Tag: peace

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acoustic guitar artists Arts & Entertainment folk guitar love relationships

Why “Always On My Mind” Became a Hit for Willie Nelson


Willie Nelson made “Always On My Mind” one of his signature songs. Upon hearing the song for the first time, Nelson knew that he wanted to add “Always On My Mind” to his repertoire. Several recording artists, including Elvis Presley, released the song unsuccessfully. When Nelson recorded it in 1982, the song became a smash hit. Nelson’s sensitive rendition made the song a top 5 hit and a Grammy nomination.

Wayne Carson wrote “Always” as an apology to his wife when he was working in a recording studio in Memphis and stayed ten days longer than he expected to. When Carson called his wife to tell her that he had to stay in Memphis longer, she let him have it. To make his wife feel better, Carson told her she was “always on his mind.”

“It just struck me like someone had hit me with a hammer,” Carson told the LA Times. “I told [my wife] real fast I had to hang up because I had to put that into a song.  ‘Always’ is about one long apology. I guess there are a lot of people in the world who are looking for a way to say [what the lyrics express] in a song.”

“Always On My Mind” popped into my head from out of nowhere. Coincidentally, I’ve been hearing it at the gym where I work out, but after the fact. I’ve decided that it’s a reminder from the cosmos to appreciate my loyal wife of thirty-six years. Here’s my cover played in Nelson’s style.

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Arts & Entertainment Interviews issues life music

The Pretender: Dreams Versus the Monotony of Compromise


This song is about a man who gives up his dreams to live a life of routine monotony due to the crushing necessity of earning a living.

In a 1997 interview with Mojo magazine, Browne said of this song: “I’m a big fan of ambiguity and its bountiful rewards, and ‘The Pretender’ is two things at once. It’s that person in all of us that has a higher ideal, and the part that has settled for compromise, like Truffaut says, there’s the movie you set out to make, and there’s the one you settle for. But in a more serious sense, ‘The Pretender’ is about 1960s idealism —the idea that life is about love, brotherhood, justice, social change, and enlightenment. These concepts were prevalent as our generation reached its stride, and later, we settled for something quite different. So when I say ‘Say a prayer for The Pretender,’ I’m talking about those people who are trying to convince themselves that there really was nothing to that idealism.” (excerpt from an article by SongFacts.com)

The boldface type is about a lyric in the song I could relate to most, since I lived through that period: “I want to know what became of the changes we waited for love to bring. Were they only the fitful dreams of some greater awakening?”

Here’s my cover of “The Pretender.”

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Arts & Entertainment folk guitar folk music love relationships

Exploring Bob Dylan’s Tomorrow Is A Long Time: A Love Song

A long way from love

Bob Dylan recorded the first version of “Tomorrow Is A Long Time” in 1962. He didn’t release it until 1971 on his “Greatest Hits Album.” Oddly, Ian and Sylvia were the first recording artists to release the song in 1963 on their album “Four Strong Winds.”

The song is about longing for a loved one, specifically Suze Rotolo, who Dylan dated from 1961 to 1964. It is widely believed that another Dylan song, “Girl From The North Country,” is also about Rotolo.

Here’s my cover.

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acoustic guitar Arts & Entertainment inspiration music

The Uplifting Legacy of Nanci Griffith’s ‘Once in a Very Blue Moon’


Nanci Griffith introduced her third album with its title song, “Once in a Very Blue Moon,” on the Austin City Limits TV show in 1984. She sang to a live audience with her typically bold and beautiful voice, which continues to endear this singer/songwriter to millions of people around the world after her passing.

This poignant song could easily sound sad, but not the way Nanci performs it. With her crystal-clear voice, it actually sounds uplifting. A quality comes through Griffith’s songs. It sounds to me like “nothing will ever get me down.” I’m sure Ms. Griffith endured many hardships and obstacles in her life, but she always came out on top. I dedicate my cover to the memory of this inspiring woman.

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acoustic guitar Arts & Entertainment folk music inspiration music

The Incredible String Band: Cover of “Painting Box”


The Incredible String Band burst onto the folk music scene in 1966 with the release of their first album, aptly named “The Incredible String Band.” As an avid lover and consumer of folk, I had never heard anything like their songs. The band started out as a trio composed of Clive Palmer, Robin Williamson, and Mike Heron. Williamson and Heron composed most of ISB’s music. Palmer eventually dropped out, replaced by other musicians and the girlfriends of Williamson and Heron.

Signed by Electra Records, the group produced seven albums for the label, most notably their first four, which included “The Five Hundred Spirits or the Layers of the Onion” and “The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter.”

Through intermittent tours and appearances at prestigious venues like the Albert Hall, The Incredible String Band gained worldwide fans and international recognition from their humble beginnings in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Listen to Mike Heron’s lilting, whimsical “Painting Box” to get a sense of The Incredible String Band’s multifaceted musical range. Here’s my cover.

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artists Arts & Entertainment music songwriting

Acoustic Guitar Cover: Credence Clearwater Revival’s “Lookin’ Out My Back Door”


John Fogerty

John Fogerty wrote this song, in part, for his son, Josh. Josh was three years old at the time, and John could barely wait for his son to hear him sing the song on the radio, especially the part that goes: “Doot doot doo lookin’ out my back door.”

In the song’s chorus, a passing parade is mentioned. Fogerty says the lyric is inspired by a Dr. Seuss book he read as a child, “To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street.”

Some people say the lyric “Won’t you take a ride on the flying spoon” is a reference to cocaine or heroin. Fogrety vehemently denies this. He discouraged drug use by any of his band members, saying drugs interfered with their music and their jobs.

Credence Clearwater Revival gained prominence in the late 1960’s. The band split up acrimoniously in 1972. John Fogerty is still performing as of this writing.

Here’s my cover of this fun song.

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acoustic guitar artists Arts & Entertainment music

A Beautiful Ode to Life: “Silent Sunlight”


Cat Stevens ( Yusuf Islam) has never publicly said what this song is about, so we are left to offer our own interpretations.

When I read the lyrics, I get a picture of a farmer of indiscriminate age waking up at the crack of dawn and looking out through a window at his fields. At the very instant when the sun rises, there is barely sound. Our farmer reflects back on his youth and how it felt every day to awaken with a song in his heart and the dreams he envisioned to pursue.

The last refrain floated into my head from out of nowhere:

“There’ll be the evening,

In the end,

But ’till that time arrives,

You can rest your eyes,

And begin again.”

The lyrics are beautiful and express the child-like innocence found in many of Cat Stevens’ songs. I interpret this last refrain to mean: Take advantage of and be grateful for every moment you are alive.

Here’s my cover.

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acoustic guitar artists Arts & Entertainment music

Acoustic Guitar & Vocal Cover of “Danny’s Song”


Most of the lyrics in “Danny’s Song” were inspired by a letter Kenny Loggins’ brother, Dan, wrote to him in 1968 after Dan’s son, Colin, was born. In the letter, Dan said he planned to marry the boy’s mom, Sheila, and they planned to move to Berkley, California, even though they had no money.

Kenny Loggins wrote the song in 1970 and released it as a single. It went nowhere. Later that year, Kenny teamed up with Jim Messina and released the song on their first album, “Sittin’ In.” Again the song went nowhere. If nothing else, “Danny’s Song” showcased Loggins’ talent for capturing a feeling for a moment in time.

It was not until Anne Murray covered the song and released it as a single in 1973 that it became a hit, reaching #1 in Canada and #7 on the charts in America. The song’s success put Loggins and Messina on the map.

Here’s my cover.

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inspiration life motivation philosophy

Make the Most of Your Time


Don’t waste time. Open to the divine sublime.

Thoughts intervene. Ignore them to achieve the dream.

The jewel is buried in the Heart. The journey awaits. It is never too late to start.

Travel on a Perilous Mission into the Unknown Carrying the Fate of the World on Your Shoulders.

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acoustic guitar artists Arts & Entertainment music

The Beatles: We Can Work It Out


Back in the days when recording artists released singles, “We Can Work It Out” made its debut in 1965. The Beatle’s manager, Brian Epstein, felt that the other song on the record, “Day Tripper,” was more commercial and so, should be the lead song. Typically, the lead song of a single is recorded on the top side (A side) and the other song (B side) goes beneath it. Since both songs became hits, the record turned out to be the first double “A” single ever recorded.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote the song with Paul writing the optimistic verses and John writing the more pessimistic chorus, in this case, the bridge.

The song sprang from a disagreement Paul had with his then-girlfriend, actress Jane Asher. Jane and her mother, Margaret, had a powerful impact on Paul’s life. The couple stayed together for five years from 1963 to 1968.

Here’s my cover.