Heart Banter by David Gittlin

While searching for a video of Bruce Springsteen playing his iconic hit “Born to Run,” I stumbled upon a video of Emmylou Harris singing “Born to Run.” Now, here’s the fascinating surprise: Emmylou is singing an entirely different song written by Paul Kennerly. And this song really rocks. Released in 1982 as the second single from Harris’ album Cimarron, “Born to Run” reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. Emmylou Harris sings like an Angel. She is a Country Music Hall of Fame inductee. I put Emmylou into my Hall of Fame alongside other Angels by the names of Eva Cassidy, Nanci Griffith, Linda Ronstadt, and Kate Wolf. Here’s my cover of Paul Kennerly’s “Born to Run.” Chapters (00:00:11) - Well I Was Born To Run

“Long May You Run” is written by Neil Young. The song came alive for me when I heard Emmylou Harris and her band perform it. Now in her seventies, Emmylou is still beautiful and sings like an angel, as attested to in the video I’ve included. After hearing Miss Harris’ version of the song, I began listening to many of her other reels on YouTube. She is a consummate, unique performer, not to mention beautiful. Emmylou’s music has remained consistently excellent throughout her forty-year career. Willie Nelson is quoted as saying, "There are two types of people in this world...those who love Emmylou and those who have not met her." Harris has released more than twenty-five albums. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008 and earned a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. Here’s my cover. Chapters (00:00:07) - Long May You Run

The Beatles have produced a motherload of work in the thirteen* albums they released. Within their massive discography, there are bound to be songs that the band members liked or disliked in varying degrees. Lennon and McCartney wrote “It’s Only Love” in 1965. The song is about a complex relationship that is ultimately worth it because, after all, “It’s Only Love,” and that’s the way it often goes. I was surprised to learn that John Lennon thought the song was “pure rubbish,” meaning that it was only a filler song created to feed the hounds of commerce. Paul McCartney had a more optimistic view: “Sometimes we didn’t fight it if the lyric came out rather bland on some of those filler songs like ‘It's Only Love.’ If a lyric was really bad, we'd edit it, but we weren't that fussy about it because it’s only a rock ‘n’ roll song. I mean, this is not literature.” Most fans, like myself, can relate to the song, finding the lyrics acceptable and the melody beautiful. Here’s my cover.

Jackson Browne has always been a brilliant lyricist, singer, guitarist, and songwriter. I have enjoyed playing many of his songs on this blog. All of them are my favorites, and “Enough of the Night” is no exception. Written when he was turning forty, Browne originally thought he was writing about someone else, until he realized that “Enough of the Night” was about himself. He had grown tired of a destructive lifestyle that mostly involved drugs (Cocaine). He decided the time had come for a change, and Browne writes about it poignantly in his lyrics. Listen closely, and you’ll see what I mean. “Enough of the Night” is also reminiscent of Jackson’s sister, but that’s another story entirely. Here’s my cover. Chapters (00:00:08) - Enough for the Night

The Jackson Browne song “You Love the Thunder” is about a musician and a lover who joins him on tour, a thread that underlies many of the songs on Browne’s album, Running on Empty. The album explores life on the road from performances, to backstage, hotel rooms, and relationships with band members and audiences. The lyrics of “You Love the Thunder” suggest that while Browne’s lover may not always enjoy the difficult aspects of a musician’s life on the road, they are irresistibly drawn to the excitement of the lifestyle and the passion that runs through it like a vein of valuable ore. The line, “To be a woman in love with a man in search of the flame,” exemplifies the central meaning of the song: the enduring, though sometimes challenging, love for someone driven by a passionate, and likely spiritual quest. Chapters (00:00:04) - You Love the Thunder and You Love the Rain

When the Eagles were a struggling group in Los Angeles, they noticed many beautiful women married to older, successful men. It posed the question: Were these women happy or unhappy? One night, while drinking in their favorite bar, they spotted a beautiful young woman. Alongside her, a fat, old, rich guy sat drinking. They were chatting, and apparently a couple. Glen Frey, the group’s leader, commented, “Look at her. She can’t hide those lying eyes.” The Eagles realized they had a great idea for a new song. They began to write the lyrics of "lyin Eyes" right then and there. The song tells an in-depth story about women who have taken the easy way out by marrying for money alone. While the song is entirely fictional, it has an incontrovertible ring of truth. Maybe that’s why Lyin’ Eyes reached number 8 on the Country Chart. It is the only Eagles song to become a top 10 Country hit. Here’s my cover. Chapters (00:00:15) - There Ain't No Way to Hide Your Lion Eyes

When the Eagles were a struggling group in Los Angeles, they noticed many beautiful women married to older, successful men. It posed the question: Were these women happy or unhappy? One night, while drinking in their favorite bar, they spotted a beautiful young woman. Alongside her, a fat, old, rich guy sat drinking. They were chatting, and apparently a couple. Glen Frey, the group’s leader, commented, “Look at her. She can’t hide those lying eyes.” The Eagles realized they had a great idea for a new song. They began to write the lyrics right then and there. The song tells an in-depth story about women who have taken the easy way out by marrying for money alone. While the song is entirely fictional, it has an incontrovertible ring of truth. Maybe that’s why Lyin’ Eyes reached number 8 on the Country Chart. It is the only Eagles song to become a top 10 Country hit. Here’s my cover.

“Glenn Frey and Don Henley wrote this song together, and Frey sang lead. Along with “Desperado,” it was one of two songs they came up with in the first week that they started writing together. The songs formed the basis of the Eagles’ second album, with Frey and Henley comparing the life of a cowboy to that of a musician. “Tequila Sunrise” shows the transient nature of each lifestyle, as the singer falls for a woman who just wants to use him and move on. The theme didn’t immediately connect with the buying public, but the songs and the album stood the test of time.”*  *Excerpted from Songfacts® Chapters (00:00:19) - It's Another to Kill The Sunrise

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.

In this song, I believe (Yusuf) Cat Stevens is singing to a woman he yearns for in a Human form. On another level, he may be singing, aware or unaware, to the Divine Feminine. In either case, the object of Stevens’ love is unattainable in the present. Yet, I further believe, that the admirer (Stevens) continues to yearn for his beloved in the hope that he will, one day, meet her. In this sense, the song is hopeful rather than despairing. However one interprets “How Can I Tell you,” I feel that the song is filled with incredible beauty that shines through. And thank you, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), for your always beautiful, wise, and inspiring music. Here's my cover. Chapters (00:00:23) - "How Can I Tell You That I Love You..."

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.

"Father and Son" is a song about the age-old story where the father’s vision for his son does not align with his son’s dreams for the future. Cat Stevens refurbishes the story with his unique and beautiful phrasing in the lyrics and melody. It has taken me some time to warm up to this song due to the violent rift I had with my father regarding my future. My Dad passed away in 2006, and now, in my older years, I can see and appreciate the opportunities he gave me. I am at peace with the relationship, and I am inspired by my father's accomplishments. You might think this song pertains to Cat Stevens' struggles with his father, but that is not the case. His father owned a Greek restaurant, and like all fathers, wanted his son to join the business. Stevens, of course, had vastly different ideas. Wisely, his father never stood in the way of his son's dreams. Stevens wrote this song, imagining a Russian father and son differing about the son's future. "Father and Son" was originally planned as part of a stage play. The project never saw the light of day. Stevens eventually released the song on his "Tea for the Tillerman" album. Here's my cover.

Far from old age, Cat Stevens wrote “Oh Very Young” when he was twenty-five. The wisdom in the song surpasses Stevens’ chronology with lines like, “You’re only dancin’ on this Earth for a short while.” Stevens contracted tuberculosis when he was nineteen, and it almost killed him. After that experience, Stevens kept an eye on the Big Picture. Always the explorer, Stevens sought the meaning and purpose of life, as illustrated in his songs like “On the Road to Find Out.” He eventually converted to Islam in 1977. Around the same time, he permanently left the world stage as a singer and songwriter. In his relatively short career, Cat Stevens left us with a body of music that is still relevant today and, to millions around the world, extremely enjoyable. Originally, I played this song using a picking method, and then I switched to strumming. I watched a video of Stevens performing the song with a strumming method. I thought, I’ll never be able to play it that fast. To my amazement, I wound up playing the song as fast as Stevens when I strummed it. Interesting. Here’s my cover. Chapters (00:00:08) - Oh, Very Young What Will You Leave Us This Time?

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. Chapters (00:00:14) - Sometimes I Think I Didn't Love You Enough

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.” Chapters (00:00:20) - Praying for the Pretender

Jackson Browne wrote “For A Dancer” in memory of a modern dancer friend who died tragically in a fire. When Jackson’s wife, the model Phyllis Major, died suddenly in 1976, “For A Dancer” mysteriously took on a new meaning. “That’s how songs work,” Brown said in an interview. “They migrate into other parts of your life and other experiences.” Browne eventually played the song at the funerals of two other celebrity friends. And if one listens to the lyrics closely, “For A Dancer” becomes a larger commentary on the intransience of life itself. We cling to it like a thread. To me, the larger meaning underscores the necessity of using every precious moment wisely. Here’s my cover. Chapters (00:00:12) - A Dance for the Dead

Jackson Browne's guitar techniques, lyrics, and melodies stand apart from the crowd. What he says through his music is sometimes searing, sad, and occasionally, happy. However, all of Browne's songs have something in common: an incredible sensitivity and beauty. Browne wrote "These Days" when he was only sixteen years old. Despite his youth, Browne demonstrated a keen sense of heartbreak. I'm not sure how a sixteen-year-old could feel the depth of emotion and remorse expressed in this song. If we assume Jackson experienced and gave voice to the words and tone of "These Days," then he was wise beyond his years and deeply rooted in himself from early on. The song had its first release when a protégé of Andy Warhol named Nico picked it up on her "Chelsea Girl" album. Brown played acoustic guitar in the background. "These Days" gained wider recognition when several artists subsequently covered it. Brown eventually released his version of the song in 1973 on the album "For Everyman." He rewrote "These Days" to make it more optimistic. In his own words, Jackson remembers, "Over the rest of my teenage years and into my 20s, I developed a kind of optimism, a kind of resoluteness, so I changed [one verse] to: 'I'll keep on moving, keep improving.' That's more to me what life is made of, the idea that I'll get through this, I'll continue looking." I've always wanted to play this song the way Jackson Browne does. Thanks to my friend Jerry Lambert, I can now do it. Here's my cover.

I first heard "Cornflower Blue" as the opening song on Kate Wolf's 1983 double album "Give Yourself to Love." As I listened to the album many times over, "Cornflower Blue" grew on me (no pun intended). I began to appreciate the exquisite beauty in the lyrics and in Kate's lovely singing voice. Oftentimes, songs like this one will find their way into my heart, and I feel compelled to play them myself. With this song, I had my doubts. The chances were good that I might not pull it off. Learning how to play "Cornflower Blue" like Kate does was like learning how to walk again. The style is completely counterintuitive to what I'm used to, but I'm glad I made the effort. I hope my cover of the song conveys some of the mystery and beauty of the original.

“Pluck” is the word that comes to mind when I think of Nanci Griffith and her music. In terms of stature, Nanci can be described as diminutive, or perhaps petite is a better, if overused, description. Ironically, the essence of Nanci Griffith is anything but small. She imbued her songs with a crystal clear, powerful voice and confident stage presence. In her simple way, Griffith is remembered as a giant among country and folk singer/songwriters. With twenty-four albums released from 1978 to 2002, Griffith has left a lasting impression on an art form she once described as “folkabilly.” Nanci’s music merges the elegant folk of her early years with the folk-rock of her later years. I’ve covered many of Nanci’s songs on this blog, including this latest, “Trouble In The Fields.” It’s a penetrating and beautiful song inspired by Griffith’s recollections of her great-grandparents’ struggles with drought and hard economic times during the 1930s. “Trouble In The Fields” is dedicated to Nanci’s great aunt and uncle, Nettie Mae and Tootie, farmers for eighty years near Lubbock, Texas. Here’s my cover.

There is beauty within us. There is beauty everywhere in the world. All we have to do is to want to feel it and see it. Even in the midst of darkness, this is the dawn of a new age. It may be difficult to believe or see it, but it’s happening. Nothing can deny us our destiny in love. Not doubt. Not ignorance. Not fear. Some of us are at the forefront of this new world. Kate Wolf was one of these visionaries. I’m a great admirer of her work and her music. Here’s my cover of “Brother Warrior.”