Story Behind The Song
Musical homage to post-WWII San Francisco, as our protagonist walks the fog-covered streets of The City in search of lost - and unrecoverable - love. Written as a slow, smoky blues tune, the song includes various references to the city, including at least one famous location from Dashell Hammett's Maltese Falcon.
Song Description
"Nob Hill Blues" is a slow-burning blues tune that pays homage to the San Francisco of the 40's and 50's as our lonely protagonist walks the streets in search of love that got away and cannot be recaptured. The song features Lee Parvin on vocals, piano, and organ as he takes us on a tour of The City as Dashell Hammett might have walked it while writing The Maltese Falcon. Fans of detective stories will note references to parts of San Francisco such as Bush & Stockton, where the plot in Hammett's book actually begins to unfold.
| Song Length |
4:45 |
Genre |
Blues - Traditional, Blues - Traditional |
| Tempo |
Slow (71 - 90) |
Lead Vocal |
Male Vocal |
| Mood |
Cool, Poignant |
Subject |
Loneliness, Sorrow |
| Similar Artists |
Tony Bennett, B.B. King |
Language |
English |
| Era |
2000 and later |
| |
Lyrics
NOB HILL BLUES (Even the Fog is Blue)
Parvin & Patterson
Copyright 2012
The City has pulled up her blanket
And curled up for the night
You're holed up in Sausalito
Not out of mind just out of sight
It's always been black and white
No grey areas with you
But tonight even the fog is blue...
I picked up your trail in Chinatown
Off the California line
Another mark running down
What I know could never be mine
My smoke rings climb to the mist
And change their hue
'Cause tonight even the fog is blue...
(Solos)
I'll do my best Dashiell Hammett
And take to the street
Make my way to Bush and Stockton
There's someone there I'm due to meet
Fog horns moan in the night
Right on cue
'Cause tonight even the fog is blue...
Yeah even the fog is blue
And my footsteps ring like gunshots
That ricochet down the avenue
With that genie in a bottle
And the Bird to get me through
I'm gonna wait right here for daylight
Don't want anybody to get hurt...
I'm gonna wait right here for daylight
Got the Bird to get me through
I'm gonna wait right here for daylight
Yes tonight even the fog is blue...
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