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About This Track
“The Weight” is a 1968 song by The Band. The song appears originally on The Band’s first album, Music from Big Pink.
“The Weight” is one of the group’s best known songs and among the most popular songs of the late 1960s counterculture. However, the song was not a significant mainstream hit for The Band in the US, peaking at only #63. The Band’s record fared much better in Canada and the UK – in those countries, the single was a top 40 hit, peaking at #35 in Canada and #21 in the UK in 1968. No fewer than three cover versions of “The Weight” actually charted higher on the US pop charts in 1968/69 than The Band’s original recording:
1968: Jackie DeShannon took the song to #55 US, #35 Canada.1969: A joint effort by Diana Ross & The Supremes and The Temptations hit #46 US, #36 Canada.1969: Aretha Franklin’s version was the highest charting recording of “The Weight” in both the US and Canada, peaking at #19 US, #12 Canada.
None of these cover versions charted in the UK, where The Band’s version of “The Weight” remains the only version to chart.
The song is #41 in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, published in 2004.[1] On the original single issue, the artist credit simply lists the names of the five members of The Band; the group name “The Band” does not appear.
Song theme
“The Weight” takes the folk music motif of a traveler, who in the first line arrives in Nazareth in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Once there, he encounters various residents of the town, the song being a story of these encounters. Nazareth is the hometown of the guitar manufacturer C. F. Martin & Company. Years later, the band Nazareth took its name from this line. The Biblical Nazareth was the childhood home of Jesus.
“The Weight” is one of the group’s best known songs and among the most popular songs of the late 1960s counterculture. However, the song was not a significant mainstream hit for The Band in the US, peaking at only #63. The Band’s record fared much better in Canada and the UK – in those countries, the single was a top 40 hit, peaking at #35 in Canada and #21 in the UK in 1968. No fewer than three cover versions of “The Weight” actually charted higher on the US pop charts in 1968/69 than The Band’s original recording:
1968: Jackie DeShannon took the song to #55 US, #35 Canada.1969: A joint effort by Diana Ross & The Supremes and The Temptations hit #46 US, #36 Canada.1969: Aretha Franklin’s version was the highest charting recording of “The Weight” in both the US and Canada, peaking at #19 US, #12 Canada.
None of these cover versions charted in the UK, where The Band’s version of “The Weight” remains the only version to chart.
The song is #41 in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, published in 2004.[1] On the original single issue, the artist credit simply lists the names of the five members of The Band; the group name “The Band” does not appear.
Song theme
“The Weight” takes the folk music motif of a traveler, who in the first line arrives in Nazareth in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Once there, he encounters various residents of the town, the song being a story of these encounters. Nazareth is the hometown of the guitar manufacturer C. F. Martin & Company. Years later, the band Nazareth took its name from this line. The Biblical Nazareth was the childhood home of Jesus.
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Albums featuring this track
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The Best of the Band
The Band
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Best Of The Band
The Band Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 $9.49
- 7digital $8.99
- iTunes $9.99
- Buy Album
- Amazon $10.29
- eBay Search
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To Kingdom Come (disc 1)
The Band Buy- Download Album
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To Kingdom Come (The Definitive Collection)
The Band Buy- Download Album
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Shouts
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greglypoop123 wrote:
aretha's version is also super amazing, have you heard it?
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rolsroyse wrote:
good chillout number !
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oldiesfanjohn wrote:
monumental song!...if someone would ask you to write and record a"road weary" song,this would be the one,ya think?
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victoria1908 wrote:
GOOD ONE..........!
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Sniebelow wrote:
super super super 2000 mark
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rikrijean wrote:
GREAT.......
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oldiesfanjohn wrote:
feel real fortunate to have seen these guys in concert before they called it quits!
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oldiesfanjohn wrote:
the best live version of this was from `The Last Waltz`
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gilliananne wrote:
simply the best
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adventureba wrote:
great absolut...
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gleeh0rt0n wrote:
The best cover ive ever seen of this song is on the movie "It Might Get Loud". Jack White, Jimmy Page and the Edge, fukkin epic.
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Malkamillian wrote:
Rotary Connection do a pretty sweet cover of this.
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Malkamillian wrote:
LOVE IT
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rolsroyse wrote:
brilliant
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johnvahos wrote:
one of my faves
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illusionvalley wrote:
Brilliant song.
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aprilanc wrote:
my favorite of the band - and the pictures rock too. ( :
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rikrijean wrote:
YES.....IT'S A VERY GOOD ONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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rockabillyfan wrote:
ein Klassiker von The Band, ein Meilenstein der Rockgeschichte !!!
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Distron wrote:
Love Danko's verse :) RIP Rick ;-(
Track Stats
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270,287 Listeners
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Recent Activity
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smmorris77, solomonwrites, jimpark1066 and 4 other people loved The Band – The Weight. yesterday evening
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pharmmohr added The Weight to pharmmohr’s library. yesterday afternoon
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edman24, Niall_And, ScottienCookie and 22 other people loved The Band – The Weight. yesterday afternoon
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