Song Lyric Sunday

Song Lyric Sunday — Heaven and Hell

Fandango25 Comments

For this week’s Song Lyric Sunday prompt, Jim Adams wants us to turn our attention to songs that are associated with Heaven and/or Hell. I chose Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven.”

“Tears in Heaven” was written by Eric Clapton and Will Jennings. It was about his four-year-old son Conor, who died on March 20, 1991 when he fell out of a 53rd floor window in the apartment where his mother was staying in New York City. Clapton had one other child at the time, a daughter, Ruth, who was born in 1987, the year after Conor was born.

The song was Clapton’s best-selling single in the United States and reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100. It appeared on the soundtrack for the 1991 film, “Rush.” “Tears in Heaven” won three Grammy Awards for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked “Tears in Heaven” 362nd on its list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”

After his son’s tragic death, Clapton dealt with his grief by cowriting “Tears in Heaven” for the “Rush” soundtrack with Will Jennings. In an interview in 1992, Clapton said of the song, “It was in the back of my head but it didn’t really have a reason for being until I was scoring this movie. Then it sort of had a reason to be. And it is a little ambiguous because it could be taken to be about Conor but it also is meant to be part of the film.”

Jennings said that he and Clapton wrote a song called “Help Me Up” for the end of the movie when Clapton saw another place in the movie for a song. Clapton told Jennings that he wanted to write a song about his boy. And so they wrote “Tears in Heaven.”

Here are the song’s lyrics.

Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven?
Would it be the same
If I saw you in heaven?
I must be strong and carry on
‘Cause I know I don’t belong here in heaven

Would you hold my hand
If I saw you in heaven?
Would you help me stand
If I saw you in heaven?
I’ll find my way through night and day
‘Cause I know I just can’t stay here in heaven

Time can bring you down, time can bend your knees
Time can break your heart, have you begging please, begging please

Beyond the door there’s peace I’m sure
And I know there’ll be no more tears in heaven

Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven?
Would it be the same
If I saw you in heaven?
I must be strong and carry on
‘Cause I know I don’t belong here in heaven

Song Lyric Sunday — Goodbye

Fandango16 Comments

For this week’s Song Lyric Sunday prompt Jim Adams theme is all about parting ways by saying things like arrivederci, bon-voyage, ciao, farewell, goodbye, hasta la vista, sayonara, or shalom. I chose goodbye, and in particular, Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”

“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” was a song performed by musician Elton John and it was the title track on his 1973 album of the same name. The song’s music was composed by John, while the lyrics were written by Bernie Taupin. It was the album’s second single and made it to the Top Ten in both the U.S. and the U.K. It was one of Elton John’s biggest hits.

Taupin wrote the lyrics to this song, and this appears to be more about him, rather than about Elton. The lyrics revolve around giving up a life of opulence for one of simplicity in a rural setting. Elton enjoyed a very extravagant lifestyle, while Taupin preferred to keep it low key.

The Yellow Brick Road in the song was a bit of an homage to the movie “The Wizard of Oz,” where Dorothy and her friends follow the yellow brick road in search of the magical Wizard of Oz, only to find they had what they were looking for all along.

What made this song stand out was the poignant way it pined for a simpler, grounded time at the very moment that Elton John was soaring to the dizzying heights of superstardom.

Taupin said, “There was a period when I was going through that whole ‘got to get back to my roots’ thing, which spawned a lot of like-minded songs in the early days, this being one of them. I don’t believe I was ever turning my back on success or saying I didn’t want it. I just don’t believe I was ever that naïve. I think I was just hoping that maybe there was a happy medium way to exist successfully in a more tranquil setting. My only naiveté, I guess, was believing I could do it so early on. I had to travel a long road and visit the school of hard knocks before I could come even close to achieving that goal. So, thank God I can say quite categorically that I am home.”

Here are the lyrics to the song.

When are you gonna come down?
When are you going to land?
I should have stayed on the farm
I should have listened to my old man

You know you can’t hold me forever
I didn’t sign up with you
I’m not a present for your friends to open
This boy’s too young to be singing, the blues

So goodbye yellow brick road
Where the dogs of society howl
You can’t plant me in your penthouse
I’m going back to my plough

Back to the howling old owl in the woods
Hunting the horny back toad
Oh I’ve finally decided my future lies
Beyond the yellow brick road

What do you think you’ll do then?
I bet that’ll shoot down your plane
It’ll take you a couple of vodka and tonics
To set you on your feet again

Maybe you’ll get a replacement
There’s plenty like me to be found
Mongrels who ain’t got a penny
Sniffing for tidbits like you on the ground

So goodbye yellow brick road
Where the dogs of society howl
You can’t plant me in your penthouse
I’m going back to my plough

Back to the howling old owl in the woods
Hunting the horny back toad
Oh I’ve finally decided my future lies
Beyond the yellow brick road

Song Lyric Sunday — Schoolboy Crush

Fandango17 Comments

For this week’s Song Lyric Sunday prompt Jim Adams has challenged us to choose a song that must contain a girl’s name in the title or the lyrics and that name must start with the letter “S.” When I was in high school I had a wicked crush on a girl named Sherry, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that when the song by The Four Seasons titled “Sherry” was released, it immediately became my favorite song.

“Sherry” was a song written by Bob Gaudio and recorded by The Four Seasons. “Sherry” was the band’s first nationally released single and their first number one hit, reaching the top spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on September 15, 1962. It remained at number one for five consecutive weeks, and was also number one on the R&B charts for one week. It was included in the first album from the band, Sherry & 11 Others.

In a 1968 interview, Gaudio said that the song was inspired by the 1961 Bruce Channel hit “Hey! Baby,” which, coincidentally, was featured just last week in Jim Adams’ A to Z Challenge post for the letter “H.” According to Gaudio, the song took about 15 minutes to write and was originally titled “Jackie Baby,” in honor of then-First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. At the studio, the name was changed to “Terri Baby,” and eventually to “Sherry,” the name of the daughter of Gaudio’s best friend, New York DJ Jack Spector.

According to Songfacts, in composing songs for The Four Seasons, Gaudio and the group’s arranger, Charlie Callello, analyzed the hot songs of the era, and tried to incorporate elements of those into “Sherry.” This meant big production, a girl’s name in the title, and a storyline where our hero is begging the girl to come out with him. They even got the Twist craze into the song, inviting Sherry to the “Twist Party.” The result was a very contemporary, commercial sound that provided a template for many future hits for the Four Seasons.

Frankie Valli’s soaring falsetto vocals were a big part of the group’s sound, and that was emphasized in the packaging of this song and the album, which was credited to “Four Seasons featuring The Sound of Frankie Valli.” By 1968, the name of the group was changed to “Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.”

Here are the lyrics for “Sherry.”

Sherry, Sherry baby
Sherry, Sherry baby

Sherry baby (Sherry baby)
Sherry, can you come out tonight (Come come, come out tonight)
Sherry baby (Sherry baby)
Sherry, can you come out tonight

(Why don’t you come out) (come out) to my twist party
(Come out) Where the bright moon shines
(Come out) We’ll dance the night away
I’m gonna make-a you mine

Sherry baby (Sherry baby)
Sherry, can you come out tonight
(Come come, come out tonight)
(Come come, come out tonight)

You, ooh better ask your mama (Sherry baby)
Tell her everything is all right

(Why don’t you come out) (come out) with your red dress on
(Come out) Mmm, you look so fine
(Come out) Move it nice and easy
Girl, you’ll make me lose my mind

Sherry baby (Sherry baby)
Sherry , can you come out tonight
(Come come, come out tonight)
(Come come, come out tonight)
Sherry, Sherry baby
(Come come, come out tonight)
(Come come, come out tonight)

Song Lyric Sunday — Just Say the Word

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For this week’s Song Lyric Sunday, Jim Adams is asking us to focus on songs with one-word titles. There are tons of such songs, but the one I chose is “Desperado.”

“Desperado” was a song by the The Eagles and was written by band members Glenn Frey and Don Henley. It appeared on their 1973 album Desperado, which, overall, had an Old West theme. Henley began writing some of the lyrics in the late ’60s. He said it was written in the style of old songs by Stephen Foster, and when he played and sang it, he thought of Ray Charles and Stephen Foster. He said that the song was originally about a friend named Leo and began with “Leo, my God, why don’t you come to your senses….”

The song wasn’t arranged into its final form until Henley’s songwriting teammate, Glenn Frey, came along. “Desperado” was the first of many songs Henley and Frey wrote together. According to Henley, he played Frey the unfinished version of the song, who thought they could give it more of a country-rock sound. Frey “leapt right on it, filled in the blanks, and brought structure to the song.”

“Desperado” was the last song The Eagles performed in concert with Glenn Frey. It closed out their show in Bossier City, Louisiana on July 29, 2015, the last stop on their History of The Eagles tour. Frey died about six months later.

Linda Ronstadt recorded this song and released it on her 1973 album Don’t Cry Now a few months after The Eagles’ Desperado album was issued. Don Henley and Glenn Frey had toured as part of Ronstadt’s backing band in 1971 and formed The Eagles shortly after playing on her 1972 self-titled album, which also featured the two members they recruited to round out the group: Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon.

On the surface, this song is about a cowboy — perhaps an outlaw — who refuses to fall in love. Or maybe who is longing for love but can’t find it. Some suggest that it could also be about a young man who discovers guitars, joins a band, pays his dues and suffers for his art. The stress of being a rock star is a recurring theme in The Eagles’ music. The overall theme is how you must suffer for your art.

For what it’s worth, “Desperado” is my wife’s favorite song, although she favors the Linda Ronstadt version to The Eagles original. She says that the song brings tears to her eyes every time she hears it.

Here are the lyrics to “Desperado.”

Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?
You been out ridin’ fences for so long now
Oh, you’re a hard one
But I know that you got your reasons
These things that are pleasin’ you
Can hurt you somehow

Don’t you draw the Queen of Diamonds, boy
She’ll beat you if she’s able
You know the Queen of Hearts is always your best bet

Now, it seems to me some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones that you can’t get

Desperado, oh, you ain’t gettin’ no younger
Your pain and your hunger, they’re drivin’ you home

And freedom, oh freedom, well that’s just some people talkin’
Your prison is walking through this world all alone

Don’t your feet get cold in the winter time?
The sky won’t snow and the sun won’t shine
It’s hard to tell the night time from the day
You’re losin’ all your highs and lows
Ain’t it funny how the feeling goes away?

Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin’, but there’s a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you (let somebody love you)
You better let somebody love you
Before it’s too late

Song Lyric Sunday — Flowers

Fandango16 Comments

Jim Adams’ Song Lyric Sunday theme words this week — blossoms, cherry, and flowers — are intended, I suppose, to honor of the arrival of spring and the fact that today is Easter Sunday. I was going to go with Neil Diamond’s “Cherry Cherry,” but I already used that song in this Song Lyric Sunday post from this past December. Then I was going to go with Scott McKenzie’s “San Francisco,” which has the lines “If you’re going to San Francisco/Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.” But I had already used that last April for another one of my Song Lyric Sunday posts. So I looked through all of my Song Lyric Sunday posts and realized I had never used Pete Seeger’s “Where Have All the Flowers Gone.”

“Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” was a modern folk-style song. The melody and the first three verses were written by Pete Seeger in 1955. Additional verses were added in May 1960 by Joe Hickerson, who turned it into a song with a circular reference, starting and ending with flowers. Seeger and the song were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002 in the Folk category. And in 2010, the New Statesman listed it as one of the “Top 20 Political Songs.”

Seeger wrote this song as a call for peace. The song’s lyrics show how war and suffering can by cyclical in nature: girls pick flowers, men pick girls, men go to war and fill graves with their dead, which get covered with flowers. He said he was inspired by Mikhail Sholokhov’s novel “And Quiet Flows the Don,” which is about Czarist Russia. In a 1988 interview, Seeger explained: “In one of the early chapters, it describes the Cossack soldiers galloping off to join the Czar’s army. And they’re singing: ‘Where are the flowers? The girls have plucked them. Where are the girls? They’ve all taken husbands. Where are the men? They’re all in the army. Gallop, gallop, gallop, wheeeee!’ I stuck the words in my pocket. A year or two or three went by and I never had time to look up the original. Meanwhile, I’m sitting in a plane, kind of dozing. And all of a sudden came a line I had thought about five years earlier: ‘long time passing.’ I thought that those three words sang well. I fitted the two together, along with the intellectual’s perennial complaining, ‘When will we ever learn?'”

The folk group Peter, Paul & Mary began playing this at their live concerts, and when The Kingston Trio saw them perform it in concert, they recorded it the next day. Interestingly, believing it to be a traditional song, the trio claimed authorship, although upon notice from Seeger they had their name removed and credited Seeger and Hickerson.

Here is The Kingston Trio’s version

And here is Peter, Paul & Mary’s version.

Here are the lyrics to “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”

Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the flowers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the flowers gone?
Gone to young girls, every one!
When will they ever learn, when will they ever learn?

Where have all the young girls gone, long time passing?
Where have all the young girls gone, long time ago?
Where have all the young girls gone?
Gone to young men, every one!
When will they ever learn, when will they ever learn?

Where have all the young men gone, long time passing?
Where have all the young men gone, long time ago?
Where have all the young men gone?
Gone to soldiers, every one!
When will they ever learn, when will they ever learn?

And where have all the soldiers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the soldiers gone, a long time ago?
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Gone to graveyards, every one!
When will they ever learn, when will they ever learn?

And where have all the graveyards gone, long time passing?
Where have all the graveyards gone, long time ago?
Where have all the graveyards gone?
Gone to flowers, every one!
When will they ever learn, oh when will they ever learn?