Today, Glen Campbell’s representative announced that the singer has Alzheimer’s disease and will be making his final tour later this year. Campbell’s wife Kim explained that they wanted fans to know about the illness in case it affected his performances on stage.
On August 30, Campbell is releasing a new album, Ghost On The Canvas, featuring Jakob Dylan, Paul Westerberg, Chris Isaak, and Billy Corgan. While it has been a long time since I listened to new music by him, I am still fond of several of his classic songs from earlier in his career. I remember watching his television show, and of course, he was in the original True Grit. So, our wishes and prayers go out to him and his family through this time in his life.
My favorite Glen Campbell song used to be “Rhinestone Cowboy,” but as I have aged, I have grown more fond of “Gentle on My Mind.” Maybe you prefer “Wichita Lineman” or “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” or another song. But in later years as I have listened more closely to the lyrics of “Gentle on My Mind,” I have discovered an unusual poetry in their words (“I dip my cup of soup back from a gurglin’ cracklin’ cauldron”). Although the song was written by John Hartford (who was inspired by the film Doctor Zhivago), Campbell’s delivery of the song about a wandering man’s memories of a lost or abandoned love reveals a true talent conveying complex emotions in a pop song.
Though the wheat fields and the clothes lines, And the junkyards and the highways come between us; And some other woman’s cryin’ to her mother ’cause she turned and I was gone; I still might run in silence, Tears of joy might stain my face, And the summer sun might burn me till I’m blind; But not to where I cannot see You walkin’ on the back roads By the rivers flowin’ gentle on my mind.
“Gentle on My Mind” was the title song off Campbell’s sixth album, which was also his first hit album. The single, though, was not a hit at the time, but it has earned a classic status over the years. The song has been recorded by greats like Elvis Presley, Lucinda Williams, and Dean Martin. But Campbell’s recording will always be what we associate with the song. His version keeps me ever smiling and remains gentle on my mind.
What is your favorite Glen Campbell song? Leave a comment.
While recently talking to my mom on the phone, she blurted out, “I really like that Lady Gaga.” After recovering from the surprise that my mom even had heard of Lady Gaga, I listened to my mom’s explanation. My mom had seen Lady Gaga on several talk shows and was impressed with her as a person and her devotion to her fans, i.e., Little Monsters.
Regular readers of Chimesfreedom have probably already figured out that we are fans of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Considering some of the music featured in this blog so far, one might think we turn up our nose at current popular music. But while E Street Band member Clarence Clemons has been in the news, we also have been listening to some of Clemons’s recent work on Lady Gaga’s new album, Born This Way.
Last week, Lady Gaga released a new video for “Edge of Glory,” and it is great to see Clemons playing in the video. We are excited that Lady Gaga gave Clemons a new fan base, and we are touched that Lady Gaga and her Little Monsters made a sincere video for the ailing Big Man before he passed away.
I recently suggested “Edge of Glory” to a musician friend who is a Springsteen fan, but he immediately rejected the song without listening to it because it was by Lady Gaga. A number of people have written nasty comments under the video on YouTube too. But sometimes popular music is popular for a reason. Ever since I first heard Lady Gaga and Clarence Clemons perform “Edge of Glory” on American Idol, I have had the song on repeat play on my iPod. It is an excellent song, reminding us how much we will miss Clemons. While I have enjoyed Lady Gaga’s music in the past, her work with Clarence Clemons and the thoughtfulness of the get-well video increased my respect for her. I guess sometimes one’s 70+ year-old mom knows more than one’s hip young friends.
Last night, I was working late when the news broke about Clarence Clemons passing away. I already had a Clemons-related post about his most recent work ready to run but instead pushed that post back to pay tribute to the Big Man with the video of “Paradise by the C,” one of the rare instrumental songs in the Springsteen canon. I was going to leave it at that, as there are several excellent articles out there about Clemons, but I will share one memory. (The other Clemons-related post will run in a few days).
After I left work last night, I flipped around the New York radio stations to hear some songs by the E Street Band, finally hitting on one playing a block of songs that featured Clemons. When I got home and parked my car, I sat in the car with the engine off, listening to the radio play “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” and “Backstreets.” But when the radio station began playing “Jungleland,” I had to turn it off because I could not hear that song so close to the news of the Big Man’s passing.
Like many people, “Jungleland” is one of the first things I think of when I think of Clemons. It is off Born to Run, my favorite album. The Born to Run LP is one of the few physical albums from my youth that I still own due to space limitations as I converted to CDs and then MP3s. Hopefully, my sister is not reading this post, as I obtained the album pictured at the top when I borrowed it from her more than three decades ago. The album has great music and that iconic cover of Bruce and Clarence that is a photo of human connection. As Springsteen once noted, “When you open [the album cover] up and see Clarence and me together, the album begins to work its magic.”
Parody is flattery.
The album has been there for me through many periods of my life. While I was in school, I listened to “Born to Run” right before every exam to psych myself up. There were times when I was angry and played “Thunder Road” just to sing along to the line, “it’s a town full of losers, I’m pulling out of here to win.” If you cut me open and look at my soul, you will see every song from Born to Run embedded in there somewhere.
But the reason “Jungleland” stands out for me is because of a concert at Richfield Coliseum outside Cleveland in the early 1980s. It was the first large concert I ever attended, and it would ruin all future non-Springsteen concerts because nothing would ever come close. That night, I was in a transition period of my life from school to a new job, and I was unsure what lay ahead for me. Inside the coliseum, though, I was blown away by the E Street Band, and the moment that capped it all was the sax solo during “Jungleland.” As Clemons blew his horn, the lights hit the crowd and thousands of people stood in unison pumping their fists in time with the music. I know it is cliche and corny, but that one moment signifies the power of rock and roll to me, with a community of people bonding at once, feeling hope, resignation, fear, and defiance all together in our lives. My words cannot capture what I felt then or what I still feel thinking about those minutes. But that is the reason we need music — to capture those feelings we cannot describe in words.
And so, last night, I could not listen to “Jungleland,” knowing that the man who played the saxophone that night was now dead. Unfortunately, I have lost track of the close friends who were with me at the concert that night. Yet, Clemons and the band have stayed with me through the years. I had never met Clemons and did not know him personally, so it may be foolish to mourn someone others would label “a stranger” when there are so many good people who die every day. But my connection to Clemons is a bond with the human community where even in our differences, we remain connected. At least it was for that July night in Ohio, many years ago. And I still felt that connection with the man who died last night. Thank you Clarence.
Rest in peace, Clarence Clemons, and thanks for being a part of many of the best music experiences of my life. Somewhere, the Big Man and Danny Federici are playing together again, perhaps working on their joyous solos for “Paradise by the C.”
Music lovers know it can be difficult to explain the role that music (or other arts) can play in our lives. Music can uplift, and it can help one through pain, loss, and heartache. For example, in “Drift Away,” singer Dobie Gray described how when one feels blue, the rock and roll guitar may come through to soothe you.
In the video below, Melissa Etheridge gives one of the best explanations about the value of music as she briefly talks about her battle with cancer. Melissa Etheridge explains music better in this short introduction to Patty Griffin and her excellent song “When It Don’t Come Easy” from Impossible Dream (2004) than you will find in most books on music.
Etheridge reminds us how music can fill one and take one through a tough time in life. And then we get the outstanding Patty Griffin song, with lyrics that could describe the comfort one may find in music.
Everywhere the waters getting rough, Your best intentions may not be enough; I wonder if we’re gonna ever get home tonight;
But if you break down, I’ll drive out and find you; If you forget my love, I’ll try to remind you, And stay by you when it don’t come easy.
If music has ever uplifted or comforted you, then this 2005 performance from Lifetime’s “Women Rock” Breast Cancer Awareness Concert will touch you.
Bonus Cover Version: Here is a link to a cover of Griffin’s “It Don’t Come Easy” by Jessica Rae, who does a nice job with the song, making it quieter and more personal with just her playing her guitar. The Chicago native was selected as a “Rising Star” for the PBS show Legends & Lyrics. In addition to being very talented, she also works on behalf of several good causes. Check out Rae’s website too.
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(2004) than you will find in most books on music. 