The Weightis actually saying "Take a load off Fanny", not Annie. From songfacts.com: The characters in the song - Crazy Chester, Luke, Anna Lee, are based on friends of the band. Likewise, what does take a load off Annie mean? Adding further grit to this interpretation is thefact that "fanny" is British slang for female genitalia.
Is it take a load off Fanny or Vannie?
It's Fanny, and Robbie Robertson, who wrote the song, says in an interview about the decision to record the song on Music From Big Pink, "Well, let's give that `Take a load off Fanny' song a shot." I have gotten into arguments with my boyfriend for years over this. He swears it's Vannie. I've finally proven him wrong.
What is “the weight” in “take a load off Fanny”?
Part of the song’s mystery — and unfamiliarity to many — is embodied in its title: the term “the weight” never appears in the song, whose refrain is “Take a load off Fanny.” Most casual listeners probably assume that phrase is the song’s title; Fanny’s load is presumably “the weight” to which the title refers.
Is it “Annie” or “Fanny?
As for the title character, such as she is, Robertson confirms once and for all that she is “Fanny,” and not “Annie,” as many have often misheard it to be. (Try singing “Take a load off Fanny” to yourself and you can see how the two easily converge). In fact, there was a Fanny upon whom the tune was based.
Who wrote the song take a load off Fanny?
It's Fanny, and Robbie Robertson, who wrote the song, says in an interview about the decision to record the song on Music From Big Pink, "Well, let's give that `Take a load off Fanny' song a shot." I have gotten into arguments with my boyfriend for years over this.
What does take a load off Annie mean?
Adding further grit to this interpretation is the fact that "fanny" is British slang for female genitalia. "Take the load off Fanny," in other words, would mean just the opposite of doing a favor for a friend.
Who sang Take a load off Annie originally?
The BandThe Weight / ArtistThe Band was a Canadian-American rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, in 1967. It consisted of four Canadians and one American: Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, Robbie Robertson, and Levon Helm. Wikipedia
What does Fanny mean in The Weight?
Besides Levon Helm in his own book mentions Fanny. By the way, I never knew what what "Fanny" meant in England until I saw the British show THE OFFICE. Its always meant "back side" here in America.
Who wrote Take a load off Fanny?
Robbie RobertsonThe Weight / LyricistJaime Royal "Robbie" Robertson, OC, is a Canadian musician, songwriter, film composer, producer, actor, and author. Robertson is best known for his work as lead guitarist and songwriter for The Band, and for his career as a solo recording artist. Wikipedia
Who was Bob Dylan's Greatest Love?
Suze Rotolo, Bob Dylan's Girlfriend and the Muse Behind Many of His Greatest Songs, Dead at 67.
What band sang Take a load off Fanny?
The BandThe Weight / Artist
What does take a load off mean?
to sit down and relaxchiefly US, informal. : to sit down and relax You look tired. Come in and take a load off.
Was Canada a band?
the Band, Canadian-American band that began as the backing group for both Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan and branched out on its own in 1968.
What year did the weight come out?
1968As a result, every tune on the Band's milestone 1968 debut Music from Big Pink — including four written by Robertson, “The Weight,” “Caledonia Mission,” “Chest Fever” and “To Kingdom Come” — was owned and administered by Dwarf Music.
Who is Anna Lee Amsden?
Anna Lee Williams Amsden was born and raised in the Delta in Turkey Scratch near Marvell, Phillips County, Arkansas. A childhood neighbor and close, life-long friend of Levon Helm, she and Helm have crossed paths with the Pryor Center a number of times.
Did Bob Dylan write his own songs?
Dylan is the kind of writer whose work music publishers tend to salivate over. Not only has it stood the test of time, but most of his songs were written by Dylan alone and have been frequently covered by other artists — with each use generating royalties.
Did Bob Dylan help write The Weight?
When Bob Dylan sold his entire songwriting catalog of more than 600 tunes to Universal Music Publishing Group earlier this week, “The Weight,” which was written by Robbie Robertson and recorded by The Band, was included in the deal.
Who wrote "Take a load off Fanny"?
It's Fanny, and Robbie Robertson, who wrote the song, says in an interview about the decision to record the song on Music From Big Pink, "Well, let's give that `Take a load off Fanny' song a shot.". I have gotten into arguments with my boyfriend for years over this. He swears it's Vannie. I've finally proven him wrong.
Who sang Annie with Aretha Franklin?
Aretha Franklin’s 1969 version, with the great Duane Allman on guitar, seems to lean toward “Annie.". On the other hand, the recent video of Mavis Staples singing with Wilco and Nick Lowe has Mavis enunciating “Fanny” pretty clearly.
Is "Fanny" a chorus?
It is "Fanny" for sure. Yes on the chorus the "Off" bleeds into the "Fanny" but on the last verse Levon sings, "Get back to Miss Fanny / You know she's the only one"... you can distinctly hear the "F" sound in "Fanny".
Who inspired the weight?
According to songwriter Robertson, “The Weight” was inspired by the films of Luis Buñuel, about which Robertson once said: (Buñuel) did so many films on the impossibility of sainthood. People trying to be good in Viridiana and Nazarin, people trying to do their thing. In ‘The Weight’ it’s the same thing.
Who was the cover singer of The Weight?
Three cover versions of “The Weight” charted higher on the US pop charts in 1968/69 than The Band’s original recording: 1968: Jackie DeShannon, whose version debuted on the Hot 100 one week before The Band’s, took the song to #55 US, #35 Canada.
What year did Jackie DeShannon's cover hit #55?
The Band performed the version heard in the movie, but on the soundtrack, a different group was used because of legal issues. On September 28, 1968 , this song reached its peak US chart position of #63. That same day, Jackie DeShannon's cover reached its peak of #55 US. DeShannon's release wasn't what she had in mind.
Why did the Staple Singers refuse to sing on the Last Waltz?
Dylan offered to help with this album, but The Band refused because they wanted to make a mark on their own. Robbie Robertson described this song as being about "the impossibility of sainthood.". The Staple Singers sing on this in The Band's 1978 concert film The Last Waltz.
What is the song "The Weight" about?
Songfacts®: This tells the story of a guy who visits Nazareth, and is asked by his friend Fanny to visit several of her friends. "The Weight" that is his load are all these strange people he promised he would check on. The song was never a big hit, but it endures as a classic rock staple.
