Kathy let us know in the BTS that it was a deliberate choice to use the same white shirt, stool, and tools as from 16 Tons, and for White Shirt Geoff to slam the pickaxe and the camera to shake at the end. They thought it would amuse us. And it does! One of the things I really enjoy about Geoff is the way he tells the story of the song, not just performs it. Like any writer of a good novel, he subverts our expectations to keep it interesting -- going up when we expect him to go low, and vice versa. The lead voice sings higher when the miners see their chance to escape, the BGVs ascend higher even as the miners ascend. Jimmy Dean won a Grammy award in 1962 despite the song having a monotonous three-chord pattern. Geoff improved on a Grammy-winning song with this much more interesting arrangement. Mortius, I always watch your reactions, especially to Geoff and VoicePlay. Your laugh is infectious and I love the insight you offer so we can appreciate the performance even more. And I admire your necktie skills. I write historical fiction and find it so sad that most modern men don't know how to tie a necktie using anything other than a Windsor or half-Windsor knot, or even know that there are other options.
I think expected or predictable would maybe be better words then stale. Love anything with Geoff Castalucci. He definitely pushes the boundaries of his talents. Loved your reaction 🥰.
Loved this! Not only do I always learn from the things you point out, but you share my pure baffled delight in Geoff’s work and the display of his talents.
After Geoff did Sixteen Tons (Tennessee Ernie Ford ) we all have been begging him to do (Jimmy Dean's ) Big Bad John. I just love the way he breathes new life into these old songs that I remember growing up in the '60s. As he said we sent him back to the mines. Got the tank tops out and borrowed this dad's tools again. This was filmed in PattyCake Productions Storage room as all venues were booked the week of 2/22/22 for weddings. They cleaned out a corner and made it work. I think it's perfect. FYI we ladies wait and love it when he hits those low notes. It never gets stail for us. Go watch Jimmy Dean singing his song.
I just love the little details like it's the white-shirted Geoff that starts out the verse about how the miners see the light and find their way, because with the voices rising up, it helps you envision this miraculous opening up of a way out for them with a bit of angelic voices calling out to guide them. And during the last verse, where the other Geoffs are only heard, I swear that the way the lines end with that wah-ooh-wah sound it's almost like they are running out of air at the end of each phrase, and the breath in before they start on the next line is just a tad more pronounced and echoed than before, adding to the eeriness.
To be fair I've been listening to so much of Geoff now, obsessively, so I would agree, those dives into the basement no longer come as a surprise, no jaw drop, I just enjoy the effect and the work the man has put in to achieve what he does. i can also admit that it makes me emotional too, every time.
I knew this one would make your head explode! In the first verse when you were talking about his drop instead of going up to resolve, I was like, "Just wait". Your reaction to the epilogue verse was priceless! If you aren't familiar with the original song, go listen to it, it's the Jimmy Dean version from 1961. It'll highlight how Geoff stays true to the vibe of the song, while elevating it with his harmonies and change ups. This is only ⅓ of the story though. The followup is "Cajun Queen" and the finish is "Itty Bitty Big John", all Jimmy Dean (we all know him for his breakfast sausages). This part of the story is the best of the three. I understood what you were trying to relate regarding Geoff kinda painting himself into a corner by being such a bass acrobat. Bass is his bread and butter, but now that he is moonlighting as a four or five part one man harmony plug in band, he's been stretching higher out of his comfort zone so I think he's just getting warmed up! His solo work as well as his arrangements for VP have been getting more and more complex so I think we can expect to have our ears and minds continually blown for the foreseeable future! Great R&A as always but don't hurt yourself! 😉 That's Mason's job now! P.S. Did you catch the very end Easter egg to "Sixteen Tons"? Watch what white tank top Geoff does. And yes, he raided his dad's shed to borrow all those same tools for both videos!
I hadn't noticed the "Sixteen Tons" easter egg...Had to go back and watch it...I was too focused on the main Geoff at that point...He does a fist grab on the last note.....
The BW edit at the end was new even to Geoff's Patreon subscribers; when we saw the preview, we were surprised by it as well. But it was such a smart move, really adding to the somberness and haunting feeling of the final verse. I grew up on this song, and never liked it; didn't care for speak-singing, didn't like John's fate, nor the flat, factual way in which it was delivered. But the way Geoff has arranged and performed this has redeemed the song for me, and given poor ol' BIg John the reverence he deserves. At this point, I trust him to find a way to revitalize any music he touches, and do it beautifully. Regarding his deep bass bag o'tricks you mentioned at the beginning, I think at this point- for me- it doesn't even matter whether or not he pulls one out of his bag in a performance. Right now, I'm more interested in the quality of his voice, and his arrangement skills, and the abyssal bass drops- while still fun- are viewed as stylistic punctuation than necessary elements of his music.
Expected is the word you were looking for but in pure Geoff style he managed to take what we expected and give it new twists. Your reactions are marvelous and always make me happy.
Headless Horseman, The Raven, The Apartment, The Little Mermaid story narration, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, Jabberwocky, you want 'em, Geoff's got 'em!
Some people could read the phone book and still keep people enthralled with the sound of their voice. I think Mike Rowe actually did that once. But he was only speaking. Geoff could do it much better. I'd totally listen to that.
@@myopiniondoesntmatterh9073 First, your opinion does matter, so please don't sell yourself short. Second, Mike Rowe is the shizz! Remember he is also an opera trained singer. I would just melt!♥️😊
@@kelleyoneal2578 I love his telling of "The Masque of the Red Death". He brings the story its full measure of terror. My list is by no means complete, so look through his channel for any narrations he's made public (vs. what's only released to his Patreon).
"There was only one left down there to sa-a-a-ave" That extended word and the breathiness of that final syllable, plus the emphasized "vuh" sound, combined with the removal of the background vocals feels like intentional foreshadowing of Big John's fate. Feels like a dramatization of running out of air, or the finality of the last breath. Chills! Edit: And the section with the phantasm Geoff that narrates the aftermath of John's death... the camera angle jumps around like it might in one of those ghost hunting reality shows, when a spirit interacts with it. Its glitchy and color bleached. And that steady gaze/creepy half smile from Geoff, plus his low speaking tone that seems to echo just a little... Lots of old abandoned mines ARE thought to be haunted, particularly those touched by tragedy... MORE CHILLS.
Geoff just never disappoints and I absolutely love the pure joy on your face every time you hear him sing anything at all. I think the "problem" you mentioned at the start is less because he becomes less impressive but because we as an audience just get so used to expecting excellence from him. That's a treat on its own, now that I think of it, because how many people constantly deliver this sort of top-notch quality? Since you are a great fan of music that tells a story, here are two recommendations for you - both songs are by my favourite band, Poets of the Fall: 1. Carnival of Rust (the official video was voted best Finnish music video of all time) 2. The Poet and the Muse (this in particular is one that I believe you will adore for the lyrics)
I've always loved this song, and this is definitely my new favourite version. My grandma used to play all these old miner songs when I was young. This one keeps making me think of "cows with guns", though. Something in the tune and rhythm I think.
I know this song from my childhood it used to make 5 year old me cry her eyes out because Big John or Gros Jambon as he was called in the French version I grew up on, died and was left in the dark at the bottom of the mine. Geoff's version is even darker than the one I grew up on, am sure it would have given me nightmares.
any time I watch this now, I keep finding myself crying for Big Bad John. and then I shake myself and say wtf is wrong with me he isn't even REAL, and then I quiet myself and wipe a tear, and I say, Nothing. Nothing is wrong with me. Nothing at all. and then I listen to it again. because Geoff.
But in a way, John IS real. In the heydays of mining, there were a LOT of stories of poor miners lost down in the dark, never to see the light again. Many of them died saving others as well. Stories like this were not uncommon. This song is basically an homage to men like that.
Great reaction hope your ears recover. I've never liked the original because it's incredibly repetitive but Geoff's arrangement is wonderful. He changes up the BVs enough to keep it interesting. He added the 'ghost' scene after the preview & it creates so much atmosphere. I love when he falls off the save & also the break in the voice of white vest Geoff on the word miner. Geoff's done it again!!
Your comments mirror how I felt about his Shenandoah cover. I’d never heard of it, but when I looked up the original it just fell flat for me. But Geoff breathed life into it. I’ve always liked this song, which just happened to be released the month I was born, but Geoff’s cover is so much better.
I just felt very happy throughout the whole cover. Pretty sure thats just cause Geoff is being Geoff or maybe it is a combination of that and the storyline in the song😂❤ either way, I love this cover. And your reactions to his covers never dissapoint either ofc🥰 also the random sounds you make😂 love em
I felt bad for future you, every time you said that you were invested in the story of Big John 😂 I love your honest and sincere reactions, and the insights you give for each cool, unexpected or even bland / disappointing moment in any song!
I heard another reactor commenting on a different cover by Geoff say that we are spoiled. He hits some amazing low note and we think "Oh, it's only a G1" because it's Geoff. We have become used to his voice and expect nothing less. I love his low notes but even more his tenor/baritone. White tank top's solo was wonderful!
To make it even more impressive, it was filmed in the storage area at Pattycake. Highly recommend the behind the scenes on Geoff's Patreon! It includes a wiener dog riding in a toy dump truck and much other adorableness.
@@patriciaschuman4205 We've seen Geoff shirtless in the BTS for Headless Horseman, and he posted a pic to Instagram when William was a newborn, of them sitting up in bed exhausted (Geoff wearing a burp cloth over one shoulder, no shirt) so I suspect he was in the midst of changing pants. I don't blame her for not sharing that image. :-)
@@shirleykarr3554 Oh, I don't blame her either. She is a treasure and much more good-humored about the fan-girling over Geoff than I could ever be. That's one of the reasons I really enjoy being a patron and being able to see the BTS stuff. It helps remind me that as amazingly talented as he is, this is a real human being with a family that is obviously very important to him.
I like “expected.” Because, yeah, we all know he’s going to go subterranean at some point in the song. At this point if he wants to really make jaws drop he should do a whole song in that lovely baritone register we get a glimpse of when white-shirt Geoff sings. His timbre is fantastic. He is starting to tease us a bit-laying it up for a low note and going north instead. I love the way you get into these songs.
I like the way Geoff plays with us, knowing what we almost expect, he plays with the arrangement and changes things up just like a great pitcher in the bottom of the ninth needing one more strikeout to win the game. When the video got weird at the end, your reaction was the same as mine except I didn't bat my headphones away.
If you are still interested in Big Bad John the original artist, Jimmy Dean, on the same album as Big Bad John, has its sequel The Cajun Queen. Great reaction.
You might want to listen to the original. What is largely spoken with the only real musical part would be the part with big bad John whoa whoa whoa big bad John. That first time, when you thought Geoff would go up and he went down , he actually followed the way it was originally sung by Jimmy Dean. And that clinking noise, the miners hitting rock, was also off beat in the original. I think it creates a lot of tension. I grew up hearing this and 16 tTons. During the depression my grandfather had to go work in a coal mine and narrowly escaped a cave-in, losing friends in the accident. So I knew all about the evils of the company store. And I knew the tragedy of miners being buried alive. Grandpa always looked so somber at the end of this song, and he wasn’t an emotional man. So every time I hear it I get a little misty eyed, but this one put me over the top. And it does it every time I hear it. He does such a good job with the ending of this song. Far superior to the original, and I like the original!
I grew up listening to both songs too. Hearing old favorites redone, revamped by Geoff takes me back. I can almost see the big old-fashioned stereo sitting against the living room wall, that was actually a piece of furniture with speakers on either end of the front and the sliding top revealing the space for record albums on one side and the radio and turntable on the other. Geoff has made me fall in love with those old song all over again.
What he does with some of the harmonies is interesting. The original is in Em, but he changed it to Gm to fit his voice. But, as I was saying, it seems as though he changes to dominate 7th chord for the harmonies, while flattening the 7th of the chord to a 6th to give it a diminished-type feel, before resolving back to Gm. Absolutely brilliant.
4:05 *reactor noises* "Why would I expect it to go up" is the most Geoff sentence ever said I love this song but I knew you'd be as devastated as I was by Big John's end
What a lot of people don’t know is the original ending of the original recording was "at the bottom of this mine lies a hell of a big man". It was changed due to the strict censorship rules back in the day. So the "big big man" is the better known ending. Fun fact.
Thank you! I remember hearing from my grandfather and my dad that “at the bottom of this mine lays one hell of a man”. I don’t remember one hell of a BIG man, just one hell of a man with the emphasis on hell. I thought maybe I’d lost my mind so thank you. At least now I know somebody else heard it that way!
Amazon has the original version with the "hell of a man" line. Earlier in the song the word "hell" is said, both in the original and in Geoff's cover. In his chat he said he wasn't aware of the "hell of a man" line, so it wasn't even a choice for him.
Jimmy Dean did this as the first of a trilogy. I always pictured Clint Walker as Big John. 1 Big Bad John 2 Little Bitty Big John 3 The Cajun Queen. Old country songs were stories, brought over from the old countries when Troubadours or bard's travelled town to town singing about Hero's tales of other countries. They just continued the tradition here.
Same. On a good day I can pump out a solid E2. On an exceptional day with serious morning voice, I can hit a C1. F#2 is about my normal floor. And due to some throat trauma I can't get a good growl or subharmonic. It is jealousy-inducing for sure.
@@chrisd7047 I think you meant C2, not C1. My every day low is within a half step either direction of Eb2. My record in chest is A1. I can growl pretty low but have no control with it. I've only successfully hit a sub once.
@@Adam1984_ Yes, C2. Mea culpa. I have some residual vocal cord paralysis from a lengthy intubation a while back. It makes my voice frustratingly unpredictable day to day. I got 80-85% of it back, but those last few percentage points are annoying to not have. I'm grateful to be able to sing at all, but, yeah, guys like Geoff and Tim make me very jealous.
Hey Mortius, Great reaction. Love it when rythmschoices demand my attention 😊 For your maybe next reaction may I suggest HomeFrees latest: Aint going down 'til the sun comes up? PS! The video is only on Facebook 😊🎶🤠
The "tink" sound is, yes, off the beat, but it isn't out of rhythm (err, not that you said it was). It's on the "a" of "1ee and a 2ee," or the 4th 1/8th note. It makes a really nice accent.
Also, yes! Some of the big notes that he drops in this song, even though they're not super low by the fans' standards of how low Geoff can go, are super impressive.
I would never be able to pick out all those details in this background and would never fully appreciate what the artists are doing without you, Mortius. I'm so glad I stumbled onto your channel! Good luck with Home Free's latest release (Ain't Going Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up).
I used to listen to my Dad's album (about 62 or 63 for me) by Jimmy Dean and this was on it. Jimmy Dean (of sausage fame wrote this and sang it) in that story-telling mode that Geoff used. Brings back lots of memories. My companions on the record player were Hank Williams Sr., Marty Robbins (Comanche the Brave Horse and Battle of 1814), Chet Adkins.
I can't tell you how many times I listened to this song as a child. It was on, of all things, "Monster Mash" (8126?) a 1977 Peter Pan Records album of novelty songs. So, yes, when I saw that scene in Gravity Falls, I had a good laugh, because I immediately recognized that they were combining the stories of John Henry and Big Bad John... as a sapient golf ball at a mini golf course. When Gravity Falls was good, it tended to be very good. Geoff's singing AND the video certainly do justice to the original.
Geoff did real well at taking this song, which was originally spoken word, and making it melodically haunting. As someone who spent their teens in wv where this is a 2nd state song, i can say im impressed, and very pleased with the ghostly part and not losing the feeling of the tall tale of big bad john unoffical patron saint of miners
Honestly, big Henry makes sense given who he and this song draw inspiration from. I remember sing a different song about John Henry called "This Old Hammer" and that's how I learned about it. Holy shit. 9th grade was 9 years ago.
Geoff is a great singer storyteller. This is a return to the mine. And this is the perfect place for Geoff’s signature drops and harmonies. Wonder what trend Geoff will start next?
AWW YES, our Boi Geoff , the man that has me second guessing my trauma with men, like lord that voice, I feel so comfortable with him guarding my drink at any public setting
You waxed poetic about the note in the first chorus implying that the progression seemed to indicate that it went up. Have you listened to the original version from Jimmy Dean?
I am no longer shocked by Geoff's bass notes. My sense of what's really low has been shifted because of listening to Geoff, Tim, and a bunch of other BSN bases. At this point, I am enjoying them not for the shock value, but for the absolute quality that Geoff puts into his singing. I'm also pretty sure that the entire thing was done in his chest voice range, without using any of the special techniques Geoff uses to get lower. Sure he can hit a B0 using subs, but a solid G1 in chest is IMHO even more impressive.
Yeah i understand. Thats the problem with bass singers. Bass does get kind of stale while high notes always remain more impressive. Its the nature of the beast in bass
I grew up with the original sung and i think written by Jimmy Dean.....yes, THAT Jimmy Dean...the "Sausage King"....more spoken than sung, but Jimmy's voice was in a higher register, but he had a lot more emotion in his voice....I love Geoff, but he needs the emotion in his voice......Listen to the original......and see if you agree or not........LOL......>^^
Mortius, you never learned this song in music class while you were growing up? In my generation we learned this song in grade school...I am pretty sure we learned it by 2nd or 3rd grade.
There was actually a sequel to this song by the same singer - and it was incredibly bad, in terms of the lyrics. Basically, Big John's Cajun Queen shows up, digs her way to his body, kisses him and he returns to life, and they go and raise a lot of babies.
Kathy let us know in the BTS that it was a deliberate choice to use the same white shirt, stool, and tools as from 16 Tons, and for White Shirt Geoff to slam the pickaxe and the camera to shake at the end. They thought it would amuse us. And it does!
One of the things I really enjoy about Geoff is the way he tells the story of the song, not just performs it. Like any writer of a good novel, he subverts our expectations to keep it interesting -- going up when we expect him to go low, and vice versa. The lead voice sings higher when the miners see their chance to escape, the BGVs ascend higher even as the miners ascend. Jimmy Dean won a Grammy award in 1962 despite the song having a monotonous three-chord pattern. Geoff improved on a Grammy-winning song with this much more interesting arrangement.
Mortius, I always watch your reactions, especially to Geoff and VoicePlay. Your laugh is infectious and I love the insight you offer so we can appreciate the performance even more. And I admire your necktie skills. I write historical fiction and find it so sad that most modern men don't know how to tie a necktie using anything other than a Windsor or half-Windsor knot, or even know that there are other options.
The Geoff induced giggle.
His music turned me from a passive music enjoyer to actively scouring UA-cam for bass vocals.
I think expected or predictable would maybe be better words then stale. Love anything with Geoff Castalucci. He definitely pushes the boundaries of his talents. Loved your reaction 🥰.
Loved this! Not only do I always learn from the things you point out, but you share my pure baffled delight in Geoff’s work and the display of his talents.
After Geoff did Sixteen Tons (Tennessee Ernie Ford ) we all have been begging him to do (Jimmy Dean's ) Big Bad John. I just love the way he breathes new life into these old songs that I remember growing up in the '60s. As he said we sent him back to the mines. Got the tank tops out and borrowed this dad's tools again. This was filmed in PattyCake Productions Storage room as all venues were booked the week of 2/22/22 for weddings. They cleaned out a corner and made it work. I think it's perfect. FYI we ladies wait and love it when he hits those low notes. It never gets stail for us. Go watch Jimmy Dean singing his song.
I just love the little details like it's the white-shirted Geoff that starts out the verse about how the miners see the light and find their way, because with the voices rising up, it helps you envision this miraculous opening up of a way out for them with a bit of angelic voices calling out to guide them. And during the last verse, where the other Geoffs are only heard, I swear that the way the lines end with that wah-ooh-wah sound it's almost like they are running out of air at the end of each phrase, and the breath in before they start on the next line is just a tad more pronounced and echoed than before, adding to the eeriness.
In the monochrome section, the invisible backup Geoffs have a reverb or echo or something added to give them a more ghostly sound.
To be fair I've been listening to so much of Geoff now, obsessively, so I would agree, those dives into the basement no longer come as a surprise, no jaw drop, I just enjoy the effect and the work the man has put in to achieve what he does. i can also admit that it makes me emotional too, every time.
I knew this one would make your head explode! In the first verse when you were talking about his drop instead of going up to resolve, I was like, "Just wait". Your reaction to the epilogue verse was priceless! If you aren't familiar with the original song, go listen to it, it's the Jimmy Dean version from 1961. It'll highlight how Geoff stays true to the vibe of the song, while elevating it with his harmonies and change ups.
This is only ⅓ of the story though. The followup is "Cajun Queen" and the finish is "Itty Bitty Big John", all Jimmy Dean (we all know him for his breakfast sausages). This part of the story is the best of the three.
I understood what you were trying to relate regarding Geoff kinda painting himself into a corner by being such a bass acrobat. Bass is his bread and butter, but now that he is moonlighting as a four or five part one man harmony plug in band, he's been stretching higher out of his comfort zone so I think he's just getting warmed up! His solo work as well as his arrangements for VP have been getting more and more complex so I think we can expect to have our ears and minds continually blown for the foreseeable future!
Great R&A as always but don't hurt yourself! 😉 That's Mason's job now!
P.S. Did you catch the very end Easter egg to "Sixteen Tons"? Watch what white tank top Geoff does. And yes, he raided his dad's shed to borrow all those same tools for both videos!
I hadn't noticed the "Sixteen Tons" easter egg...Had to go back and watch it...I was too focused on the main Geoff at that point...He does a fist grab on the last note.....
Geff was a bard in his past life
Geoff is a Bard in his current life.
The BW edit at the end was new even to Geoff's Patreon subscribers; when we saw the preview, we were surprised by it as well. But it was such a smart move, really adding to the somberness and haunting feeling of the final verse. I grew up on this song, and never liked it; didn't care for speak-singing, didn't like John's fate, nor the flat, factual way in which it was delivered. But the way Geoff has arranged and performed this has redeemed the song for me, and given poor ol' BIg John the reverence he deserves. At this point, I trust him to find a way to revitalize any music he touches, and do it beautifully.
Regarding his deep bass bag o'tricks you mentioned at the beginning, I think at this point- for me- it doesn't even matter whether or not he pulls one out of his bag in a performance. Right now, I'm more interested in the quality of his voice, and his arrangement skills, and the abyssal bass drops- while still fun- are viewed as stylistic punctuation than necessary elements of his music.
you know it’s good when Mortius is so excited he puts his headphones on the wrong way round! love the reaction! ❤️🏴
Expected is the word you were looking for but in pure Geoff style he managed to take what we expected and give it new twists. Your reactions are marvelous and always make me happy.
Geoff Castellucci is the ultimate storyteller. I'd even go for the scariest ghost story if it meant hearing his voice.
Headless Horseman, The Raven, The Apartment, The Little Mermaid story narration, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, Jabberwocky, you want 'em, Geoff's got 'em!
@@randiskye4444 and the red mask. That's the one I've heard.
Some people could read the phone book and still keep people enthralled with the sound of their voice. I think Mike Rowe actually did that once. But he was only speaking. Geoff could do it much better. I'd totally listen to that.
@@myopiniondoesntmatterh9073 First, your opinion does matter, so please don't sell yourself short. Second, Mike Rowe is the shizz! Remember he is also an opera trained singer. I would just melt!♥️😊
@@kelleyoneal2578 I love his telling of "The Masque of the Red Death". He brings the story its full measure of terror. My list is by no means complete, so look through his channel for any narrations he's made public (vs. what's only released to his Patreon).
"There was only one left down there to sa-a-a-ave" That extended word and the breathiness of that final syllable, plus the emphasized "vuh" sound, combined with the removal of the background vocals feels like intentional foreshadowing of Big John's fate. Feels like a dramatization of running out of air, or the finality of the last breath. Chills!
Edit: And the section with the phantasm Geoff that narrates the aftermath of John's death... the camera angle jumps around like it might in one of those ghost hunting reality shows, when a spirit interacts with it. Its glitchy and color bleached. And that steady gaze/creepy half smile from Geoff, plus his low speaking tone that seems to echo just a little... Lots of old abandoned mines ARE thought to be haunted, particularly those touched by tragedy... MORE CHILLS.
This is a good follow-up to “Sixteen Tons,” and it’s so good! And it’s a miner thing!
But coming from Geoff, it’s a major miner thing! 🤪
Geoff just never disappoints and I absolutely love the pure joy on your face every time you hear him sing anything at all.
I think the "problem" you mentioned at the start is less because he becomes less impressive but because we as an audience just get so used to expecting excellence from him. That's a treat on its own, now that I think of it, because how many people constantly deliver this sort of top-notch quality?
Since you are a great fan of music that tells a story, here are two recommendations for you - both songs are by my favourite band, Poets of the Fall:
1. Carnival of Rust (the official video was voted best Finnish music video of all time)
2. The Poet and the Muse (this in particular is one that I believe you will adore for the lyrics)
I indeed appreciated that reference.
Growing up, this was my favorite Johnny Cash song. Geoff smashed it out of the park. (And I still love watching your reviews!)
I've always loved this song, and this is definitely my new favourite version. My grandma used to play all these old miner songs when I was young. This one keeps making me think of "cows with guns", though. Something in the tune and rhythm I think.
I know this song from my childhood it used to make 5 year old me cry her eyes out because Big John or Gros Jambon as he was called in the French version I grew up on, died and was left in the dark at the bottom of the mine. Geoff's version is even darker than the one I grew up on, am sure it would have given me nightmares.
any time I watch this now, I keep finding myself crying for Big Bad John. and then I shake myself and say wtf is wrong with me he isn't even REAL, and then I quiet myself and wipe a tear, and I say, Nothing. Nothing is wrong with me. Nothing at all.
and then I listen to it again. because Geoff.
But in a way, John IS real. In the heydays of mining, there were a LOT of stories of poor miners lost down in the dark, never to see the light again. Many of them died saving others as well. Stories like this were not uncommon. This song is basically an homage to men like that.
This was DELIGHTFUL! These analyses add so much more depth to the arrangement choices and I appreciate that insight so, so much.
Even when you know the song, Goeff's arrangements make it new.
Great reaction hope your ears recover. I've never liked the original because it's incredibly repetitive but Geoff's arrangement is wonderful. He changes up the BVs enough to keep it interesting. He added the 'ghost' scene after the preview & it creates so much atmosphere. I love when he falls off the save & also the break in the voice of white vest Geoff on the word miner. Geoff's done it again!!
Your comments mirror how I felt about his Shenandoah cover. I’d never heard of it, but when I looked up the original it just fell flat for me. But Geoff breathed life into it. I’ve always liked this song, which just happened to be released the month I was born, but Geoff’s cover is so much better.
I just felt very happy throughout the whole cover. Pretty sure thats just cause Geoff is being Geoff or maybe it is a combination of that and the storyline in the song😂❤ either way, I love this cover. And your reactions to his covers never dissapoint either ofc🥰 also the random sounds you make😂 love em
I felt bad for future you, every time you said that you were invested in the story of Big John 😂 I love your honest and sincere reactions, and the insights you give for each cool, unexpected or even bland / disappointing moment in any song!
I heard another reactor commenting on a different cover by Geoff say that we are spoiled. He hits some amazing low note and we think "Oh, it's only a G1" because it's Geoff. We have become used to his voice and expect nothing less. I love his low notes but even more his tenor/baritone. White tank top's solo was wonderful!
Big John's story continues in Jimmy Dean's "Cajun Queen and Little Bitty Big John" it's a three part set. All are really good.
To make it even more impressive, it was filmed in the storage area at Pattycake. Highly recommend the behind the scenes on Geoff's Patreon! It includes a wiener dog riding in a toy dump truck and much other adorableness.
But darn Kathy for not going for the 'Geoff changing' shot ;-)
@@patriciaschuman4205 We've seen Geoff shirtless in the BTS for Headless Horseman, and he posted a pic to Instagram when William was a newborn, of them sitting up in bed exhausted (Geoff wearing a burp cloth over one shoulder, no shirt) so I suspect he was in the midst of changing pants. I don't blame her for not sharing that image. :-)
@@shirleykarr3554 Oh, I don't blame her either. She is a treasure and much more good-humored about the fan-girling over Geoff than I could ever be. That's one of the reasons I really enjoy being a patron and being able to see the BTS stuff. It helps remind me that as amazingly talented as he is, this is a real human being with a family that is obviously very important to him.
I like “expected.” Because, yeah, we all know he’s going to go subterranean at some point in the song. At this point if he wants to really make jaws drop he should do a whole song in that lovely baritone register we get a glimpse of when white-shirt Geoff sings. His timbre is fantastic.
He is starting to tease us a bit-laying it up for a low note and going north instead.
I love the way you get into these songs.
I appreciate silly brains, ‘cos I have one too!
I like the way Geoff plays with us, knowing what we almost expect, he plays with the arrangement and changes things up just like a great pitcher in the bottom of the ninth needing one more strikeout to win the game.
When the video got weird at the end, your reaction was the same as mine except I didn't bat my headphones away.
If you are still interested in Big Bad John the original artist, Jimmy Dean, on the same album as Big Bad John, has its sequel The Cajun Queen. Great reaction.
So was your mind blown 🤯 again? It looked like it was. Was it? 😜
Can i just say that was so well synced up when ya did the "i killed a man with this thumb" part, god tier editing there, nice job Mason!
Home Free put a new one out today.
You might want to listen to the original. What is largely spoken with the only real musical part would be the part with big bad John whoa whoa whoa big bad John. That first time, when you thought Geoff would go up and he went down , he actually followed the way it was originally sung by Jimmy Dean. And that clinking noise, the miners hitting rock, was also off beat in the original. I think it creates a lot of tension.
I grew up hearing this and 16 tTons. During the depression my grandfather had to go work in a coal mine and narrowly escaped a cave-in, losing friends in the accident. So I knew all about the evils of the company store. And I knew the tragedy of miners being buried alive.
Grandpa always looked so somber at the end of this song, and he wasn’t an emotional man. So every time I hear it I get a little misty eyed, but this one put me over the top. And it does it every time I hear it. He does such a good job with the ending of this song. Far superior to the original, and I like the original!
I grew up listening to both songs too. Hearing old favorites redone, revamped by Geoff takes me back. I can almost see the big old-fashioned stereo sitting against the living room wall, that was actually a piece of furniture with speakers on either end of the front and the sliding top revealing the space for record albums on one side and the radio and turntable on the other. Geoff has made me fall in love with those old song all over again.
What he does with some of the harmonies is interesting. The original is in Em, but he changed it to Gm to fit his voice. But, as I was saying, it seems as though he changes to dominate 7th chord for the harmonies, while flattening the 7th of the chord to a 6th to give it a diminished-type feel, before resolving back to Gm. Absolutely brilliant.
4:05 *reactor noises*
"Why would I expect it to go up" is the most Geoff sentence ever said
I love this song but I knew you'd be as devastated as I was by Big John's end
What a lot of people don’t know is the original ending of the original recording was "at the bottom of this mine lies a hell of a big man". It was changed due to the strict censorship rules back in the day. So the "big big man" is the better known ending. Fun fact.
Thank you! I remember hearing from my grandfather and my dad that “at the bottom of this mine lays one hell of a man”. I don’t remember one hell of a BIG man, just one hell of a man with the emphasis on hell. I thought maybe I’d lost my mind so thank you. At least now I know somebody else heard it that way!
Amazon has the original version with the "hell of a man" line. Earlier in the song the word "hell" is said, both in the original and in Geoff's cover. In his chat he said he wasn't aware of the "hell of a man" line, so it wasn't even a choice for him.
Yes. Yes I did appreciate the gravity falls reference.
Jimmy Dean did this as the first of a trilogy. I always pictured Clint Walker as Big John.
1 Big Bad John
2 Little Bitty Big John
3 The Cajun Queen.
Old country songs were stories, brought over from the old countries when Troubadours or bard's travelled town to town singing about Hero's tales of other countries.
They just continued the tradition here.
Here is a video that you will enjoy then, Edith Davis.
Enjoy.
ua-cam.com/video/O0d5Xsnda2w/v-deo.html
The fact that his voice just naturally sits at a G1 for 4 minutes makes my bari-bass ass SO jealous. 😂
Same. On a good day I can pump out a solid E2. On an exceptional day with serious morning voice, I can hit a C1. F#2 is about my normal floor. And due to some throat trauma I can't get a good growl or subharmonic. It is jealousy-inducing for sure.
@@chrisd7047 I think you meant C2, not C1. My every day low is within a half step either direction of Eb2. My record in chest is A1. I can growl pretty low but have no control with it. I've only successfully hit a sub once.
@@Adam1984_ Yes, C2. Mea culpa.
I have some residual vocal cord paralysis from a lengthy intubation a while back. It makes my voice frustratingly unpredictable day to day. I got 80-85% of it back, but those last few percentage points are annoying to not have. I'm grateful to be able to sing at all, but, yeah, guys like Geoff and Tim make me very jealous.
@@chrisd7047 Oof, that sucks. I've certainly had my share of medical crap to deal with, so I feel ya there.
The awesome Geofftet strikes again.
Hey Mortius, Great reaction. Love it when rythmschoices demand my attention 😊 For your maybe next reaction may I suggest HomeFrees latest: Aint going down 'til the sun comes up? PS! The video is only on Facebook 😊🎶🤠
The "tink" sound is, yes, off the beat, but it isn't out of rhythm (err, not that you said it was). It's on the "a" of "1ee and a 2ee," or the 4th 1/8th note. It makes a really nice accent.
Also, yes! Some of the big notes that he drops in this song, even though they're not super low by the fans' standards of how low Geoff can go, are super impressive.
Yeah, I like it when he doesn’t hit subharmonics because I can still sing along with him.
I would never be able to pick out all those details in this background and would never fully appreciate what the artists are doing without you, Mortius. I'm so glad I stumbled onto your channel! Good luck with Home Free's latest release (Ain't Going Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up).
Geoff may have become "predictable" with his low notes but many, he sure can still use them in unique ways as in this song
I used to listen to my Dad's album (about 62 or 63 for me) by Jimmy Dean and this was on it. Jimmy Dean (of sausage fame wrote this and sang it) in that story-telling mode that Geoff used. Brings back lots of memories. My companions on the record player were Hank Williams Sr., Marty Robbins (Comanche the Brave Horse and Battle of 1814), Chet Adkins.
I just love the enthusiasme you show in these videos. Your laugh is contagious. :) Please keep doing what your doing.
I absolutely love your Geoff induced giggles!!❤
Big Bad John was sung by Jimmy Dean it came out in September 1961. By November, it became a Billboard top 100
I can't tell you how many times I listened to this song as a child. It was on, of all things, "Monster Mash" (8126?) a 1977 Peter Pan Records album of novelty songs.
So, yes, when I saw that scene in Gravity Falls, I had a good laugh, because I immediately recognized that they were combining the stories of John Henry and Big Bad John... as a sapient golf ball at a mini golf course. When Gravity Falls was good, it tended to be very good.
Geoff's singing AND the video certainly do justice to the original.
Geoff did real well at taking this song, which was originally spoken word, and making it melodically haunting.
As someone who spent their teens in wv where this is a 2nd state song, i can say im impressed, and very pleased with the ghostly part and not losing the feeling of the tall tale of big bad john unoffical patron saint of miners
Honestly, big Henry makes sense given who he and this song draw inspiration from. I remember sing a different song about John Henry called "This Old Hammer" and that's how I learned about it. Holy shit. 9th grade was 9 years ago.
Thank you Mortius for another fun filled, informative reaction...I luv it.
My grandpa was a coal miner in Virginia born in 1904. Thanks to him I heard all of these miner's songs like Big John and 16 Tons as a little kid.
Geoff is a great singer storyteller. This is a return to the mine. And this is the perfect place for Geoff’s signature drops and harmonies. Wonder what trend Geoff will start next?
Go and listen to the original. This version is better but the original has a special feel to it too.
Mortius, I love your facial reactions !! Top notch love ♥
9/22. THIS IS GREAT! GEOFF CAN DO EVERYTHING!
He never fails to amaze me. never
AWW YES, our Boi Geoff , the man that has me second guessing my trauma with men, like lord that voice, I feel so comfortable with him guarding my drink at any public setting
Could you do a reaction to the group Cano and play their version of “Frere Jacques”?
I feel like "stale" is more like "standard" it's just "the way" still amazing
I totally thought about the gravity falls golf ball
"anytime we see geoff in a tank top" SAME!! he flexed in Boy Bands and i just. died.
Big Bad John was sung by Jimmy Dean came out in about 1965
I love your reactions.
You waxed poetic about the note in the first chorus implying that the progression seemed to indicate that it went up. Have you listened to the original version from Jimmy Dean?
I love it when Geoff reduces you to helpless giggles. XD
Who knew Geoff can rap? Keep on keepin' on, man!
Just how excited and squirmy you get with him is extremely cute, haha
“No Big Henry, don’t go!”
“Go home Polly.”
I am no longer shocked by Geoff's bass notes. My sense of what's really low has been shifted because of listening to Geoff, Tim, and a bunch of other BSN bases.
At this point, I am enjoying them not for the shock value, but for the absolute quality that Geoff puts into his singing.
I'm also pretty sure that the entire thing was done in his chest voice range, without using any of the special techniques Geoff uses to get lower.
Sure he can hit a B0 using subs, but a solid G1 in chest is IMHO even more impressive.
I Love You're Reaction !! :)
If you want to understand the song & story of Big Bad John,then you have to listen to Jimmy Dean.
Big Bad John had a big heart!
Yes yes yes big henry is for sure a big john reference
Big Henry from Gravity Falls is indeed a reference to Big John (Henry)
Yeah i understand. Thats the problem with bass singers. Bass does get kind of stale while high notes always remain more impressive. Its the nature of the beast in bass
I grew up with the original sung and i think written by Jimmy Dean.....yes, THAT Jimmy Dean...the "Sausage King"....more spoken than sung, but Jimmy's voice was in a higher register, but he had a lot more emotion in his voice....I love Geoff, but he needs the emotion in his voice......Listen to the original......and see if you agree or not........LOL......>^^
I think you should do a reaction to Jimmy Dean’s Version of big bad John along with cajun Queen
You need to react to Home Free ain't going down til the sun comes up!!! Just came out!!
If you like a song that tells a story check out "Wolf Creek Pass" C. W. McCall
If you like songs with story, react to Home Free's The Gambler.
That clip of Big Henry sure seems to represent the story of this song to a degree, but I am not familiar with the reference.
This is a coal miner song. A lot of folk songs of American workers are that way. Sixteen Tons is also a coal miner song.
Hey Mortius have u reacted to voiceplay - my mother told me? if not you have to do it!
It’s my first video reaction video ever actually!! I might revisit it for my one year anniversary next month :)
That sound is supposed to be the sound of a miner using a pick
Mortius, you never learned this song in music class while you were growing up? In my generation we learned this song in grade school...I am pretty sure we learned it by 2nd or 3rd grade.
That part of gravity falls was based of of this guy
In fewer words we been spoiled by Geoff low notes but always great tho lol
saying Geoff is no longer suprising. To me that's how I feel about tom petty... it's over played here.
There was actually a sequel to this song by the same singer - and it was incredibly bad, in terms of the lyrics. Basically, Big John's Cajun Queen shows up, digs her way to his body, kisses him and he returns to life, and they go and raise a lot of babies.
I never liked the original song ( Jimmy Dean yes the breakfast sausage guy).
nice nails😉
stop competing wth him...
I genuinely don’t understand what this comment means
Nice nails lol