Song Of The Day 06/02/2011: Jim James & Calexico - Goin' To Acapulco

I decided this blog needed more food for the eyes, and not just the ears, so for today's song I've chosen one from a film, and am posting the relevant clip as well as the mp3. It's My Morning Jacket singer Jim James' version of Dylan's 'Goin' to Acapulco', from the Dylan biopic 'I'm Not There' of a couple of years ago. The film itself is stunningly good, provided you're a fan of Dylan who already has a pretty good idea of the stories of his 1960s heyday - the much-publicised gimmick of getting 6 different actors (and actresses) to play the various sides of his character leads to a fair bit of jumping around in the story. Some of the characters work better than others - the 'poet' element, 'Artur Rimbaud', barely gets any screen time at all, and the Heath Ledger character who portrays Dylan's personal life doesn't really work very well. Most of the film is brilliant though, with my favourite parts being the ones focusing on 'Woody Guthrie', the small black folk-singing child, as well as obviously Cate Blanchett's portrayal of Dylan as he appears in 'Don't Look Back' and 'Eat The Document'.

This song comes from the 'Billy The Kid' section near the end of the film, where Richard Gere portrays Dylan the outsider, focusing on the Americana of the Basement Tapes period. The film cuts to Jim James and Calexico performing the song at a funeral in the Old West, and it really is a stunning performance. Here's a clip on YouTube.

The song predictably featured on the soundtrack, in a longer version. Here's the mp3.

Jim James & Calexico - Goin' To Acapulco