#33 Norah Jones - Miriam

(Halloween playlist, #7)
 Album: Little Broken Hearts (2012)

 Lyrics excerpt: Oh Miriam 
That's such a pretty name 
And I'll keep saying it 
Until you die 
Miriam 
You know you done me wrong
 I'm gonna smile when 
You say goodbye

 Reasons to love this song:
The fact that it sounds so innocent and gentle in the beginning, and that Norah Jones is best known for soft and gentle songs like Come Away With Me and Sunrise, makes it all the more shocking when you gradually come to realise that it's actually a murder ballad. Miriam reminded me instantly of Dolly Parton's Jolene -- it could be Jolene's dark twin. The narrator of the song is confronted by the same problem, but the solution is so different...

  YouTube link:
Like the song, the official video seems melancholy but innocent in the beginning -- until you see the blood-covered oar.