Dobie Gray, the singer of “Drift Away,” passed away at the age of 70 on December 6, 2011. Gray had been born into a family of Texas sharecroppers in 1940 with the name Leonard Victor Ainsworth or Laurence Darrow Brown at birth.
Name and Early Career
Gray garnered the name he would make famous because of a television show character. Sonny Bono suggested to him that he change his stage name to Dobie because of the popularity of the TV show The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.
Gray had a long recording and performing career and had a 1965 hit with “The In Crowd.” In the video below, he performs the song on the ABC TV show Shindig!
The song was originally recorded by John Henry Kurtz and numerous artists have covered it through the years. Still, for me, Gray’s version of “Drift Away” is one of the greatest songs of all time.
Songwriter Mentor Williams wrote “Drift Away” in the early 1970s when rock and roll was at less than its peak. Many saw the song as a reminder about why rock music should continue.
In The Heart of Rock & Soul, music critic Dave Marsh noted that “Williams’ best move was finding the right vehicle for his song,” noting that Gray’s voice was perfect for the song’s “complex message in which the desire to rock out is presented as the desire to dream, the longing to bop is equated with the longing to be soothed.”
Below Gray performs “Drift Away” live.
“Drift Away” is one of those rare songs that makes you happy whenever or wherever you hear it, and it would not be the same without Gray’s voice. Unlike Kurtz’s earlier version that sang about “the” rock and roll, Gray sings about wanting to get lost in “your” rock and roll. And you believe him, and you believe it is “your” music too.
When Gray calls for the beat, it frees your soul. So even on a sad day, Gray’s voice reminds me of why I love music so much.
Thanks for the joy you’ve given me; I want you to know that I believe in your song; And rhythm, and rhyme, and harmony; You helped me along . . .
What do you think of “Drift Away”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
On today’s date of December 6 in 1865, Georgia voted for the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The vote provided sufficient state support to officially ratify the amendment ending slavery in the United States.
Earlier, after the U.S. Senate had passed the amendment in April 1864, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the measure in January of 1865. The vote sent the amendment to the states for ratification, with that process ending on today’s date.
The Thirteenth Amendment
Thus, on today’s date, after more than a century of bloodshed by the lash followed by several years of bloodshed on the battlefield, these words were finally placed in the U.S. Constitution: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
A Song of Freedom: Redemption Song
They are beautiful words, long overdue, of course. The words of freedom remind me of some other beautiful words that begin, “Old pirates, yes, they rob I;/ Sold I to the merchant ships.” In honor of the anniversary of the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, it seems an appropriate time to join in to sing a song of freedom. The song, of course, is “Redemption Song” written by the great Bob Marley, who sings it live in the following video.
Marley’s song, though, speaks in a broader context. He starts off singing about slave ships and ends with a plea for us to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery.
The powerful song is not locked in time or place, but it now belongs to the world. Earlier this year, Playing for Change created a cool video of performers from around the world — including Stephen Marley — joining in to create a beautiful cover of the song.
I suppose more Americans know the words to “Redemption Song” than to the Thirteenth Amendment. Yet, both continue to resonate around the world. Won’t you help to sing these songs of freedom?
Who knew that a line in Elton John’s song “Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long Long Time)” was “burning out his fuse up here alone?” Volkswagen has some fun in this 2012 Passat commercial below by using the mysterious and somewhat awkward lyric written by Bernie Taupin:
“Seasons in the Sun” became a hit in 1974 for Terry Jacks. The song, however, originated as a French song and it later was covered by Nirvana.
Regular readers of Chimesfreedom might be surprised to learn that I did not grow up listening only to the hippest rock music on the planet. As a kid in the 1970s, I listened to a lot of AM radio, which gave me a steady diet of pop songs. For example, in 1974, Bob Dylan went on the road for the first time since 1966 and the Ramones were forming. And, one of the biggest hits of the year was “Seasons in the Sun” by Terry Jacks.
Then again, that year also featured endless radio plays of “Kung Fu Fighting,” “Smokin’ in the Boys Room,” and Olivia Newton-John’s “I Honestly Love You.” Whether I like it or not, these songs and other similar songs from 1974 are all etched in my brain.
“Seasons in the Sun”
In the morbid song “Seasons in the Sun,” the singer is dying for an unknown reason. He addresses his father, his friend, and Michelle, who is either his lover, his daughter, or younger sister. He expresses his happiness that they had “seasons in the sun.” But he also laments that “the wine and the song like the seasons have all gone.”
Why was the song such a big hit? As I have written elsewhere, songs about dying may subconsciously make us happy in that they remind us to enjoy life. Or, as James Sullivan wrote in an excellent article about the song on Slate, “During those mid-Watergate weeks and months, the whole country seemed eager to wallow in tuneful misery.” Or maybe it was the catchy opening riff.
Origins of “Seasons in the Sun” From “Le Moribond”
“Seasons in the Sun” was a reworking of a French song, “Le Moribond” (“The Dying Man”) by Jacques Brel. In Brel’s version, the singer addresses his wife in the final verse.
Check out Brel’s version and see how the original style of the song is much different than the poppy march-like American version.
Rod McKeuen, the pop poet of the time, wrote the English translation for “Seasons in the Sun.” And Terry Jacks — who was born on March 29, 1944 in Winnipeg, Manitoba — made some modifications.
Jacks then brought the song to The Beach Boys when he was producing one of their sessions. But the band decided not to release their happy-sounding version. Perhaps they had agreed to record the song based on the fact the title “Seasons in the Sun” sounds so much like a Beach Boys title. Their decision not to release the song, though ended up being good for Jack. he then recorded his version, which became a big hit.
Legacy of “Seasons in the Sun”
Here is the point in the article where I admit that I owned the 45 record of “Seasons in the Sun.” But I do not think it ruined my taste in music.
Better men have survived an embrace of the charms of the song. Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain loved the song, and it was the first 45 record he ever bought. It did not seem to hurt his taste in music.
As for Terry Jacks, he never had another big hit like “Seasons in the Sun.” He recorded a few songs that had some success in Canada, the U.K., and the U.S. He went on to be a record producer and work as an environmentalist, and he is still alive. [2023 UPDATE: In 2016, Jacks suffered through two strokes but survived.]
But apparently it has been a long time since Jacks recorded new music. So “Seasons in the Sun” was largely his season in the sun as far as music success goes. But at least he had one big season.
So as we enter December and will soon welcome a new season later this month, we wish you a good winter. (Speaking of seasons, if you are seeking more depressing songs like “Seasons in the Sun,” check out this post on depressing holiday season songs. And remember, if you are not a fan of the upcoming season, one season always goes into another. And the holiday season is over in less than a month.)
What do you think of “Seasons in the Sun”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Last week, Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber granted a reprieve to a condemned man and announced that he would do the same for any scheduled execution during the remainder of his term in office. Gov. Kitzhaber asked state officials to consider other options besides the death penalty and explained, “I simply cannot participate once again in something that I believe to be morally wrong,” Gov. Kitzhaber further explained that as a licensed physician he had taken an oath to “do no harm.” In making his emotional announcement, Gov. Kitzhaber told how he was haunted by the fact he had allowed Oregon’s only two modern executions.
Whether one agrees with Gov. Kitzhaber or not, one must respect someone who is willing to admit he erred in the past and who takes a moral stand. Gov. Kitzhaber recognized that the trend around the world in recent years has been toward taking a moral stand against state killings when other options, like life in prison, exist. Recognizing there are a number of problems with the American death penalty, Gov. Kitzhaber is putting a moratorium on Oregon executions to allow the state to reconsider whether or not it wishes to continue executing people.
The immediate reprieve stopped the execution of 49-year-old Gary Haugen, who had waived his appeals and wished to be executed. Haugen’s attorney noted that the condemned man, desiring his own execution, would not be happy with the reprieve.
Haugen was within two weeks of his scheduled execution, but Johnny Cash performed a song going further in imagining a condemned man counting down the final 25 minutes before his execution. The song, “25 Minutes to Go,” was written by Shel Silverstein, who also wrote Cash’s hit song, “A Boy Named Sue.” One may hear Silverstein’s sense of humor even in a song like “25 Minutes to Go.” The song’s author may be best known for his children’s books, including The Giving Tree.
In the following video, someone has put together some cool illustrations to go with Johnny Cash’s performance of “25 Minutes to Go” from his famous performance at Folsom Prison on Jan. 13, 1968. (Do you know who did the animation?) Check it out.
You also may watch Cash in another live performance in a video on YouTube. Johnny Cash was another gutsy man like Gov. John Kitzhaber. I miss him.
Dobie Gray, the singer of “Drift Away,” passed away at the age of 70 on December 6, 2011. Gray had been born into a family of Texas sharecroppers in 1940 with the name Leonard Victor Ainsworth or Laurence Darrow Brown at birth.
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