The 'Great Atomic Power' of Charlie Louvin
Purchase Featured Music
- "Great Atomic Power"
- Album: Charlie Louvin [2007]
- Artist: Charlie Louvin
- Label: Tompkins Square
- Released: 2007
Charlie Louvin, 79, attempts a comeback with the help of special guests like George Jones, Elvis Costello and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy.
Tuesday's Pick
- Song: "Great Atomic Power"
- Artist: Charlie Louvin
- CD: Charlie Louvin
- Genre: Country
Formerly half of the iconic country duo The Louvin Brothers — brother Ira died in a car accident in 1965 — Charlie Louvin, 79, is the latest in a line of country war horses who've seen their careers resurrected by well-meaning hipsters. A combined comeback album and early-country primer, Charlie Louvin remakes Louvin Brothers classics and period-specific country covers with the help of everyone from George Jones to Superchunk's Mac McCaughan.
Louvin's tracks aren't updated so much as re-recorded, and the disc's scratchy, nostalgic feel occasionally works against it, but "Great Atomic Power" is a beauty. Revisiting The Louvin Brothers' gospel-influenced, early-'50s classic, it neatly conjures up the twin menaces of Atomic Age angst and eternal damnation: "Are you ready / for the great atomic power? / Will you rise and meet your savior in the air?"
Powered by a nimble banjo and backing vocals by Jeff Tweedy — whose old band Uncle Tupelo once did a faithful, less cheery version of its own — the track's mixture of paranoia, old-time religion and jauntiness still packs a curious wallop. It may suggest that hell awaits the listener, but it sure is perky in doing so.
Listen to yesterday's 'Song of the Day.'
Related NPR Stories
More From This Series

Song Of The Day
Diplo Cranks Out An Unending String Of Hooks
Each element of Diplo's "Express Yourself" lodges itself in your head at the exact same time.

Song Of The Day
Donna Summer: A Diva Who Understood The Everyday
Summer was the Queen of Disco, but "She Works Hard for the Money" is a working-class pop anthem.

Song Of The Day
Sidi Toure: A Reverent Smile In Song
"Ni See Ay Ga Done" transcends whatever short fence language could attempt to place around a song.







Comments
Discussions for this story are now closed. Please see the Community FAQ for more information.