Leaving Las Vegas (song)
Encyclopedia
"Leaving Las Vegas" is a rock
song by Sheryl Crow
that appears on her debut album Tuesday Night Music Club
, and was Crow's first single
in the U.S.
Sheryl Crow performed the song on her live album Sheryl Crow and Friends: Live from Central Park.
, who was a good friend of the song's writer, David Baerwald
. However, on a performance of Late Night with David Letterman
, Sheryl Crow stated that the song was "autobiographical." This infuriated Baerwald, and the rest of the original Tuesday Night Music Club, who helped write most of the album, Tuesday Night Music Club. Though O'Brien's suicide occurred soon after this incident, his family came forward to state there was no connection. According to Crow, the song was recorded while she and the rest of the band were under the influence of LSD.
". The 1993 video shows Sheryl performing the song with her guitar in the dark, with only some parts of her face lit up. Other scenes include famous Vegas-images such as dancers and Elvis Presley
-lookalikes walking on a highway, obviously "leaving Las Vegas". The video uses an edited version of the song.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
song by Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
that appears on her debut album Tuesday Night Music Club
Tuesday Night Music Club
Tuesday Night Music Club is the debut album from American singer/songwriter Sheryl Crow, released on August 3, 1993. The lead single "Run, Baby, Run" was not particularly successful...
, and was Crow's first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in the U.S.
Sheryl Crow performed the song on her live album Sheryl Crow and Friends: Live from Central Park.
Title
The song's title was based on a book by the same name by the late John O'BrienJohn O'Brien (novelist)
John O'Brien was an American author. His first novel Leaving Las Vegas was published in 1990 by Watermark Press and made into a film of the same name in 1995.-Life and career:...
, who was a good friend of the song's writer, David Baerwald
David Baerwald
David Baerwald is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and musician.He has one son, Beker Baerwald, who is a nationally ranked basketball player. He is the son of Hans Baerwald, a political scientist, and Diane Moore, a psychologist...
. However, on a performance of Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night...
, Sheryl Crow stated that the song was "autobiographical." This infuriated Baerwald, and the rest of the original Tuesday Night Music Club, who helped write most of the album, Tuesday Night Music Club. Though O'Brien's suicide occurred soon after this incident, his family came forward to state there was no connection. According to Crow, the song was recorded while she and the rest of the band were under the influence of LSD.
Video
The song was accompanied by Sheryl's first ever videoclip. It was directed by David Hogan, who also shot her video for "All I Wanna DoAll I Wanna Do (Sheryl Crow song)
English singer/songwriter Amy Studt released a cover version of the song as her fourth single. Amy was asked personally by Sheryl Crow to record a cover of the song....
". The 1993 video shows Sheryl performing the song with her guitar in the dark, with only some parts of her face lit up. Other scenes include famous Vegas-images such as dancers and Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
-lookalikes walking on a highway, obviously "leaving Las Vegas". The video uses an edited version of the song.