Gloria in Excelsis Deo

I purchased the iTunes Originals of Patti Smith recently and have been blown away.  I downloaded it to my iPod and listened to it several times during my drive from Portland to Oakland on New Years Day.  It has thirteen musical tracks with each preceded by a track of her describing the origin of the song or the cover of a song.  A number of them are her original pieces done over the past 35 years while there are also covers of Van Morrison, the Doors, Nirvana, and the Allman Brother’s Band.  I have known about Patti Smith for a long time but did not follow her until her recent autobiography “Just Kids” came out in 2010.  I now am beginning to understand why she is so important to rock and poetry. For example, her cover of Gloria was on her Horses album of 35 years ago as the track Gloria: In Excelsis Deo.  It starts with her own poem and then does its own ironic take on Van Morrison’s first big hit.  I remember the first time I heard this song in September 1966 after a football game while riding in my father’s car.  I loved the song and thought the lyrics were provocative, at least to a 13 year old.  Now, as I listen to Patti Smith’s version she captures the same male libido fantasy but since she is female and does so in an even more primal way, its even better understood.  This is rock and roll.