Category: Song Facts

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The Beauty of ‘Talking In Your Sleep’ by Gordon Lightfoot


“Talking In Your Sleep” is not exactly a happy song. I chose it for the guitar background and the melody, both of which I find quite beautiful. I’m a long-time fan of Gordon Lightfoot, and I’ve covered many of his songs on this blog. However, this song is not as well known as many of Lightfoot’s others, and I hadn’t listened to it in decades. But the song kept popping up on the Pandora stations I’ve been listening to lately, and it captured my attention immediately.

“Talking In Your Sleep” is a touching, country-folk song written and performed by the Canadian singer-songwriter. Reprise Records released the song in 1971 on Gordon’s 6th album, Summerside of Life. It became a moderate hit, reaching #64 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Charts and #19 on the Canadian RPM charts. In case you were wondering, RPM stands for the title of a popular Canadian music trade journal called Records, Promotion, Music.

Moderate hit or not, “Talking In Your Sleep” rings my doorbell. I hope it will ring yours as well. My mentor, Jerry Lamberth, calls it “a wonderful song,” and one of the first lessons he posted on his site, Jerry’s Guitar Bar. With Jerry’s tutelage, I’m playing the song close to Lightfoot’s original.

Solo Version

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Townes Van Zandt’s “Pancho And Lefty”


Townes Van Zandt’s life touched mine only tangentially until recently. I first heard of Van Zandt through Nanci Griffith’s cover of his song “Tecumseh Valley.” Like many Van Zandt ballads, it tells a tragic and beautifully melodic story about a woman named Caroline. “Techumseh Valley” is about a life, a time, and a place far from the life I’ve led. Yet, it’s a song I’ll never forget. Although Van Zandt never became a big name in the music world during his career, it is because of the depth, emotion, and poignancy of songs like “Tecumseh Valley” that the singer and songwriter is remembered and celebrated today, almost thirty years after his death.

There are two more Van Zandt songs that have really touched me. They are “If I Needed You” and “Pancho and Lefty.” I’m covering “Pancho and Lefty” here. “If I Needed You” will arrive in the near future.

Thanks for listening.

ENHANCED VERSION

SOLO VERSION

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Leonard Cohen’s Gentle Breakup Message


The ending of a love relationship is often painful and dramatic. In “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye,” Leonard Cohen has penned a poetic plea for a graceful, respectful breakup that honors the beauty of a dying connection, rather than dwelling on the pain, anger, and lingering regret of the ending.

Cohen wrote the song in 1966 on a decrepit bed in the Penn Terminal Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. In 1967, Judy Collins, who became Cohen’s good friend, recorded the song for her album  Wildflowers. The following month, Cohen’s own version was released on his debut album, Songs of Leonard Cohen.

Cohen described the song as “a moment of clarity in the middle of a love affair’s end.” He also explained, “It’s about acknowledging that love changes but doesn’t truly die. The bodies may part, but the connection remains in the light and the words left behind.”

While introducing “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye” during his 1976 Live at Montreux performance, Cohen memorably said: “As you eastern metaphysicians know, just as from the darkest mud blooms the whitest lotus, so from the brownest hotel room you occasionally get a good song.”

Playing heartfelt, beautiful songs like this one juices me up. Enjoy these cover versions.

Solo Version

Enhanced Version

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‘Eternal Flame’: The Story Behind The Bangles’ Iconic Song


“Eternal Flame” is another song that came into my head from out of nowhere. It just started playing in my mind on its own. I remembered the song, but I had never heard of (or don’t remember) an all-girl band called The Bangles. The group was popular in the 1980s. Susanna Hoff, their lead singer, wrote Eternal Flame with songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. The idea came from a Cyndi Lauper song Hoff admired, and from the eternal flame shrine near the Elvis Presley tomb in Graceland, where The Bangles saw it.

“Eternal Flame” became one of The Bangles’ biggest hits, reaching #1 in nine countries, including the USA in 1989.

I still don’t know why “Eternal Flame” barged unannounced into my head, but I’m glad it did. The song is BEAUTIFUL! Here’s my cover.

Enhanced Version

Original Version

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How An 18-Year-Old Songwriter Became A Superstar


Cat Stevens wrote “The First Cut Is The Deepest” when he was eighteen. At the time, he had no intention of becoming a worldwide star performer. He sold the song for thirty pounds to P.P. Arnold, a soul singer who lived near him in London. She released “The First Cut Is The Deepest” on her first album. It reached #18 on the U.K. charts in 1967. Eventually, Rod Stewart and Sheryl Crow covered the song, making it a major hit in America.

Stevens released his version of the song on his debut album, New Masters. Because he never released “The First Cut Is the Deepest” as a single, the album went largely unnoticed.

Despite his shyness, Stevens’ songwriting and singing burst through to make him an international star in the music industry. I’m using Stevens’ version in my cover.

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Honoring Love: A Tribute to ‘I’ll Never Find Another You’


The Seekers are an Australian band formed in 1962. The Folk and Gospel group achieved the zenith of their popularity in the mid ’60’s with several hit songs. Their most memorable chart-topper is a song titled “I’ll Never Find Another You.” It reached #1 on the UK charts in 1965, making the Seekers the only Australian band with a #1 hit song outside of Australia. The song reached #97 in the United States, quite a feat in itself. The group has continued to perform to standing ovations around the world into the 1990’s.

I am dedicating this song to my wife of 37 years, Bonnie Erens-Gittlin. Without exaggeration, every word in the lyrics applies. I am grateful to have spent my adult life with this woman and the beautiful daughter we have raised. Here’s my cover.

Listening to the Heart Brings Peace and Harmony into a Life

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Your True Colors Are Beautiful


“True Colors” is a song with legs. It started out as a song written for a mother in a traditional ballad format. Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly wrote the song in 1986 and offered it to Anne Murray, a popular singer at the time. Murray passed on the song. Cyndi Lauper took it and creatively revamped the format into a stark and breathtaking version.

The song became a hit worldwide because of its universal appeal. The songwriters acknowledge that Lauper was the perfect artist to adapt the song, partly because of her bold style. Released as the title song on Lauper’s 1986 album, “True Colors” is the only original song on the album that the artist did not help to write. The song was a last-minute addition to the album.

In 1998, Phil Collins covered the song on his “Greatest Hits” album. Australian country music star Kasey Chambers covered the song as the theme for the 2003 Rugby World Cup. In 2007, Cindy Lauper launched “The True Colors Tour” to support gay rights and fight hate crimes. In 2016, Justin Timberlake and actress Anna Kendrick used the song in the soundtrack for the movie “Trolls.” Kodak also used the song to advertise its film stock. Like I said: the song has legs.

“True Colors” is one of my all-time favorite songs. I hope you’ll enjoy it too. This new version has a special backup created by my friend, Giovanni Estigui. Here’s my cover.