Heart Banter by David Gittlin

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.”

In a 2009 interview, Cat Stevens (by then Yusuf Islam) is quoted as saying: “I was on holiday in Spain. I was a kid from the West End of London--I never got to see the moon on its own. In the dark, there were always streetlamps. So there I was on the edge of the water on a beautiful night with the moon glowing, and suddenly I looked down and saw my shadow. I thought that was so cool; I’d never seen it before.” The song is about finding hope in any situation, of being present and joyful. With the simplicity and joy of a child, Stevens writes about seeing life as it is in the moment, without comparing it to others’ lives or other times in an individual’s life. Moonshaw is a beautiful song expressing the idea that every moment in life is rich and unique. Whether we are aware of it or not, Stevens is saying, we are always “leaping and hopping on a Moonshadow” every second of our existence. He cautions against being too wrapped up in our worries and concerns about what could be or what has been, and consequently missing the richness of life as it is. Here’s my cover played in the artist’s style.

On a musical tour of the Western United States, Gordon Lightfoot discovered a highway sign that read, "Carefree Highway." The words on the sign led Gordon to write a song about a carefree lifestyle and a lost love. Ligtfoot put the lyrics away in the glove compartment of his car. Eight months later, Gordon wrote the music for "Carefree Highway" after almost forgetting about the song. Wouldn't you know that the song became one of Lightfoot's biggest hits? Here's my cover.

Tom Paxton released "The Last Thing On My Mind" in 1964 on his album, Ramblin' Boy." The inspiration for the song came from Dave Van Ronk and Bob Dylan's versions of "He Was A Friend of Mine." This lost love ballad became one of Paxton's biggest hits. He is also known for his protest songs against the Vietnam War and other social injustices. (What Did You Learn In School Today?) "The Last Thing On My Mind" was one of the first songs I learned some forty years ago when I started playing the guitar. This is the first time I've released my cover publicly. The themes of the song include friendship, loss, and the passage of time. Here's my cover.

John Fogerty wrote "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" about his brother, Tom Fogerty, who left Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1971 at the apex of the band's popularity. The departure of his brother was a sad time for John Fogerty. Eventually, the hurt healed, and the meaning of the song changed for John. In his own words, "This song was originally written about a very sad thing that was going on in my life. But I refuse to be sad now. These days, this song reminds me of my little girl, Kelsy, and every time I sing it, I think about Kelsy and rainbows. "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" is another song that emerged unexpectedly from my subconscious. The song bounced around in my head until I played it. Here's my cover.   

The voice I'm referring to belongs to Kate Wolf. She wrote and performed (mostly in her native California) over 200 songs. Her music comes directly from the heart and tends to be bittersweet. A recording of Kate playing a song by Tom Paxon called “Hold On to Me Babe” drew me to Wolf’s music again. Her voice is transcendent, as it is in most of her recordings. I haven’t been listening to Kate’s music lately, and her version of Paxon’s song reminded me of the beautiful realms she takes me to. Here's my cover of one of Kate's early works titled "Looking Back At You."

I’ve always wanted to learn Kate Wolf’s guitar-picking style. Granted, she plays every song she’s written differently, but I just wanted a glimpse. Since Kate has mostly been an under-the-radar, brilliant singer/songwriter, no one has taken the time to create an accurate tutorial of her guitar method. That is until now. My go-to-teacher, Jerry Lamberth, best known for his unequaled guitar tutorial site (Jerry’s Guitar Bar,) has finally posted the first of what I hope will be many lessons of Kate Wolf’s songs. I’ve recorded Kate Wolf’s remarkable story and several of her songs on previous blogs. To learn more about this courageous and uniquely talented person, go to: “An Unfinished Life” “Gentle Love” “Feeling the Heart” and “Through Her Music”. Not surprisingly, “Across the Great Divide” is one of Wolf’s most popular songs. Without Jerry’s help, I would never have figured out how to play the song Kate’s way. She uses a simple and, at the same time, complex alternating base method the likes of which I’ve never seen.

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.

Is Marc Cohn a one-hit wonder? The answer, in a word, is “yes.” That being said, Walking in Memphis is a noteworthy accomplishment for a man who has spent most of his career steadfastly under the radar. To his credit, Marc won a Golden Globe Award in 1991 for Best New Artist. Now, well into his fifties, Cohn is still touring with an ambitious schedule ahead in 2023. Working on this song made me wonder: What made Elvis Presley so popular? In case you may be wondering too, here's an article that helps to explain it. Here’s my cover of "Walking in Memphis."