True Blood Season 5 Premiere
We recently revealed, here at TrueBloodNet.com, the title of the first episode of season five of HBO‘s hit series, True Blood. Warning! Spoiler Alert! If you don’t want to be spoiled you should not read further as the title often reveals important episode themes. Long-time viewers know, the title of the episode often ties in with the final song that plays during the closing credits of each episode of True Blood. Radio DJ Gary Calamar is responsible for picking these often-surprising tunes that play in the final credits. Mr. Calamar is the music supervisor on True Blood picking the songs to accompany not only the final credits but also tunes heard during the show whenever the talented Nathan Barr isn’t creating original scores for our favorite series. According to this piece we presented last year:
Every episode of True Blood is named after a song. According to Gary, this is difficult due to budget concerns. Some licensing can be too expensive or just not available. In a few cases, the episode titles were changed because the song didn’t work out as planned. But, as music supervisor, this touch makes his job more fun and interesting.
Turn! Turn! Turn!
The name of the season 5 premiere episode of True Blood is “Turn! Turn! Turn!” While the most obvious implication is that dead/or dying Tara Thornton, who’s brains were splattered across Sookie Stackhouse‘s kitchen at the end of Season 4, will be turned into a vampire, Alan Ball and his devious writers could be throwing us all off track with the premiere’s title. Perhaps Ball and the writers are throwing us a curve ball by merely refering to the recent turning of Steve Newlin former head of the ‘Church of the Sun“, Bon Temps anti-vampire religious extremists, into the vampire that showed up at Sookie‘s door last season with the foreshadowing title. Maybe they are hinting at various characters turning over a new leaf this season. They can but assume that the title of the episodes would be known before the premiere show’s airing on June 10th, 2012 and they could be evilly twisting the obvious meaning.
Nevertheless, we thought we would speculate on not only which song is going to play at the end of the first season five episode but also which band’s cover of the piece will be selected.
The Byrds
The most famous version of this song was done by The Byrds in 1965 where it reached number on on Billboard’s Hot 100. However, The Byrds didn’t write ”Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season)” to give the song it’s full title. That honor belongs to Pete Seeger who wrote the song in 1959 and recorded it on his album, “The Bitter and the Sweet” in 1962.
Seeger repurposed the words from the King James Bible version of the Book of Ecclesiastes, using the words almost verbatim, with a bit of rearranging and the addition of exactly six words of his own. Besides Seeger and The Byrds, “Turn! Turn! Turn!” was also recorded by Judy Collins in 1963 on her “Judy Collins 3″ album, The Seekers in 1966 on their “Georgy Girl”; Wilson Philips in 2004 on their “California” album. Other prominent musicians who’ve recorded this title are Bruce Springsteen in 2006 and most recently by Tori Amos in 2010.
So who’s version of this song do you think we’ll hear on June 10th during the season 5 premiere of True Blood? Do you like one better than the other? Do you have a sentimental favorite? Or do you know of a more obscure version of the song that you think is better suited to the dark and twisted story lines of True Blood? Be sure to take your guess in the comments section below!
The Lyrics
Turn, Turn, Turn by Pete Seeger and sung by The Byrds
To everything, turn, turn, turn
There is a season, turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heavenA time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weepA time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones togetherA time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace
A time to refrain from embracingA time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time of love, a time of hate
A time of peace, I swear it’s not too late