Ignored             Obscured              Restored

A few days ago, I stumbled upon a rare YouTube gem: the only known concert footage of the band Traffic.  Filmed at the Santa Monica Civic Center on February 21, 1972, the performance featured songs primarily from The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys — released just three months earlier — and John Barleycorn Must Die (1970).

The concert opens with the song “The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys”, today’s SotW.

The studio version of “Low Spark…” showcased Traffic’s core lineup at the time: Steve Winwood (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Jim Capaldi (vocals, percussion) and Chris Wood (sax, flute).  They were joined by former Blind Faith bassist, Ric Grech, percussionist extraordinaire Rebop Kwaku Baah, and Zelig-like drummer Jim Gordon.

Wikipedia offers a vivid description of the track:

It begins with a gradual fade-in and ends with a slow fade-out. The signature two-chord piano vamp enters after the fade-in, cued by the dry rattle of a vibraslap.  Verses are sparsely arranged with a slow deliberate pace in D minor contrasting with double-time densely-layered pop choruses modulating to D major. The tune fades out with a dissonant, reverberating final chord sustained over the vamp.

So, what the hell is “the low spark of high heeled boys”?

Again, according to Wikipedia, co-writer Jim Capaldi once explained in an interview with WNEW radio that the phrase originated during a trip to Morocco with Oscar-nominated actor Michael J. Pollard (Bonnie and Clyde):

Pollard and I would sit around writing lyrics all day, talking about Bob Dylan and The Band, thinking up ridiculous plots for the movie. Before I left Morocco, Pollard wrote in my book ‘The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys’. For me, it summed him up. He had this tremendous rebel attitude. He walked around in his cowboy boots, his leather jacket. At the time he was a heavy little dude. It seemed to sum up all the people of that generation who were just rebels. The ‘Low Spark’, for me, was the spirit, high-spirited. You know, standing on a street corner. The low rider. The ‘Low Spark’ meaning that strong undercurrent at the street level.

Given that Capaldi co-wrote the song with Winwood, that may be the definitive explanation. Still, other interpretations — such as those offered by the blog I’ve Got the Hippy Shakes — add intriguing layers:

• One theory suggests the song is about drug culture, with “Low Spark” representing injection and the “High-Heeled Boy” symbolizing a speedball (a mix of cocaine and heroin). The verses supposedly chart the experience of a user, a dealer’s overdose, and a philosophical meditation on mortality.

• Another posits that the song criticizes the music industry: “Low Spark” represents the creative energy of artists, while the “High-Heeled Boys” are agents or industry figures profiting off their clients’ dreams and living extravagantly on their backs.

In the end, the meaning is beside the point.  It’s simply a great song.

Though “Low Spark…” was never released as a single — likely due to its length — it has become a staple of Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) radio and remains one of Traffic’s most enduring tracks.

Enjoy… until next week.