Joey Ramone’s stunning cover of John Cage song ‘The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs’
‘The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs’ stands as a sublime composition for voice and closed piano, crafted by John Cage in the waning months of 1942. Swiftly gaining status as a gem within Cage’s repertoire, the composition reimagines a passage from James Joyce’s literary masterpiece, Finnegans Wake. Here, we revisit the moment Joey Ramone delivered a stunning rendition of the song in 1993 for a special compilation dedicated to the late composer.
The song’s genesis, as Cage himself revealed, emanated from the vivid impressions sparked by one Joyce passage, catalysing a series of works where the Irish writer’s essence would be interwoven. The song has become iconised as a deeply innovative approach characterised by the vocal component, which employs only three distinct pitches: his dynamic interplay of fingers, knuckles, and other means also generates a spectrum of strangely endearing sounds. Utilising unconventional items to make musical sounds became something of a trademark for Cage, as he also frequently used household objects and even silence to create unusual impact.
The aftermath of the song’s creation saw the song swiftly ascend to one of Cage’s most frequently performed compositions, often gracing the stage courtesy of celebrated artists such as the duo of Cathy Berberian and Luciano Berio. Lauriejean Reinhardt, a musicologist, shared an essay delving into the tapestry of history and significance woven into the song’s fabric: “Cage composed ‘The Wonderful Widow’ in response to a commission from the soprano Janet Fairbank, whom he had met during his brief appointment at the Chicago Institute of Design in 1941-1942,” Reinhardt said. “Fairbank was an ambitious amateur singer from a wealthy family with close ties to the Chicago arts community.”
She added: “Endowed with modest vocal abilities, Fairbank nevertheless endeared herself to critics and advocates of modern music by her tasteful and intelligent performances and her tireless promotion of contemporary music. Her interest in Cage proved prescient, for the Carnegie Hall recital that occasioned the setting of ‘The Wonderful Widow’ coincided with the composer’s now-famous concert at the Museum of Modern Art, an event that placed the young Cage at the vanguard of modern music.”
Evidently given creative autonomy in crafting the song’s lyrics, Cage adeptly chose an ode to Isobel from the pages of Joyce’s Finnegans Wake. This carefully selected passage not only furnished him with a thematic foundation and verbatim lines to incorporate but also bestowed upon the composition its very title.
The 1993 compilation, Caged/Uncaged – A Rock/Experimental Homage To John Cage, stands as an impressive assemblage, boasting contributions from huge figures in the punk and art rock realms such as Lee Ranaldo, Arto Lindsay, Debbie Harry, Lou Reed, Elliot Sharp, and Ann Magnuson. Within this compilation, ‘The Wonderful Widow Of Eighteen Springs’ is performed by Ramone and delivered with a unique tonal quality, showcasing an uncanny resonance with the essence of the song.
While it could be argued that Ramone’s singing adds to the song’s sense of familiarity and comfort, this interpretation transcends certain renditions by professionals with its integration of the percussive elements through the use of drums rather than the traditional closed piano approach.
