I have been given the privilege of filling this little space, both in life and on paper. And so, what I would like to do here is share with you all my love of music and the craft of songwriting. Some call it a gift. It’s magical when a song comes to you with just a line or a chorus and we are able to shape that into a song for others to hear.
Where would we be as a culture — or as a nation — without some of these songs? Woody Guthrie wrote “This Land is Your Land” that we all sang in grade school. Pete Seeger had, “Where Have All The Flowers Gone,” “If I Had a Hammer,” “We Shall Overcome,” and “Turn Turn Turn,” made famous by The Byrds in 1965. Hedy West gave us, “500 Miles,” Ewan MacColl wrote “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.” Gordon Lightfoot wrote “Early Morning Rain.”
Then along came Peter, Paul and Mary to record and perform these songs and place them forever in our hearts and minds. “Puff The Magic Dragon” was never about drugs as some have suggested, and was written by Lenard Lipton and Peter Yarrow. “The Times They Are a Changin’” and “Blowin’ In The Wind” were given to us by Bob Dylan. One must take pause and wonder where our civil rights would be if not for these songs!
Songs take us back in time, invoke memories, remind us of friends and loved ones, and help us remember where and when it was when we first heard them. My mother had a small collection of 45s and a little record player, and I sang “Hang On Sloopy,” written by Bert Russell and Wes Farrell, recorded by the McCoys in 1965. So I must have been four years old. I wish I had a tape of that fine performance to put on YouTube, as I am sure it would go viral! At the same time I would sing Roger Miller’s “Dang Me” and “King Of The Road.” We would take long car rides just to get out of the house and sing to the radio at the top of our lungs.
When I listen to music I listen to it intently, to every note, every sound. Those are the only things that I can attribute to my being able to write a song today. Because I can’t play any instrument and never had any musical training. I write lyrics and melodies at the same time and don’t know how I do it. But I attribute it to my early childhood, and my dear Mother all those years ago. What a long strange trip it’s been!
I think it’s important that we make sure to share these tunes with our children. “Pick Yourself Up” was written in 1936 by Jerome Kern, lyrics by Dorothy Fields. Best version is on Diana Krall on the album “When I Look In Your Eyes.” “What A Wonderful World,” written by Bob Thiel and George David Weiss. It was first covered in 1967 by Louis Armstrong, but I like the Ray Charles cover the best. Theses songs and artists helped to shape our history, and allow us to grow as human beings. And I will always give first credit to those who wrote them, because without the songwriter, all those singers, producers and engineers could have stayed home. And before I dare write about anything I wrote, in this little space that I am so privileged to fill, I want to pay homage to those. Please stay tuned, and thank you the reader for the privilege of your time.