THE SONGS OF THE NIGHT

Leonard Ramblin knew that this music would be the “siren call of the Harvest.” These are the “Songs of the Night.” They are:

“Eli’s Coming,” “Liar,” and “One” by Three Dog Night
“Somebody to Love” by Jefferson Airplane
“Temptation Eyes,” “Feelings,” “Wait a Million Years,” “Midnight Confessions,” and “Live for Today” by the GrassRoots
“Paint it Black,” and “Gimmie Shelter” by the Rolling Stones

(“I Want You / She’s So Heavy” is not one… when the Temple Shadows gang hears that, it’s too late.)

These songs were not chosen. They just are. It is the musical quality that makes them songs of the night. They’re not cheery. Their melodies are dark and foreboding.

The Songs of the Night do have some curious things in common:

All of these are still performed in concert. I had no way of knowing that when Violent Night was written.

They are often rated as favorites among pop/rock fans, even though none have topped the Billboard charts.

All of the studio recordings use a similar reverb technique to give the vocals a “large empty gymnasium” quality, a technique often used by Led Zeppelin.

An unusual number of these have lyrics that suggest possible Apocalyptic connections… “Eli” is a name sometimes given to the Antichrist. “Paint it Black,” “Gimmie Shelter,” “Wait a Million Years,” “Midnight Confessions,” and “Live for Today” all have titles that take on a different meaning when applied to the Harvest. Even “Somebody to Love” sounds like a warning: “You’d better find somebody to love!”