Introduction
In 1965, The Grateful Dead formed and embarked on one of the most unusual music careers the industry had ever seen. The group became more than just revolutionary artists who pioneered the jam-band scene of music but were symbolic of a counter-cultural social movement that challenged capitalist frameworks of music production and distribution.
In the 30 years of their existence from 1965 until frontman Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995, the band released 13 studio albums. Despite their immense popularity, especially in the latter half of their career, the band only saw one of their albums reach the platinum status. In The Dark, their second to last released LP record which debuted in 1987 featured the title track “Touch of Grey.” The song made Billboard’s top ten that same year, another first for the band.
In The Dark (1987) – The Grateful Dead
This would mark the band’s first and only taste of mainstream success in their entire career. After twenty years of recording music and 11 other studio LP’s, what was it that pushed In The Dark to such great heights?
This project attempts to explain this sudden moment of mainstream attention and success in the latter half of bands career through the examination of lyrics between two chosen albums. The first album is Working Man’s Dead (1970), and it was chosen because it is an earlier production in The Grateful Dead’s discography, and it features many early beloved tracks the band became known for. Naturally, the second album which was selected for comparison was In The Dark (1987). This comparison attempts to identify distinct differences in the bands lyrical decisions and structures that show a shift in their songwriting that moves away from their initial counter-cultural, experimental style and closer to mainstream music. It should be noted that our conclusions solely reflect lyrical dynamics and are not drawn based on what the instruments are doing themselves to create the music.
Working Man’s Dead (1970)
Note: All lyric transpositions that were used in our research are provided by Musixmatch upon searching the song on Google.
Pages:
Helpful Links:
- Grateful Dead Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Essay, (1994) – For more contextual background information on the Grateful Dead’s cultural impact, timeline, and musical work.
- Listen to the Grateful Dead on Spotify. Experience the band’s full body of work including their 13 studio albums, Dick’s Picks volume 1-36, and a vast collection of live performances.
- The Official Website for the Grateful Dead.
- Get your tickets here to see the remaining members, Percussionist Mickey Hart and Guitarist/Vocalist Bob Weir with Dead & Company live at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Contributors:
- Owen Buroker – (Dickinson College ’28) – Data Visualization and Organization, Data Analysis, Annotations,
- Quinn Hart – (Dickinson College ’26) – Website, Data Analysis, Annotations
- Aster Fredley – (Dickinson College ’28) – Programming for Data Collection and Analysis
- Jules Borusiewicz – (Dickinson College ’28) – Programming for Data Collection and Analysis
Sources:
The Grateful Dead. In The Dark. Arista, 1987. Vinyl LP.
The Grateful Dead. “Touch of Grey.” In The Dark, Arista, 1987. Spotify app.
The Grateful Dead. Workingman’s Dead. Warner Bros, 1970. Vinyl LP.