Haha. Fannie. That's Annie. At least, according to me and Songfacts.(<) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunt_Acid Posted February 28, 2005 Report Share Posted February 28, 2005 Well everyone I know says Fannie. Also, that's what the Kareoke monitor says. Who knows. We'll have Carl ask Rick Danko next time he interviews him. Still, I love this song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazooka Posted February 28, 2005 Report Share Posted February 28, 2005 How does the karaoke deal with the other lyrics "get back to Miss Annie" and "what about young Anna-Lee"? I reckoned that was one & the same person. I guess I hear the f as the end of 'off ', not as the beginning of 'fannie'. Anyway, we agree The Band has turned out some great music. Try to dig up their version of Dylan's When I Paint My Masterpiece. Bet you'll like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcM Posted February 28, 2005 Report Share Posted February 28, 2005 I Googled it a while ago because I thought it was "Manny"... According to several sources, it's Fanny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Joe Posted February 28, 2005 Report Share Posted February 28, 2005 It's most defintely Annie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edna Posted February 28, 2005 Report Share Posted February 28, 2005 I just read an interview with Robbie Robertson and he´s quoting that line: "Take a load of Fanny"... It´s on an old Rolling Stone Magazine so I don´t think they´ll make a mistake...well, who knows... Could also be a type error. I´ll google and see the official website... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunt_Acid Posted February 28, 2005 Report Share Posted February 28, 2005 The part sounds like he's saying "to get back to miss fannie" But the anna lee part? I don't know where that came from. Wasn't that an old poem by Edgar Allen Poe? About anna lee or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazooka Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 That's Annabel Lee by Poe. In his pleasantly morbid style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunt_Acid Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 Wow, that was a great poem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_M Posted March 2, 2005 Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 I don't know why SongFacts says it's "Annie". Someone sent in an incorrect fact and it made it past the editors. The group consisted of 5 members and was formed in Woodstock, New York: Robbie Robertson (guitar) Levon Helm (vocals, drums) Rick Danko (bass) Richard Manuel and Garth Hudsaon (keyboards) All were from Canada, except Helm, who was from Arkansas. The group spent awhile backing up rockabilly lounge lizard Ronnie Hawkins before joining Bob Dylan on tour in 1966 as "The Hawks". The fact is, the characters in the song (with it's seemingly biblical references) are people the band members ran across during their days with Hawkins. As for who we're taking the load off, it's FANNY! When you're pronouncing English, there's hardly a difference between ''Take a load off Annie'' and ''Take a load off Fanny'', so it's understandable that no one really knows what name is being referred to. Here's the story about the song, straight from Levon Helms mouth. (vocals and drums for "The Band"). This is an excerpt taken from Levon Helm's autobiography: "This Wheel's On Fire: Levon Helm And The Story Of The Band". Taken from Page 167 of the book: "The Weight" closed side one. We had two or three tunes, or pieces of tunes, and "The Weight" was one I would work on. Robbie had that bit about going down to Nazareth---Pennsylvania, where the Martin guitar factory is at. The song was full of our favorite characters. "Luke" was Jimmy Ray Paulman. "Young Anna Lee" was Anna Lee Williams from Turkey Scratch. "Crazy Chester" was a guy we all knew from Fayetteville who came into town on Saturdays wearing a full set of cap guns on his hips and kinda walked around town to help keep the peace, if you follow me. He was like Hopalong Cassidy, and he was a friend of the Hawks. Ronnie would always check with Crazy Chester to make sure there wasn't any trouble around town. And Chester would reassure him that everything was peaceable and not to worry, because he was on the case. Two big cap guns, he wore, plus a toupee! There were also "Carmen and the Devil", "Miss Moses", and "Fanny", a name that just seemed to fit the picture. (I believe she looked a lot like Caladonia.) We recorded the song maybe four times. We weren't really sure it was going to be on the album, but people really liked it. Rick, Richard, and I would switch the verses around among us, and we all sang the chorus: Put the load right on me! [unquote] Here are the lyrics for the song so you can follow the character's in his quote: I pulled into Nazareth, Was feelin' about half past dead; I just need some place, where I can lay my head. "Hey, mister, can you tell me where a man might find a bed?" He just grinned and shook my hand, and "No!", was all he said. (Chorus:) Take a load off Fanny, take a load for free; Take a load off Fanny, And (and) (and) you put the load right on me. I picked up my bag, I went lookin' for a place to hide; When I saw Carmen and the Devil walkin' side by side. I said, "Hey, Carmen, come on, let's go downtown." She said, "I gotta go, but muh friends can stick around." (Chorus) Go down, Miss Moses, there's nothin' you can say It's just ol' Luke and, Luke's waitin' on the Judgement Day. "Well, Luke, my friend, what about young Anna Lee?" He said, "Do me a favor, son, won't 'cha stay an' keep Anna Lee company?" (Chorus) Crazy Chester followed me, and he caught me in the fog. He said, "I will fix your rags, if you'll take Jack, my dog." I said, "Wait a minute, Chester, you know I'm a peaceful man." He said, "That's okay, boy, won't you feed 'im when you can." (Chorus) Catch a Cannonball, now, to take me down the line My bag is sinkin' low and I do believe it's time. To get back to Miss Fanny, you know she's the only one. Who sent me here with her regards for everyone. (Chorus) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edna Posted March 2, 2005 Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 I just read an interview with Robbie Robertson and he´s quoting that line: "Take a load of Fanny"... It´s on an old Rolling Stone Magazine so I don´t think they´ll make a mistake...well, who knows... Could also be a type error. I´ll google and see the official website... Well, after Brad´s post guess I won´t need to Google... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earth-Angel Posted March 2, 2005 Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 Thanks for clearing that up Edna and Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXX Posted March 2, 2005 Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 Haa :: I always sang it in the car as "fanny" too Didn't the band Nazareth get their name from this song? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Joe Posted March 2, 2005 Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 Thank you, Brad. I've had this wrong for nearly 30 years. Duh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edna Posted March 2, 2005 Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 Thank you, Brad. I've had this wrong for nearly 30 years. Duh! Hey, Uncle, I discovered that too! You´re welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Joe Posted March 2, 2005 Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 ..and thank you too, edna. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edna Posted March 2, 2005 Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 ...I wish I had a graemling doing funny things to post for UncleJoe! He´s the finest humorist on Songfacts! (smashed english again?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addictedtoclassic Posted March 2, 2005 Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 I just ordered "The Band"... yay! But then I realized it didn't have this song on it, but that's okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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