1952 Vincent Black Lightning

The motorcycle

The song focuses on the main character's love for both his girlfriend and his 1952 Vincent Black Lightning, a rare British motorcycle of which perhaps 30 were made. The character James compares it to other cycles of the age in his dying speech:

Says James, in my opinion, there's nothing in this world

Beats a '52 Vincent and a red headed girl.

Now Nortons and Indians and Greeveses won't do

They don't have a soul like a Vincent '52.

While most cover versions of this song by different artists remain with the original lyrics listing those same three makes of motorcycle (that "don't have a soul like a Vincent '52"), Thompson himself often varies the makes in his performances, variously including the following makes: Triumph, Harley, Enfield, Douglas, Rudge, Matchless, and Ducati.

Interviewed in the 2003 BBC Four documentary Solitary Life, Thompson said: "When I was a kid, that was always the exotic bike, that was always the one, the one that you went "ooh, wow". I'd always been looking for English ideas that didn't sound corny, that had some romance to them, and around which you could pin a song. And this song started with a motorcycle, it started with the Vincent. It was a good lodestone around which the song could revolve".

Covers

The song has been covered by many artists:

• Dick Gaughan, on Sail On (1996)
• Jeff Lang, on Disturbed Folk (1995) and Disturbed Folk vol. 2 (1999)
• Del McCoury Band, on Del and the Boys (2001)
• Bob Dylan, during a concert at Clarkston, Michigan, on 14 July 2013. When Thompson heard Dylan's cover of the song, he said, "It was a surprise, totally. I thought it was a hoax. I thought it was a joke!"
• Sean Rowe, as a frequent concert staple
• Robert Earl Keen on Happy Prisoner: The Bluegrass Sessions (2015)

American artists who cover the song frequently change the place reference, Box Hill to Knoxville.

References

References

1. [https://entertainment.time.com/2011/10/24/the-all-time-100-songs/slide/1952-vincent-black-lightning-richard-thompson/ "All-TIME 100 Songs: 1952 Vincent Black Lightning"] (retrieved on Feb. 26, 2014).
2. "1952 Vincent Black Lightning - Richard Thompson - Song Info - AllMusic".
3. [http://www.redmolly.com/Red%20Molly.pdf Extended Bio (accessed March 7, 2011)] from redmolly.com
4. Beviglia, Jim. (12 August 2012). "'1952 Vincent Black Lightning,' By Richard Thompson". [[American Songwriter]].
5. "Richard Thompson: Solitary Life - BBC Four".
6. "Sail On - Dick Gaughan | Album | AllMusic".
7. (5 November 2014). "1952 Vincent Black Lightening".
8. Bigger, Ken. (6 June 2012). "He smiled to see her cry".
9. "July 14, 2013 Clarkston, MI - The Official Bob Dylan Site". bobdylan.com.
10. "'I thought it was a hoax': Richard Thompson wasn't easily convinced about Bob Dylan cover". Something Else!.
11. (Dec 2, 2014). "Sean Rowe - "1952 Vincent Black Lightning"". Anti- Records.
12. Himes, Geoffrey. (21 August 2018). "The Curmudgeon: How an English Song about an English Motorcycle Became an American Classic".