“Broken Arrow”

This week we have decided to calm things down a bit and play a song from the Canadian born, Native American singer/songwriter Robbie Robertson. Forgotten Rock Classics came across this song late one night while watching a movie we can not remember, as the credits started to roll they were playing this song and we fell in love with it. Yes it is a little newer then most of the songs we have done but it is a forgotten classic.

Upon further investigation we found out that Rod Stewart had re-done this song in 1991 and scored a big hit off of it. No offense to Rod (his version really sucks) but Robbie Robertson’s voice is much better suited for the song. The Grateful Dead even put the song into their live shows back in the early 1990’s with bassist Phil Lesh singing the vocals. That alone speaks volumes for the song.

Robbie is best known for his work in the band The Band as well as their work as the back up band to Bob Dylan when he changed from folk music to electric. Robbie Robertson’s self titled first solo album was recorded in 1987 and put out on Geffen Records with Robbie and Daniel Lanois as co-producers. Broken Arrow is the third track from the record that also included the hit Somewhere Down the Crazy River. It is a love ballad that brings Robertson back to his Native American roots. There are many different ideas about what the song is about but we are going to stick to the idea that it is a love song about forbidden love. When listening to the song we would like to think about it more as a love song to someone we love versus forbidden love to a love we can not have.

We understand that the Native American theme is a very important aspect of the song, but for the video that goes with the song we have taken a 1935 cartoon starring Molly Mow-Cow from archive.org which has to do with Molly and a Indian women working together to save the ladies child and Molly’s duck friends. We truly believe that you will enjoy listening to this song just as much as we do.

Video courtesy of Forgotten Rock Classics