Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bonnie Raitt compares the stars in the night sky to a fantastical gemstone necklace in her brand new release, “Blame It on Me.”
She sings, “Blame it on stars / Shining like headlights from a million cars / Strung like jewels from here to Mars / Blame it on stars.”
In the song, Raitt tells the story of a woman of advancing age contending with a drifting lover. Her ex-boyfriend is blaming her for the breakup, but she wonders whether the relationship has been a victim of uncontrollable factors, like the stars or the passage of time.
But at the end of the song she predicts, “But one summer night / When my door is open and the moon is new / And some sad melody comes stealing through / And my heart should break in two / If my heart should break in two / Oh baby, ooh / Oh baby, I’m gonna blame it on you / Blame it on you.”
“Blame It on Me” was released in April as the 7th track from Raitt’s new album titled Just Like That… on the artist’s own Redwing label.
“On this record, I wanted to stretch,” Raitt said in a statement. “I always want to find songs that excite me, and what’s different this time is that I’ve tried some styles and topics I haven’t touched on before.”
She added, “I’m really aware of how lucky I am and I feel like it’s my responsibility to get out there and say something fresh and new — for me and for the fans. But I need to have something to say or I won’t put out a record.”
Raitt delivered an intimate, soulful, live performance of the song on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert this past Wednesday. The show was seen by an estimated 3.5 million viewers.
The 72-year-old rocker is also promoting the album on her current seven-month tour, which includes stops in 69 cities from coast to coast.
A 10-time Grammy winner, Raitt rated 50th on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time” and 89th on the magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.” She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
Please check out the video of Raitt’s live performance of “Blame It on Me” on The Late Show. The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…
“Blame It on Me”
Written by John Capek and Andrew Matheson. Performed by Bonnie Raitt.
Blame it on me
Hold up my faults for all to see
Truth is love’s first casualty
Blame it on me
Blame it on me
It’s not the way love is supposed to be
How can you so casually
Blame it on me
Blame it on stars
Shining like headlights from a million cars
Strung like jewels from here to Mars
Blame it on stars
Blame it on time
The fugitive, the vagabond, it’s the perfect crime
Poured like sand through your hands and mine
Blame it on time
How can you talk that way?
Just turn around and walk away
Your words, they sting so heartlessly
So go ahead, be free, blame it all on me
But one summer night
When my door is open and the moon is new
And some sad melody comes stealing through
And my heart should break in two
If my heart should break in two
Oh baby, ooh
Oh baby, I’m gonna blame it on you
Blame it on you
I’ll blame it on you, baby
Credit: Screen capture via Youtube.com / The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.