Storm and Nails

On Lisa Marie Presley's Haunting--but underappreciated--album

Lisa Marie Presley died today.

I'm bracing for a whole lot of tasteless thought pieces and late night jokes, but you know what?

In 2012, Lisa Marie Presley put out an album called Storm and Grace that moved the hell out of me. At the time I was deep in the middle of revising a failed upmarket literary novel about misfit Elvis impersonators, so whenever I shared my enthusiasm for the album, people smirked—Cathy would like this album—so I stopped.

But I’m telling you now, this album holds up.

I’m listening to it as I write. Click here if you want to listen, too.

On the album, Lisa Marie Presley applies her rich alto to fifteen tracks firmly rooted in the Americana tradition.

Maybe it’s the alchemy of her songwriting team.

Maybe it’s the fairy dust sprinkled on the album by T-Bone Burnett (his stamp on the Crazy Heart soundtrack was *chef’s kiss*).

Maybe it’s the magic of choosing to use an honest-to-god upright bass on the album or the fact that Lisa Marie Presley went all the way to England to record the album on her terms or the way I sometimes feel like I’m the only person in the world who’s ever actually heard this album.

Whatever the reason, half these tracks feel like a toe-tapping hell yeah, and the other half feels like a deep breath after a long cry.

God speed, Lisa Marie.

As for the rest of us, life is too short not to love what we love, so share what makes your heart soar, no matter how many people smirk.

When the well has no water to hold
And the wheels start to run off the road
Where do we go

When we bury the embers that glow
And the seeds that we planted won’t grow
Like we were told

Hey man what in the hell do we know
We strike out and then we strike gold
Whoever is running the show
There’s one thing that I need to know
Could you soften the blows

When a bold man’s afraid to be bold
And a fish finds the water too cold
Where does he go

When the liar finds truth must be told
And the loner hates being alone
Who does he hold

Hey man what in the hell do we know
We strike out and then we strike gold
Whoever is running the show
There’s one thing I’d like to be told
That you’ll soften the blows

Never turn your back on the ocean and never talk back
Don’t make those funny faces, your face could stick like that

Hey man what in the hell do we know
We strike out and then we strike gold
Whoever is running the show
There’s one thing I’d like to be told
That you’ll soften the blows
Could you soften the blows