Ten Favorite Bodies of Water Songs: Up on Cripple Creek (#5)

Tweet

If there’s a series just for rivers then there has to be a series for those other poor, neglected bodies of water! That’s what this one is all about. Here’s the next song on the list of my favorites with a body of water mentioned in the title. #5: Up on Cripple Creek - The Band As they used to sing on Hee Haw, “Goin’ up to Cripple Creek, goin’ in a run, goin’ up to Cripple Creek to have a little fun.” No, that’s not this song. Instead, this is one of the classic songs by The Band. The Band started off as Bob Dylan’s backing band when he “went electric.” He had a motorcycle accident, laying him up, and allowing The Band to strike out on their own. As they did, this group comprised of four Canadians and one guy from Arkansas did a masterful job of blending rock, country, folk, and blues into a distinct form of music that we now call Americana. And this song gets extra credit for mentioning Spike Jones! Nah, it’s a great song, even if it hadn’t mentioned Spike. Up on Cripple Creek Written by Robbie Robertson Recorded by The Band From The Band, 1969 I can’t take the way he sings but I love to hear him talk: