T.B. Sheets
Encyclopedia
"T.B. Sheets" is a blues-influenced song written and recorded by Northern Irish singer-songwriter
Van Morrison
, recorded for the Bang Records
label in 1967 and included on his first solo album, Blowin' Your Mind!
. It later appeared on the Bang compilation, T.B. Sheets
.
with Bert Berns
as producer.
There is a longstanding, but perhaps apocrypha
l story of Morrison's emotional state during the song's recording. Michael Ochs
, in the liner notes
for the 1973 album T.B. Sheets
, wrote that "after 'T.B. Sheets' was recorded, the rest of the session had to be cancelled because Van broke down in tears." Likewise, according to John Collis,
and is visited by the storyteller. The overwhelming pain and guilt he feels leads to a desperate feeling of wanting to escape from the closed-in room smelling of death
and disease
.
The Allmusic review states, "The listener is placed in the room. Although somewhat disturbing, it certainly describes the term realism with one bold masterful stroke".
John Collis described the song's meaning as:"First of all, the singer chides the terminally ill invalid for crying. "It ain't natural," he says. The woman cries all night and the observer, trapped in the death room, is embarrassed and helpless. Later in the song, the sun bouncing off a crack in the window pane "numbs my brain",...And then there's the crushing claustrophobia
of the sickroom - "Let me breathe," he demands of the woman whose breath is failing, bubbling in cheesy lungs. There is a street below, a street she'll never walk in again, and he is getting desperate to be down there, to rejoin the living, because "the cool room is a fool's room".
Brian Hinton
described the song's music as: "Here is a Dickensian tale of death and decay in a big city. Organ and drums go free form, then a stately groove, fitting Van's voice like a garrotte, led by nagging lead guitar. Van's harmonica hurts the ear, then he's like a terrier, lecturing his girfriend, "Julie" about it not being natural her staying awake at night, dying.'
T.B. Sheets" was the opening song and featured prominently in the 1999 movie Bringing Out the Dead
, directed by Martin Scorsese
.
A Paste
review by Steve Labate commented on the theme of the song: "'T.B. Sheets' is one of the most real songs about death you’ll ever hear. As life saps steadily from the singer’s beloved, tuberculosis-ridden Julie, there is no trite drama, no nostalgic sugar coating or grand deathbed epiphany, but rather an 'Is That All There Is?' fatalism—a mild, detached, slowly-suffocating bleakness. 'The sunlight shining through the crack in the window pane numbs my brain,' Morrison moans over a skittering Hammond organ."
included a cover of the song on his 1972 album, Never Get Out of These Blues Alive
. Ghostface Killah
samples "T.B. Sheets" heavily on his song "Greedy Bitches". The opening riff and rhythm section are lifted seemingly note for note into the rap song.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
, recorded for the Bang Records
Bang Records
Bang Records was created by Bert Berns in 1965 together with his partners from Atlantic Records: Ahmet Ertegün, Nesuhi Ertegün and Jerry Wexler...
label in 1967 and included on his first solo album, Blowin' Your Mind!
Blowin' Your Mind!
- Musicians :* Van Morrison – guitar, vocals* Eric Gale - - Production :* Vic Anesini – Mastering* Brooks Arthur – Engineer* Bert Berns – Arranger, Director, Producer, Liner Notes* Adam Block – Project Director...
. It later appeared on the Bang compilation, T.B. Sheets
T.B. Sheets (album)
T.B. Sheets is a retrospective album of recordings made in 1967 by Northern Irish musician Van Morrison, released in 1973 on Bang Records. It contains songs that had appeared on Morrison's debut album, Blowin' Your Mind!, including his first hit, "Brown Eyed Girl"...
.
Recording
"T.B. Sheets" was recorded on March 29, 1967 at A & R Recording Studios In New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with Bert Berns
Bert Berns
Bertrand Russell Berns , most commonly known as Bert Berns as well as Bert Russell and Russell Byrd, was an American songwriter and record producer of the 1960s...
as producer.
There is a longstanding, but perhaps apocrypha
Apocrypha
The term apocrypha is used with various meanings, including "hidden", "esoteric", "spurious", "of questionable authenticity", ancient Chinese "revealed texts and objects" and "Christian texts that are not canonical"....
l story of Morrison's emotional state during the song's recording. Michael Ochs
Michael Ochs
Michael Ochs is an American photographic archivist best known for his extensive collection of pictures related to rock music dating back to the 1950s and 1960s...
, in the liner notes
Liner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
for the 1973 album T.B. Sheets
T.B. Sheets (album)
T.B. Sheets is a retrospective album of recordings made in 1967 by Northern Irish musician Van Morrison, released in 1973 on Bang Records. It contains songs that had appeared on Morrison's debut album, Blowin' Your Mind!, including his first hit, "Brown Eyed Girl"...
, wrote that "after 'T.B. Sheets' was recorded, the rest of the session had to be cancelled because Van broke down in tears." Likewise, according to John Collis,
Morrison could later joke about this song. "I’m writing 'T.B. Sheets Part II' now," he said in 1972. "Keeping the same riff, the same groove." However, it’s on record – though the story could be exaggerated – that after laying down this track he broke down in tears, unable to continue the session.
Composition
The story as told in the song takes place in a room where a young girl lies dying of tuberculosisTuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and is visited by the storyteller. The overwhelming pain and guilt he feels leads to a desperate feeling of wanting to escape from the closed-in room smelling of death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
and disease
Disease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
.
The Allmusic review states, "The listener is placed in the room. Although somewhat disturbing, it certainly describes the term realism with one bold masterful stroke".
John Collis described the song's meaning as:"First of all, the singer chides the terminally ill invalid for crying. "It ain't natural," he says. The woman cries all night and the observer, trapped in the death room, is embarrassed and helpless. Later in the song, the sun bouncing off a crack in the window pane "numbs my brain",...And then there's the crushing claustrophobia
Claustrophobia
Claustrophobia is the fear of having no escape and being closed in small spaces or rooms...
of the sickroom - "Let me breathe," he demands of the woman whose breath is failing, bubbling in cheesy lungs. There is a street below, a street she'll never walk in again, and he is getting desperate to be down there, to rejoin the living, because "the cool room is a fool's room".
Brian Hinton
Brian Hinton
Brian Hinton, MBE is an English poet and musicologist. In June 2006 he was honoured in H. M. the Queen’s Birthday Honours List with an MBE for services to the Arts.-Education:...
described the song's music as: "Here is a Dickensian tale of death and decay in a big city. Organ and drums go free form, then a stately groove, fitting Van's voice like a garrotte, led by nagging lead guitar. Van's harmonica hurts the ear, then he's like a terrier, lecturing his girfriend, "Julie" about it not being natural her staying awake at night, dying.'
T.B. Sheets" was the opening song and featured prominently in the 1999 movie Bringing Out the Dead
Bringing Out the Dead
Bringing Out the Dead is a 1999 drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, and based on the novel by Joe Connelly with the screenplay by Paul Schrader...
, directed by Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
.
A Paste
Paste (magazine)
Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...
review by Steve Labate commented on the theme of the song: "'T.B. Sheets' is one of the most real songs about death you’ll ever hear. As life saps steadily from the singer’s beloved, tuberculosis-ridden Julie, there is no trite drama, no nostalgic sugar coating or grand deathbed epiphany, but rather an 'Is That All There Is?' fatalism—a mild, detached, slowly-suffocating bleakness. 'The sunlight shining through the crack in the window pane numbs my brain,' Morrison moans over a skittering Hammond organ."
Covers
John Lee HookerJohn Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
included a cover of the song on his 1972 album, Never Get Out of These Blues Alive
Never Get Out of These Blues Alive
Never Get Out of These Blues Alive is a studio album by American blues musician John Lee Hooker, released in 1972 by ABC Records and recorded from September 28 through September 29, 1971...
. Ghostface Killah
Ghostface Killah
Dennis Coles , better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and prominent member of the Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of Enter the Wu-Tang , the members went on to pursue solo careers to varying levels of success...
samples "T.B. Sheets" heavily on his song "Greedy Bitches". The opening riff and rhythm section are lifted seemingly note for note into the rap song.