There’s no Friday Song today – it will be back next week – but several people have asked me about songs I’ve written about in the past.
Since I haven’t yet assembled them all in one place on the website. I thought I’d list the songs I’ve written about so far, the often rather strange story of how they were written and how they’ve changed down the years, and why they’ve been important to me at different parts of my life
Unless otherwise stated, the song is written by the singer.
Chaim Tannenbaum, LONDON, LONGING FOR HOME (2017)
Randy Newman, I MISS YOU (1999)
Davy Graham, THE BALLAD OF THE SAD YOUNG MEN (Tommy Wolf and Fran Landesman, 1959)
CW Stoneking, JUNGLE LULLABY (2008)
Gillian Welch, DARK TURN OF MIND (Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, 2009)
Ry Cooder, SHINE (Ford Dabney and Cecil Mack, 1910)
Paolo Conte, VIA CON ME (1981)
Teddy Thompson, BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE A DIME? (Jay Gorney and EY Harburg), 1930)
Mary Gauthier, I DRINK (Mary Gauthier and Crit Harmon, 1999)
Oliver Mtukudzi, HEAR ME, LORD (1995)
Jesse Winchester, SHAM-A-LING-DONG-DING (2009)
Dr John, YOUR AVERAGE KIND OF GUY (Mac Rebennack and Doc Pomus, 2006)
Nick Lucas, I’M LOOKING OVER A FOUR-LEAFED CLOVER ( Dixon and Woods, 1927)
Carsie Blanton, BABY CAN DANCE (2009)
Hoagy Carmichael, HOGN KONG BLUES (1939)
Georges Brassens, FERNANDE (1972)
Gene Austin, I’VE GOT A FEELING I’M FALLING (Fats Waller, Harry Link and Billy Rose, 1929)
Paul Simon, STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS (1975)
Clara Sanabras, THE DANCE OF SOLITUDE (Paulinho da Viola, 1972)
Eddie Cantor, HUNGRY WOMEN (Jack Yellen and Milton Ager, 1928)
Andrew Bird, HOW YOU GONNA KEEP THEM DOWN ON THE FARM? (Young, Lewis and Donaldson, 1918)
Harry Nilsson , WITHOUT HER (1967)
Rudy Vallee, LIFE IS JUST A BOWL OF CHERRIES (Ray Henderson and Lew Brown, 1931)
Daorí Farrell, A PINT OF PALIN (Pat Goode and Flann O’Brien, 2014)
Derek Hewitson, MY MEATLESS DAY (RP Weston and Bert Lee, 1917)
Yves Montand, LES FEUILLES MORTES (Joseph Kosma and Jacques Prévert, 1946)
Chas and Dave, AIN’T NO PLEASING YOU (Chas Hodges, 1982)
Fred Astaire, LET’S FACE THE MUSIC AND DANCE (Irving Berlin, 1936)
Chuck Berry, YOU NEVER CAN TELL (1964)
Willie Nelson, RED HEADED STRANGER (Carl Stutz and Edith Calisch, 1954)
George Harrison, BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA (Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler, 1931)
Jim Kweskin, BLUES MY NAUGHTY SEETIE GIVES TO ME (Swanstrom, McCarron and Morgan, 1919)
