Violin

This song is about a banjo.

she took violin lessons as a child at the insistence of her father....but did not take well to the instrument, though she was said to be proficient at it...this is her take on how irritating the lessons and the instrument were to her....the violin can be pretty squeaky and give you the shivers and quivers when first learning to play....kate at her hilarious best

"I tend to think of it as being what prog-rockers thought the music world was heading toward in the mid-1970s. It’s an old-school instrumentalists’ fantasy of a big rock concert, in which a violin could be as effective as an electric guitar." markelliswalker.net/music/index.html

'Violin' reminds me of the devilish The Charlie Daniels Band - The Devil Went Down To Georgia.

IMHO, 'Violin' is KT's response to TDWDTG: "The song is a narrative about the devil, who comes to Georgia in desperation and "willin' to make a deal." He spies a young fiddle player named Johnny, who calls himself "the best there's ever been", and challenges him to a fiddle-playing contest. The terms are that if Johnny should win the contest, he will get a fiddle made of gold, but should he lose, he will forfeit his soul. Confident in his talent with the fiddle, Johnny accepts the challenge. The devil performs with the backing of a demon band ["Give me the Banshees for B.V.s!"], but is squarely beaten by the more talented Johnny. In the end, Johnny gets his golden fiddle, and with cocky bravado, even dares the Devil to return for a rematch." (wiki)

"Jigging along with the fiddle, oh, Johnny Jigging along with the fiddle-dee-dee Jigging along with the fiddle, oh, Johnny Jigging along with the fiddle-dee-diddle-dee-dee!"

The Live at Hammersmith Odeon 1979 vocal:

Hear the haunting melody. Leave me enough for my country. Here in a wood, in a green valley, Hearing the Banshee a-riddle. Hearing the Banshee a-riddle...

becomes the Never For Ever 1980 vocal:

Paganini up on the chimney Lord of the dance With Nero* and old Nicky Whack that devil Into my fiddlestick! Give me the Banshees for B.V.s Give me the Banshees for B.V.s...

• Nero: the Emperor who "fiddled while Rome burned".

'Violin' could be Kate challenging Johnny to a maniacal contest to win his golden fiddle. Maybe she is calling on Old Nick and the Banshees to help her to win.

Or Kate could be the Devil in a rematch with Johnny, performing with the backing of a demon band ["Give me the Banshees for B.V.s!"].

"Whack that devil Into my fiddlestick!"

'Violin' could be The Devil Went Down To Georgia #2, with Kate herself about to compete with the devil, and calling on the Banshees and spirit of Johnny. Does Kate win or lose?

Or maybe Kate is the Violin itself in some deal with the devil.

Whatever, 'Violin' certainly celebrates the devilish spirit of the fiddle! ... :)

Deal with the Devil: A deal with the Devil, pact with the Devil, or Faustian bargain is where the person offers his or her soul in exchange for diabolical favours. Those favours vary by the tale, but tend to include youth, knowledge, wealth, or power. It was also believed that some persons made this type of pact just as a sign of recognising the Devil as their master, in exchange for nothing. Regardless, the bargain is a dangerous one, for the price of the Fiend's service is the wagerer's soul. The tale may have a moralizing end, with eternal damnation for the foolhardy venturer. Conversely it may have a comic twist, in which a wily peasant outwits the Devil. Among the credulous, any apparently superhuman achievement might be credited to a pact with the Devil, from the numerous European Devil's Bridges to the superb violin technique of Niccolò Paganini.

Has anyone noticed how she uses her voice to mimc the sound of the violin, rather than rely on the instrument itself?

A very unique technique indeed!

I haven't got a clue what this song is all about. Although the title hints it may be about a VIOLIN! But that seems too obvious somehow, haha. I'm not sure. Bloody mad though.

naw, i just think it's about a woman OBSESSED with the sound of violins

but maybe there is some deeper meaning

you never know with kate

this song is awesome.. agree with musiatokc :)

This is a song about the passion inherent in listening to a truly well played instrument. If you've ever sat in a concert hall and listened to a professional play a violin you'll understand the shivers and quivers Kate's singing about here (Paganini's Caprice 01 is good for this particular feeling, I suggest finding it on Youtube and listening through headphones) The speed at which some of those violinists move the bow, it's quite conceivable that they may have the Devil in the bow ;).

Ah, too simple! Violin is also a symbol of a woman. It's shape, it's string (shivers and quivers), it can play and be played. Yes, her vocal style is very much like the shreak of a violin screaming when it is played hard or harshly. Women can manipulate men much like the Devil and Nero was a mad fool that was played. The crying Italian clown on the top of the chimney. This song is manic and also fun. She is a violin herself.

The Devil Went Down to Georgia was only out a short time and I think Johnny and the Devil was incorporated but did not influence the major theme of the song.