"Look Out Cleveland" is the title of the Robbie Robertson-written song on The Band's self-titled album, also known as ''The Brown Album''. The song begins with a

boogie-woogie Boogie-woogie is a genre of blues music that became popular during the late 1920s, developed in African-American communities since 1870s.Paul, Elliot, ''That Crazy American Music'' (1957), Chapter 10, p. 229. It was eventually extended from pi ...

blues riff by pianist

Richard Manuel Richard George Manuel (April 3, 1943 – March 4, 1986) was a Canadian singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter, best known as a pianist and one of three lead singers in The Band, for which he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and ...

followed by lead singer

Rick Danko Richard Clare Danko (December 29, 1943 – December 10, 1999) was a Canadian musician, bassist, songwriter, and singer, best known as a founding member of the Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. During ...

warning -- "''Look out Cleveland, storm is coming through, And it’s runnin’ right up on you''". The song's reference is presumably to Cleveland, Ohio, but

Cleveland, Texas Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, within Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area and Liberty County. The population was 7,471 at the 2020 census. History In 1854, a church and convent were built by Father Pet ...

has also been suggested. "Look Out Cleveland" differs from most of the songs on The Band's first two albums in that is more influenced by urban

blues music Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

than by rural music. According to music critic Nick DeRiso, Elton John's early song " Take Me to the Pilot" appears to be influenced by this song.

Soundtrack Listing

"Look Out Cleveland" is featured in the movie '' A Home at the End of the World'', a film adaptation of the novel of the same name by

Michael Cunningham Michael Cunningham (born November 6, 1952) is an American novelist and screenwriter. He is best known for his 1998 novel '' The Hours'', which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award in 1999. Cunningham is a senior lectur ...

. In the film, the song is used in a scene where the two main characters (played by

Colin Farrell Colin James Farrell (; born 31 May 1976) is an Irish actor. A leading man in projects across various genres in both blockbuster and independent films since the 2000s, he has received numerous accolades including a Golden Globe Award. ''The ...

and

Dallas Roberts Dallas Mark Roberts (born May 10, 1970) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Milton Mamet in the third season of AMC's '' The Walking Dead'' (2012-2013), Eliot Delson on '' Unforgettable'', and Owen Cavanaugh on ''The Good Wif ...

), are singing along to the song while riding a truck.

Cover versions

The song was covered by

Albert Lee Albert William Lee (born 21 December 1943) is an English guitarist known for his fingerstyle and hybrid picking technique. Lee has worked, both in the studio and on tour, with many famous musicians from a wide range of genres. He has also mai ...

on his album "That's Alright Mama." Blues artist Jackie Greene covered the song for '' Endless Highway: The Music of The Band'', a 2007 tribute album to The Band. Phish opened their show at

Blossom Music Center Blossom Music Center, locally referred to simply as Blossom, is an outdoor amphitheatre in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, United States. The venue is the summer home of The Cleveland Orchestra and site of the ensemble’s annual Blossom Festival. Blossom M ...

in Cuyahoga Falls, OH, on June 12, 2010, with "Look Out Cleveland".

Charlie Robison Charles Fitzgerald Robison (born September 1, 1964) is a retired American country music singer-songwriter. His brother, Bruce Robison, and his sister, Robyn Ludwick, are also singer-songwriters. Career After a knee injury at ''Southwest Texas ...

covered the song on his 2013 album "High Life". The Cold Irons, a band in Austin, Texas, have played “Look Out Cleveland” at every gig they have played since they formed in 2011. Goose covered it on their 2021 live album 2020.10.03 Swanzey, NH.

Personnel

– lead vocal, bass guitar * Levon Helm – drums, backing vocal *

Garth Hudson Eric "Garth" Hudson (born August 2, 1937) is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist best known as the keyboardist and occasional saxophonist for rock group the Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. He was a ...

–

Lowrey organ The Lowrey organ is an electronic organ named for its developer, Frederick C. Lowrey (1871–1955), a Chicago-based industrialist and entrepreneur. Lowrey's first commercially successful full-sized electronic organ, the Model S Spinet or '' ...

– piano * Robbie Robertson – electric guitar

References

{{authority control The Band songs 1969 songs Songs written by Robbie Robertson Song recordings produced by John Simon (record producer)