This Is This

How long have I been doing the Weekend Song thing now - eleven, twelve weeks?

And I’ve never mentioned James Taylor?

Pssht, now.

Really?

(noise of clicking and ruffling of web pages)

Yeah, no, you’re right.

It was too hard to choose one song from a forty year career, so I went for two.

Traveling Star
I had to pick this for the bittersweet feel and for everyone with the road in their soul but the heavy highway shoes that go with the suit you wear for the living you do.

James Taylor’s daughter Sally sings on this - sister of Ben (who did Think A Man Would Know a couple of weekends back) and daughter of Carly Simon.

Their voices go really well together and you can enjoy singing the different parts when you play it over. Or why not become America’s greatest singer songwriter yourself and start your own musical family with whom to record your own version?

Oh that’s right - because you’re not James Taylor.

Watch my back and light my way.
Watch over all of those born St. Christopher’s Day.
They hunger for home but they can not stay.
They wait by the door.
They stand and they stare.
They’re already out of there.

Listen: James Taylor - Traveling Star

Baby Buffalo
You know, at the start of every Weekend Song entry, when I sit down to write these descriptions, I usually start with “I love this song.”

Then I cross that part out, and I get on with the business of writing, because if I didn’t love the song it wouldn’t be on here. Why would I bother giving you a song if I felt any other way?

But, you know, just this time - I LOVE THIS SONG.

If this blog could be one song, I’d probably pick this one.

The animal breathing at the beginning, barely audible, the imperceptible trill of a chord at the start, the opening guitar riff, the shuffle of the brushes and the kick drum like waves against the hull of your tethered spirit that you will, one day, one day soon, set free. And the first dissonant harmony at “time on a river”. Play that back - just that one part from the first verse - “time on a river”. God.

The whole thing’s just ridiculous.

Hold on to now ’til you have to let go.
Easy through your fingers; everso.
I’m just guessing ’cause I don’t know.
Maybe it’s a blessing. Well I sure hope so.

Listen: James Taylor - Baby Buffalo

Also on This Is This
There actually was a St. Elmo. He was the patron saint of the letters P, M and of the number 5.
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This entry was posted on Saturday, July 28th, 2007 at 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed, or you can skip to the end and leave a comment yourself.