Movie Soundtracks; Inside Llewyn Davis

Oscar Isaac in Inside Llewyn Davis

I first discovered this movie in early 2014 and it appealed to me instantly. Not only because of the subject matter, or the relateable characters, or the fact that it was written and directed by the Coen Brothers, but because one simple fact stood out more than anything else and I though "Oh hey.. that's clever";
This is a movie about the life of a folk singer, told like a folk song.

 Folkception

The movie begins with an initial event; Llewyn, a struggling folk singer from Greenwich Village in New York, finds himself being beaten up in an alleyway behind the Gaslight. Not to give too much specific detail on the events of the movie; we then back-track his story to tell of how he ended up in this situation and everything that happened in between. To find out what, well, you’re just going to have to watch the movie aren’t you?

The specific events are however interestingly mirrored by the pattern of a lot of folk songs, most notably; Hang me Oh Hang me, a traditional classic and covered by many big names such as Dave van Ronk. There are different variations on the song with different titles, such as I’ve Been All Around This World, The Gambler, Cape Girardeau, Up On The Blue Ridge Mountains and The New Railroad to name a few. The Grateful Dead used the variation I’ve Been All Around This World (below)

This song also begins with an initial event; the narrator or protagonist telling the story is to be hanged, but as of yet, we do not know why or how. The narrator then back tracks his story, to tell a tale of a great and tiresome travel to cape Girardeau, Arkansas until he reaches the Blue Ridge Mountains.
It is a story of poverty, hunger, despair and loneliness as the narrator struggles to find a way to cope with his sudden situation.
He then explains that upon reaching the Blue Ridge Mountains, he made a reckless stand and committed an unspecified crime involving a rifle and a dagger.
The final verse returns to the image of the execution, and thus makes the full loop.

The format of the movie is quite cleverly done, and really makes it stand out. As if having an insanely relatable character wasn’t intriguing enough.

I mean, the Coen brothers have taken a man who has hit hard times, struggles to catch a break with his much beloved music and thus ends up wandering the city with his guitar and a stray cat, and sleeping on the sofas of acquaintances.

Llewyn Davis was the me of 1961.