This was the songwriting duo that produced many of the Grateful Dead’s best songs, including most of the material on their two most beloved albums, American Beauty and Workingman’s Dead, and other favorites like “Sugaree”. The lyrics to “Ripple” were written by Robert Hunter, with music composed by Jerry Garcia. It is rumored that the reason the Dead played the song that night in ’88 was because the Make-A-Wish Foundation approached them with the wish of a deadhead who was dying of cancer, though this has never been confirmed. “Ripple” was shelved again in May of ’81 and did not return until 1988, making one final appearance as an electric encore that nobody could have expected. Then it was dropped from the rotation for nearly a decade until it reappeared when the band brought back acoustic sets in 1980-81.Ĭheck out a video of the Dead performing “Ripple” at Radio City Music Hall, Halloween 1980 below. The Dead only performed “Ripple” live 40 times, beginning in August 1970 and continuing during acoustic sets throughout that year and into some electric sets in ’71. The American Beauty version simply shines, with Jerry, Bob Weir, and Phil Lesh all nailing the harmonies, which is much key to this song and proved much more difficult for them to accomplish in the live setting. It’s one of only a handful of Dead songs that you could make a reasonable argument about the studio version being better than any of the live versions ( “Touch of Grey” and “Box of Rain” also come to mind).

They contain many of the Dead’s most memorable songs, including “Ripple”. These albums marked a shift in their sound from the psychedelic madness they were exploring in the late 60s into a more roots-oriented rock sound that they stuck with for nearly a decade, and never truly strayed too far away from. The tune was released on the Grateful Dead’s 1970 album, American Beauty, which was the second of two noteworthy albums that they released that year, the first being Workingman’s Dead. And you’d be hard-pressed to find a deadhead who wouldn’t place “Ripple” in the running for their favorite Dead songs. With it’s deep, pondering lyrics penned by Robert Hunter and the peaceful acoustic arrangement by Jerry Garcia, “Ripple” is a song that’s meaning boils down to the pure essence of the Grateful Dead. Out of all the wonderful songs composed by the Grateful Dead, “Ripple” is one that seems to have a special magic. The Grateful Dead at Radio City Music Hall in October 1980.

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