The Weight - The Band - MP3 instrumental karaoke

Canadian-American rock ensemble The Band rose to international fame after backing Bob Dylan during his first US electric tour in 1966. Following the singer's mysterious motorcycle accident near his Woodstock home later that year, the group rented a house in West Saugerties, New York, and began outlining their proper studio debut. Named after the house's pink siding, their first album Music from Big Pink was released in 1968 to great critical acclaim thanks to its seamless concoction of blues, country, and soul music, and its organic instrumentation. Inspired by the work of surrealist Spanish filmmaker Luis Buñuel, the gospel-tinged tune "The Weight" was released as a single on August 8, 1968, and quickly became one of The Band's signature songs. Featuring numerous biblical allusions, its lyrics tell the story of a traveler who arrives in a town called Nazareth and proceeds to interact with a series of colorful characters, most of them based on actual people the band knew in real life. Only a year after its release, "The Weight" was turned into a hit by soul singer Aretha Franklin, whose version climbed to Number 19 on the US pop charts.