Joe Ely's album version
| Joe Ely: | Well love is a game, takes two to play |
| It's a give and take everyday | |
| If you gamble on the take, you're just asking to lose | |
| That's the breaks, that's the odds of the blues | |
| Ely and Springsteen: | Lady luck is for horses and dice |
| She has no heart, she's cold as ice | |
| Joe Ely: | If you favor the chances, you're just asking to lose |
| That's the breaks | |
| Ely and Springsteen: | That's the odds of the blues |
| Bruce Springsteen: | That's the breaks, that's the odds |
| Lady luck she never nods | |
| That's the breaks | |
| That's the odds of the blues | |
| Joe Ely: | It's a fever |
| Ely and Springsteen: | It's a mean ole chill |
| It's a cold rain on a window sill | |
| Joe Ely: | Call it heads, call it tails, it's your style to choose |
| That's the breaks | |
| Ely and Springsteen: | That's the odds of the blues |
| Joe Ely: | That's the breaks |
| Ely and Springsteen: | That's the odds of the blues |
ODDS OF THE BLUES is a song written by Joe Ely and released on his 2024 album Driven To Drive. The above lyrics are for Joe Ely's album version of ODDS OF THE BLUES as released in 2024.
ODDS OF THE BLUES features a guest appearance by Bruce Springsteen on vocals.
ODDS OF THE BLUES is the leading single from Driven To Drive. It was released on digital platforms on 22 May 2024 to coincide with the album's official announcement.
A music video for the song was simultaneously released on Joe Ely's YouTube channel to coincide with the single release. The video was directed by Matthew Eskey and pulls from home video footage shot over the years by Joe Ely, his wife Sharon, and their families.
"I got the idea for the song from hanging out at an all night after hours joint on the edge of east Lubbock called TV's... there was always a dice game in the back room, the pool table had a bad lean, and the jukebox mainly played old blues songs," Joe Ely said about the origins of ODDS OF THE BLUES. "I wrote the song later when I put my studio together in Austin. I asked Bruce recently if he would like to sing with me on this song and he said he'd love to. We've been long lost friends for a long time. One of my memories of us singing together was in Dublin, Ireland when we both got on stage with Jerry Lee Lewis and Shane MacGowan and sang 'Great Balls Of Fire.'"
According to the album's press release, Driven To Drive "stitches together recordings over several decades at Spur Studio." It remains unknown when ODDS OF THE BLUES was recorded, but Springsteen's parts seem to have been added around the time the album was being prepared for release. They were most likely cut at Thrill Hill Recording (Springsteen's home studio) in Colts Neck, NJ.
Track credits:
Jeff Plankenhorn: lead guitar
Bruce Springsteen: vocals
Joe Ely: vocals, guitar, and bass
Driven To Drive was self-produced by Joe Ely. It was recorded at Spur Studios, Ely's home recording facility in Dripping Springs, TX, with additional recording at The Zone Recording Studio in Dripping Springs, TX. It was mastered by Pal Manske at The Zone Recording Studio.
"I've been traveling all my life in search of whatever I find," Ely said in a statement. "Revisiting some of my studio files, I noticed there were a lot of songs I had written on the road about traveling. I had recorded them in my studio every time I got off the road. I compiled a selection of songs like that from different eras. That's Driven To Drive."
The album was officially announced on 22 May 2024. It was released on 02 Aug 2024 on Rack'Em Records and marketed and distributed by Thirty Tigers. It's available on CD and vinyl, as well as digital download and streaming.
As far as it's known, Bruce Springsteen has never performed ODDS OF THE BLUES live.
List of available versions of ODDS OF THE BLUES on this website:
ODDS OF THE BLUES [Joe Ely's album version]