Category: environment

Categories
Acoustic Guitar Performances artist profiles Arts & Entertainment environment Folk Song Covers memories music poetry Song Facts songwriting

From Covers to Originals: Judy Collins’ Transformation in ‘Spellbound’


At 82 years young, Judy Collins used poetry that she had written and collected over the years to create an album of original songs named Spellbound. She used the isolation of the Covid Pandemic to write and perfect the music.

“Spellbound” broke new ground because it was the first album Judy Collins produced in her six decade career that contained all original songs. This is a remarkable achievement for someone who had made her name mostly by singing and playing cover songs from recording artists she admired.

The first song on “Spellbound” is titled “When I Was a Girl in Colorado.” I’ve changed it to “A Boy In Colorado.” In words and music, the song conveys a picture of the artist when she moved with her family to Denver, Colorado from Seattle, Washington as a young girl in 1949.

The song’s lyrics hearken back to the natural beauty of “rivers dancing on canyon walls,” “blooming paintbrush flowers,” and “bluebirds in the pine trees.” These images reflect Judy’s deep love for the wilderness, which at one point in her early life almost led her to become a park ranger.

Here’s my cover. Drop me a line if you feel moved to do so.

Categories
Arts & Entertainment children Climate Crisis environment Folk Song Covers music songwriting

Environmental Concerns In The Song ‘Where Do the Children Play?’


Many of Yusuf/Cat Stevens’ songs convey underlying messages about childhood and the relationships between children and adults, such as ‘Father & Son’ and ‘Oh Very Young,’ to name a few. “Where Do the Children Play?” is no exception. It becomes increasingly timely with each passing day, given the environmental crisis we are facing.

The song refers to the destruction of natural spaces caused by overdevelopment and industrialization. It asks a fundamental question: What future awaits our children when the spaces where they play are increasingly paved over and polluted? 

“Where Do The Children Play” prompts us to consider the inherent features of the ‘progress’ we are making, as well as Humanity’s impact on planet Earth. Essentially, this beautiful and simple song begs for a balanced relationship between Human Beings and nature.

Typical of a Cat Stevens song, the rhythm is quite unique. Here’s my cover.