The most adorable voice I’ve heard in country music is back once again with a beautiful ballad called Dimming of the Day. The song was written by the English singer-songwriter Richard Thompson and first recorded with his then-wife Linda Thompson on their 1975 album Pour Down Like Silver.
Alison Krauss & Union Station released their version of Dimming of the Day on their 2011 album Paper Airplane. The English folk and Celtic vibes are strong here, not only in the lyrics – where love and nature are closely tied – but also in the melody. It’s a song about love, longing, and quiet dependence, with a narrator who feels fragile and worn down (“This old house is falling down around my ears”) and who needs their lover close as the day fades into night.
I’ve never heard the slide guitar sound so perfectly matched to someone’s voice as I have with Alison’s music – and once again on Dimming of the Day. That combination evokes such ache and tenderness – it’s so deeply affecting. I’m a latecomer to Alison Krauss, but when I first heard her sing, it was love at first listen – just so pure and authentic. Just about everything I’ve heard from her has gone straight into my music library project, so I’ve had some catching up to do.
The song has been covered by more artists than you can poke a stick at. So many, in fact, that a large portion of the Wikipedia page is devoted to listing versions – including those by Mary Black, Emmylou Harris, and David Gilmour, to name just a few. Richard and Linda don’t exactly get their just due there.
[Verse 1] This old house is falling down around my ears I’m drowning in the fountain of my tears When all my will is gone you hold me sway I need you at the dimming of the day
[Bridge] You pull me like the moon pulls on the tide You know just where I keep my better side
[Verse 2] Now days have come to keep us far apart A broken promise or a broken heart Now all the bonny birds have wheeled away I need you at the dimming of the day
[Bridge] Come the night, you’re only what I want Come the night, you could be my confidant
[Verse 3] Now I see you on the street in company Why don’t you come and ease your mind with me? I’m living for the night that we steal away Oh I need you at the dimming of the day I need you at the dimming of the day
I Don’t Wanna Go On With You Like That is a lively dance-rock number from that “Reg” guy, who features quite prominently here. What I like most about the song is the bouncy and audacious piano playing, and that’s probably what tipped it over the line for me to include it in the music project. There are some great bursts of piano throughout, which I still enjoy, even if the overall sound is a bit tinny and carries that very 1980s synthetic quality.
Around this time, post Too Low for Zero, listeners were starting to grow a bit lukewarm toward Elton’s output. In terms of quality, it was a noticeable dip from his magnificent early ’70s run. This song may well have been seen as modest in comparison to his earlier classics, and that’s probably fair. Also, that glossy 80s synth production – complete with its familiar popping textures – was never going to age as gracefully as his earlier work.
It might come as a surprise, then, that I Don’t Wanna Go On With You Like That became Elton John’s highest-charting US hit of the 1980s, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard. The song and Sacrifice, which came a year later, marked a little late-80s resurgence for him.
Released on the 1988 album Reg Strikes Back, the song deals with the singer’s frustration on realising his partner doesn’t want a committed, monogamous relationship:
And I don’t wanna go on with you like that Don’t wanna be a feather in your cap
It’s a statement of self-respect – refusing to settle for being just another option. There’s something bold and defiant in that stance. Even in the music video, with Elton strutting around with a kind of upright confidence, you get the sense of someone drawing a line. In that sense, it really does feel like “Reg striking back.”
Wikipedia: Elton played it in his tours during the album tour, Sleeping with the Past Tour and the rest of 1990s before he retired it in 2000 as the One Night Only concert in Madison Square Garden remains the most recent performance of it.
[Verse 1] I’ve always said that one’s enough to love Now I hear you’re braggin’ one is not enough Well, somethin’ tells me you’re not satisfied You got plans to make me one of four or five
[Verse 2] I guess this kind of thing’s just in your blood But you won’t catch me carvin’ up my love I ain’t no puzzle piece that needs to fit If it takes more than me, let’s a-call it quits
[Chorus] ‘Cause I don’t wanna go on with you like that Don’t wanna be a feather in your cap I just wanna tell you, honey, I ain’t mad But I don’t wanna go on with you like that
[Post-Chorus] Oh-oh-oh Whoa-oh Whoa-oh Oh yeah
[Verse 3] It gets so hard sometimes to understand This vicious circle’s gettin’ outta hand Don’t need an extra eye to see That the fire spreads a-faster in a breeze
[Chorus] And I don’t wanna go on with you like that Don’t wanna be a feather in your cap I just wanna tell you, honey, I ain’t mad But I don’t wanna go on with you like that No, I don’t wanna go on with you like that One more set of boots on your welcome mat You’ll just a-have to quit ’em if you want me back ‘Cause I don’t wanna go on with you like that
[Post-Chorus] Oh-oh-oh Whoa-oh Whoa-oh Oh yeah
[Bridge] Oh, if you wanna spread it around, sister, that’s just fine But I don’t want no second hand a-feedin’ me lines If you wanna hold someone in the middle of the night Call out the guards, turn out the light
Being a Curb and Seinfeld fan – as most of you will know – I occasionally slip scenes from these shows into my music posts whenever there’s even the slightest connection to the subject matter. It’s my thing. Anyhow, this scene from Curb popped up in my feed last week, and it made me chuckle and reminisce about the show – which, by the way, I haven’t watched in quite a while.
In this particular episode (Season 5, Episode 10, “The End”), Larry David – who is Jewish – mistakenly learns that he is actually a gentile. What follows is a series of scenes in which he takes on stereotypical Anglo-Protestant activities – things anyone familiar with Larry up to this point would never imagine him partaking in, even in his wildest dreams. Take, for example, a grease-covered Larry repairing a vehicle: no complaints, no snide small talk – just quietly and skillfully doing the job with a kind of understated Anglo-Protestant dignity.
There is another very funny scene here, comparable to the one above, in which Larry and his wife Cheryl pretend to be card-carrying Republicans in order to gain admittance to an exclusive country club. Larry’s savvy, nuanced comedic acting chops are on full display here.
Sometimes when I wake up – as I did last night at around 3 a.m. – and can’t fall back to sleep, I’ll put on an ad-free documentary to ease myself into a gentle slumber. It usually works, but not with this week’s featured documentary. No matter – I’d gone to bed early anyway.
As someone aptly remarked, the documentary was simply too good to fall asleep to. I’d read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884) as a youngster, and watched TV adaptations of them, but I was largely ignorant of the man behind the pages. Well, blow me down – like the great American author Ernest Hemingway, I found Mark Twain’s life just as captivating as his most celebrated work.
Video description:
‘Discover the complete life of Mark Twain with other name Samuel Langhorne Clemens, the iconic American author and humorist known for classic works like “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”. We explore Twain’s early years, literary career, personal struggles, and lasting impact on American literature and culture. Dive into the fascinating story of Samuel Clemens, his wit, social commentary, and influence on 19th-century writing and humor. Learn about Twain’s legacy as a master storyteller, satirist, and one of the greatest voices in literary history‘.
Well, we are well into the 2026 Major League Baseball season, and I’m quite the happy camper – especially since they’ve introduced the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System, something I argued for strongly in one of the first articles I wrote on my blog back in 2014, Baseball Romanticism and Perfecting the Strike Zone.
The ABS Challenge System allows players to challenge ball and strike calls made by home plate umpires using Hawk-Eye tracking technology. Each team starts with two challenges per game and retains a challenge if the call is overturned, but loses the ability to challenge after two unsuccessful attempts.
To say it has been a success would be an understatement. It has not only removed a great deal of human error from umpiring, but it has also added a whole new layer of entertainment and intrigue to the game. Spectators now cheer just as loudly for the result of a challenge as they might for a home run.
I don’t know what’s worse to look at – Roger McGuinn’s glasses or The Byrds’ haircuts. Put both on the same album cover and you’ve got yourself a real treat. Arghhh. Don’t mind me – I’m just in a silly mood on this frigid, overcast morning in Bogotá.
I first heard this on the US coming-of-age show The Wonder Years, where it featured in three episodes. While the song became closely associated with the show, it wasn’t the main theme – that went to Joe Cocker’s cover of With a Little Help from My Friends. I’ve mentioned this series often because it left such an impression on me, and a lot of its soundtrack has made its way in here.
Now, back to today’s featured track – the sermon-like, old lefty peace song, Turn! Turn! Turn! Pete Seeger adapted the first eight verses of Chapter 3 of the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes into the song. Apart from the repeated title and the final two lines, the lyrics come directly from that passage.
Seeger recorded his own version, but it was The Byrds who turned it into a hit – something they had a knack for, especially with Bob Dylan songs. Their version reached No. 1 on the US Billboard and No. 26 on the UK Singles Chart.
From Wikipedia: The Biblical text posits there being a time and place for all things: birth and death, killing and healing, sorrow and laughter, war and peace, and so on. The lines are open to myriad interpretations, but Seeger’s song presents them as a plea for world peace with the closing line: “a time for peace, I swear it’s not too late. This line and the title phrase “Turn! Turn! Turn!” are the only parts of the lyric written by Seeger himself”
Pete Seeger gave 45% of the royalties from Turn! Turn! Turn! to the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, a group critical of Israeli state policy. Seeger also had long ties to socialist and communist circles, which is reflected in the fact that his handwritten lyrics were later donated to New York University through the Communist Party USA in 2007.
To everything (Turn, turn, turn) There is a season (Turn, turn, turn) And a time to every purpose under heaven
[Verse 1] A time to be born, a time to die A time to plant, a time to reap A time to kill, a time to heal A time to laugh, a time to weep
[Chorus]
[Verse 2] A time to build up, a time to break down A time to dance, a time to mourn A time to cast away stones A time to gather stones together
[Chorus]
[Verse 3] A time of love, a time of hate A time of war, a time of peace A time you may embrace A time to refrain from embracing
[Chorus]
[Verse 4] A time to gain, a time to lose A time to rend, a time to sew A time for love, a time for hate A time for peace, I swear it’s not too late
‘Anybody who has really lived, must have regrets. I owe a thousand apologies to a thousand people‘ – Billy Joel on the Howard Stern show
Turn the Lights Back On is a recent release by the Piano Man, Billy Joel. It’s a bit of a shout out to the world – ‘Hey I’m Still Around‘. Talk about a long hiatus too – it was his first entry on the charts since his 1997 cover of Hey Girl and is his first new single since Christmas in Fallujah in 2007. So, he decides to give it another crack as 74 year-old. Good on him.
It’s an emotive outpouring on redemption and forgiveness, where he goes back to the fundamentals as an ageing star – delivering a lovely, melodic piano ballad and letting his heart do the talking in an attempt to save a relationship. He also performed it at the 2024 Grammys, so it’s nice to see older artists still getting exposure among younger audiences.
It doesn’t quite reach the dizzy heights of some of his top-tier and more original work, but I don’t think that matters. He’s not trying to be flashy or reinvent the wheel. It’s more of a direct and honest statement – owning past mistakes and recognising he may have fallen short. There’s a sense of quiet pleading running through it, especially in lines like:
You’ve had enough, but I won’t give up On you
Joel explained in a Howard Stern interview that the song is partly about a relationship (he wouldn’t reveal who) and partly about his life as a music artist:
‘I’m putting out a new record..wait a minute do I get a second chance’?
The music video is heavily AI-rendered and shows Joel singing the song at different stages of his career. Some might see it as a nice sentiment, but personally I’d prefer to see him as he is now. That said, the final third does show Billy the 74 year-old and shifts to more personal footage, including moments with his children, which I found quite touching.
Recently, Billy Joel has been recovering from normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a condition where fluid builds up in the brain and creates pressure. He must be doing well since he has returned to touring, with upcoming shows in Las Vegas.
[Verse 1] Please open the door Nothing is different, we’ve been here before Pacing these halls, trying to talk Over the silence And pride sticks out its tongue Laughs at the portrait that we’ve become Stuck in a frame, unable to change I was wrong
[Chorus] I’m late, but I’m here right now Though I used to be romantic I forgot somehow Time can make you blind But I see you now As we’re layin’ in the darkness Did I wait too long To turn the lights back on?
[Verse 2] Herе, stuck on a hill Outsiders inside the homе that we built The cold settles in It’s been a long winter of indifference And maybe you love me, maybe you don’t Maybe you’ll learn to and maybe you won’t You’ve had enough, but I won’t give up On you
[Chorus] I’m late, but I’m here right now And I’m tryin’ to find the magic That we lost somehow Maybe I was blind But I see you now As we’re layin’ in the darkness Did I wait too long To turn the lights back on?
[Chorus] I’m late, but I’m here right now Is there still time for forgiveness? Won’t you tell me how? I can’t read your mind But I see you now As we’re layin’ in the darkness Did I wait too long To turn the lights back on?
[Outro] I’m here right now Yes, I’m here right now Looking for forgiveness I can see as we’re layin’ in the darkness Yeah, as we’re layin’ in the darkness Did I wait too long To turn the lights back on?
This early Nick Cave song shows him deep in his gothic, post-punk phase. His music often leans into dark and sinister themes, and that’s very clear here in this gloomily pulsating and penetrating track. It’s one of the first songs I heard by him, and it has stayed a favourite from his early years. I’ve always found it creepy, but in a deeply mystical way.
When I listened to it on my headphones the other day, it felt like a whole new experience, almost like hearing it again for the first time. There is so much going on – the ominous, hypnotic instrumentation, that brutal bass loop, and the tribal drums all build a cinematic, apocalyptic mood. When the sound fills your ears, it really shudders through you. I must remember to put this song on the next time a storm hits.
I don’t think I’ve heard Cave’s vocals as chilling, heavy, and gospel-like as they are here. He sounds like a frantic preacher, piling one apocalyptic image on top of another, building toward a climax where the birth of Elvis Presley is framed as a messianic event in the middle of chaos. That’s right – the song tells of Elvis’s birth during a violent storm in Tupelo, Mississippi.
It mixes imagery from the night of Elvis’s birth – his twin brother, who was born just before him, was stillborn – with echoes of the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927.
And a child is born on his brother’s heels Sunday mornin’, the first-born dead
As it happens, Tupelo appears on the 1985 album The Firstborn Is Dead, recorded in Berlin, Germany.
Cave said about the recording experience in Berlin (Wikipedia):
“Berlin gave us the freedom and encouragement to do whatever we wanted. We’d lived in London for three years and it seemed that if you stuck your head out of the box, people were pretty quick to knock it back in. Particularly if you were Australian. When we came to Berlin it was the opposite. People saw us as some kind of force rather than a kind of whacky novelty act.”
Far Out ranked the song number six on their list of the 20 greatest Nick Cave songs, and in 2023, Mojo ranked the song number four on their list of the 30 greatest Nick Cave songs. It’s certainly in my top 10 by Cave as well.
[Verse 1] Lookie yonder Lookie yonder Lookie yonder A big black cloud come A big black cloud come Yeah, come to Tupelo, come to Tupelo Yonder on the horizon Yonder on the horizon Stopped at the mighty river Stopped at the mighty river And sucked the damn thing dry Sucked the damn thing dry (Tupelo) Oh, Tupelo In a valley hides a town called Tupelo
[Verse 2] Well, distant thunder rumble Distant thunder rumble Rumble hungry like the Beast The Beast, it cometh, cometh down The Beast, it cometh, cometh down The Beast, it cometh, cometh down Woah, woah, woah Tupelo bound (Tupelo) Yeah, oh, Tupelo The Beast it cometh, Tupelo bound Why the hen won’t lay no egg Can’t get that cock to crow The nag is spooked and crazy Oh, God help Tupelo Oh, God help Tupelo Oh, God help Tupelo Oh, God help Tupelo
[Verse 3] You can say these streets are rivers You can call these rivers streets You can tell yourself you’re dreaming, buddy But no sleep runs this deep No, no sleep runs this deep No, no sleep runs this deep, ah Women at their window Rain crashing on the pane Writing in the frost Tupelo’s shame, Tupelo’s shame Tupelo’s shame, Tupelo’s shame Oh, God help Tupelo Oh, God help Tupelo Oh, God help Tupelo Oh, God help Tupelo
[Verse 4] Oh, go to sleep, little children The Sandman’s on his way Oh, go to sleep, little children The Sandman’s on his way But the little children know But the little children know They listen to the beating of their blood Listen to the beating of their blood Listen to the beating of their blood Listen to the beating of their blood The sandman’s mud The sandman’s mud The sandman’s mud The sandman’s mud And the black rain come down The black rain come down The black rain come down Oh, water, water everywhere Water, water everywhere Where no bird can fly, no fish can swim No bird can fly, no fish can swim No fish can swim Until The King is born Until The King is born (Tupelo) In Tupelo Until the King is born in Tupelo
[Verse 5] In a clapboard shack with a roof of tin Where the rain crashed down and it leaked within A young mother frozen on a concrete floor In a bottle and a box and a cradle of straw (Tupelo) Oh, Tupelo In a bottle and a box and a cradle of straw Saturday gives what Sunday steals And a child is born on his brother’s heels Sunday mournin’ the first-born dead In a shoebox tied with a ribbon of red (Tupelo) Oh, Tupelo In a shoebox buried with a ribbon of red Oh, mama, rock your little one slow Mama, rock your baby Mama, rock your little one slow God help Tupelo God help Tupelo Mama, rock your little one slow Mama, rock your little one slow The little one will walk on Tupelo The little one will walk on Tupelo [?] down [?] down [?] The King will walk on Tupelo The King will walk on Tupelo And carry the burden of Tupelo (Tupelo) And carry the burden of Tupelo And carry the burden of Tupelo And carry the burden of Tupelo (Tupelo) Oh, Tupelo Yeah, the King will walk on Tupelo (Tupelo) Tupelo, Tupelo The King will walk on Tupelo (Tupelo) Oh, Tupelo, oh, Tupelo Yeah, the King will walk on Tupelo (Tupelo) Yeah, oh, Tupelo He carried the burden of Tupelo (Tupelo) Yeah, yeah, Tupelo He carried the burden of Tupelo (Tupelo) Hey, hey, hey, Tupelo He carried the burden of Tupelo (Tupelo) Yeah, yeah, yeah, Tupelo And you will reap just what you sow Oh, oh, yeah, oh, Tupelo
Not only is Tunnel of Love my desert island Dire Straits song, it’s my ultimate rock song. If I had to choose just one track to show an extraterrestrial species what humans have achieved in rock ’n’ roll, this would be it. What would be yours? The guitar solo would also be my No. 1 pick among all solos. And the finale – the finale of finales. Throw all of that into the capsule as well. As you can see, I’m completely in awe of this track, and that’s been the case since I was a kid.
It’s also smart as heck. Forget the formula of a catchy riff on repeat – “Tunnel of Love” goes deeper, blending narrative with ballad sensibilities. You could easily call it a rock ballad. There’s something new to find with every listen. It’s as much driven by piano and organ as it is by guitar, and the instrumental journey is wide and varied. All 8:11 of it is a sublime listen. I don’t know how Knopfler pulled it off.
Mark Knopfler speaking to the Times of London:
“It’s the moment when you know you’re really on to something…It happened to me when I was writing ‘Tunnel of Love.’ There’s a certain part of the song that I call the breakdown and when I got there I could feel the drums, the piano, all the things that I wanted all the instruments to do. When you get to that state, there’s a strange sense of one thing following another, of elements falling into place quite naturally.”
The song really does speak for itself. Trying to explain it feels a bit like describing a fairground ride – you can talk all you like, but at some point you just say, “Jump on and see for yourself.” That fairground feeling isn’t accidental either. Knopfler has said that hearing loud rock ’n’ roll at fairs when he was young left a big impression on him.
The song mentions the Spanish City, a dining and entertainment centre in Whitley Bay, England, which, at the time of the song’s release, housed fair rides and other amusements, referenced throughout the song. As a boy, Knopfler lived in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, about 10 miles away. It would eventually close, but for a while “Tunnel Of Love” was its unofficial anthem.
And if this couldn’t get more interesting – the song begins with a sample of “The Carousel Waltz” by Rogers and Hammerstein, a song that would typically be playing on the Tunnel Of Love amusement park ride. (Songfacts)
Wikipedia:
The song appears on Dire Straits 1980 album – Making Movies (image inset). The song also featured in the 1982 Richard Gere film An Officer and a Gentleman.
Tunnel of Love reached the position of number 54 in the UK Singles Chart upon its single release in October 1981, a rather modest position despite being one of the band’s most famous and popular compositions. However, it fared much better in other countries, especially Italy (7) and Spain (11).
[Verse 1] Getting crazy on the waltzers But it’s the life that I choose Hey, sing about the six-blade, sing about the switchback And a torture tattoo And I’ve been riding on a ghost train Where the cars they scream and slam And I don’t know where I’ll be tonight But I’d always tell you where I am In a screaming ring of faces I’ve seen her standing in the light She had a ticket for the races, yeah Just like me she was a victim of the night I put a hand upon the lever Said, “Let it rock and let it roll” I had the one arm bandit fever There was an arrow through my heart and my soul
[Chorus] And the big wheel keep on turning Neon burning up above And I’m just high on the world Come on and take a low ride with me girl On the tunnel of love, yeah, love
[Verse 2] It’s just the danger, danger When you’re riding at your own risk She said, “You are the perfect stranger” She said, “Baby, let’s keep it like this” It’s just a cake walk, twisting baby Yeah, step right up and say “Hey Mister, give me two, give me two now ‘Cause any two can play”
[Chorus] And the big wheel keep on turning Neon burning up above And I’m just high on the world Come on and take a low ride with me girl On the tunnel of love, oh, love, love
[Bridge] Well, it’s been money for muscle on another whirligig Money for muscle and another girl I dig Another hustle just to, just to make it big And rockaway, rockaway Oh, rockaway, rockaway
[Refrain] And girl, it looks so pretty to me Like it always did Oh, like the Spanish City to me When-a we were kids Hey girl, it looks so pretty to me Just like it always did Oh, like the Spanish City to me When-a we were kids
[Interlude] Ooh-la Check it out!
[Verse 3] She took off a silver locket She said, “Remember me by this” She put her hand in my pocket I got a keepsake and a kiss And in the roar of dust and diesel I stood and watched her walk away I could have caught up with her easy enough But something must have made me stay
[Chorus] And the big wheel keep on turning Neon burning up above And I’m just high on the world Come on and take a low ride with me girl On the tunnel of love, yeah, love, love, love On the tunnel of love, oh, love, love
[Bridge] And now I’m searching through these carousels and the carnival arcades Searching everywhere from steeplechase to palisades In any shooting gallery where promises are made To rockaway, rockaway Rockaway, rockaway From Cullercoats and Whitley Bay Out to Rockaway
[Refrain] And girl, it looks so pretty to me Like it always did Like the Spanish City to me When we were kids Girl, it looks so pretty to me Like it always did Like the Spanish City to me When-a we were kids
This is about as quintessential Southern Rock as it gets. In many ways, Lynyrd Skynyrd helped define and popularise the genre.
In the mid-1990s, there was this girl Diane who was living in the beautiful seaside town of Mornington on the south-east coast of Australia who put me onto this group. Diane was a real rocker, man, and she even made her own sambuca, which was my favourite liquor at the time – like liquid licorice, just heaven. Well, her concoction… not so much – but no one’s perfect.
She even bought her own tobacco and rolled her own cigarettes. She was a wild girl with a husky voice, a real riot, and had a good heart. She put me onto so much great music – Lynyrd Skynyrd, Eric Clapton, Live – and she loved her some Janis Joplin. Whenever I hear Tuesday’s Gone my mind drifts back to those zany times we had.
The song itself tells of a man leaving on a train, with his woman left behind. “She’s gone with the wind,” he says – but really, he’s the one leaving. He’s seeking distance and solitude, and the reasons sit just beneath the surface. It feels like he’s letting her go, maybe for her own good, or because the love is no longer there on her side. Yet he still sounds deeply attached. You get the sense this departure is final – not a trip, but a turning point. He’s moving on, even if he doesn’t quite know where he’s going next.
So it goes… There was a train track near the place where the band rehearsed. The sound of passing trains inspired vocalist Ronnie Van Zant to write the opening line: “Train roll on, on down the line.”
Musically, the song is an epic, running around 7 and a half minutes. It opens with one of the most unforgettable guitar intros, followed by strong, expressive solos, a gentle and slightly looping piano part in the middle, and subtle sweeping strings. It’s easy to get carried away by it – thoughts of open air, passing landscapes, and your own memories start to blend with the music. It’s a real musical achievement.
Wikipedia: Tuesday’s Gone is the second track on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s debut album, (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd). It was written by guitarist Allen Collins and vocalist Ronnie Van Zant. Producer Al Kooper (credited as “Roosevelt Gook”) played bass, sang backup vocals, and added orchestral strings with a Mellotron.
The record featured some other Southern Rock classics like Free Bird and Simple Man.
Won’t you please take me far away? Now I feel the wind blow outside my door, Means I’m leaving my woman behind. Tuesday’s gone with the wind. My woman’s gone with the wind.
And I don’t know where I’m going. I just want to be left alone. Well, when this train ends I’ll try again, But I’m leaving my woman at home.
Tuesday’s gone with the wind. Tuesday’s gone with the wind. Tuesday’s gone with the wind. My woman’s gone with the wind.
Train roll on many miles from my home, See, I’m riding my blues away. Tuesday, you see, she had to be free But somehow I’ve got to carry on.
Tuesday’s gone with the wind. Tuesday’s gone with the wind. Tuesday’s gone with the wind. My woman’s gone with the wind.
Tú Sin Mí (Eng: You Without Me) is an infectious, moderate-tempo reggae love ballad that I liked immediately on first listen. It’s about a man’s disillusionment after the breakdown of a relationship and his processing of it. Let me tell you – he’s having a tough time too, as he asks: “And what do I do with my love? The one that was for you?”
It’s sorrowful, but at least his suffering doesn’t turn into spite (accusatory, driven by jealousy, or seeking emotional revenge), which is common in Latin music – so much so that there is even a label for it called “música de despecho” (heartbreak or romantic pain). Rather, in Tú Sin Mí, it draws on sadness, but also acceptance and the slow process of letting go.
Born Mariano Javier Castro in 1978, Dread Mar I is an Argentine reggae singer whose songs address social issues, love, and spirituality. His stage name comes from “Dread” (for his dreadlocks), “Mar” (from Mariano), and “I,” (for very tall).
He is considered one of the leading exponents of Spanish-language reggae. He reached his widest audience with Tú Sin Mí (You Without Me). Around 2020, it was the most viewed Argentine song on YouTube, with 550 million views. At the time of writing, it has well over 1 billion views.
Although Dread Mar I has always kept a low profile and given few interviews, he has continued performing concerts in many countries. In 2018, he gave a concert in Argentina to an audience of around 100,000 people.
Other songs by him that have resonated with audiences include Árbol sin hojas (Leafless Tree), Hoja en blanco (Blank Leaf), and Así fue (That’s How It Was), to name just a few.
[Verse 1] Es terrible percibir que te vas / It is terrible to realize that you are leaving Y no sabes el dolor que has dejado justo en mí / And you don’t know the pain you’ve left right in me Te has llevado la ilusión de que un día tú serás solamente para mi / You have taken the illusion that one day you will be only for me Oh, para mí / Oh for me Muchas cosas han pasado, mucho tiempo fue la duda y el rencor / Many things have happened, a lot of time was doubt and resentment Que despertamos al ver, que no nos queríamos / That we woke up when we saw that we didn’t love each other No, ya no, ya no nos queríamos / No, not anymore, we didn’t love each other anymore Oh no
[Chorus] Y ahora estás tú sin mí / And now you are without me ¿Y qué hago con mi amor? El que era para ti (El que era para ti) / And what do I do with my love? The one that was for you (The one that was for you) Y con toda la ilusión, de que un día tú fueras solamente para mí (Solamente) And with all the hope that one day you would be only for me Oh, para mi / For me Y ahora estás tú sin mí / And now you are without me ¿Y qué hago con mi amor? El que era para ti (El que era para ti) / And what do I do with my love? The one that was for you (The one that was for you) Y con toda la ilusión, de que un día tú fueras solamente para mí (Solamente) / And with all the hope that one day you would be only for me Oh, para mi (Para mi) /For me
[Verso 2] Hoy comprendo, puedo ver que el amor que, un día yo te di / Today I understand, I can see that the love that one day I gave you No ha llenado tu interior, y es por eso que te vas / It hasn’t filled you inside, and that’s why you’re leaving. Alejándote de mí, y sin mirar hacia atrás / Walking away from me, and not looking back Hacia atrás / Looking back Pero yo corazón, entendí en el tiempo que pasó / But my heart, I understood in the time that passed Que no nos servía ya la locura de este amor / That the madness of this love no longer served us Que un día así se fue, y que nunca más volvió / That one day like that she left, and that she never came back No volvió / Never came back
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was just 17 years old when he wrote this. Let that sink in for a moment. It’s hard to imagine the kind of beauty that must have stirred in him as he composed it – something almost sacred in its feeling. There’s a sense of exuberance, anticipation, and lightness that reflects his youth.
A lot of classical music can sound serious and weighty, but Mozart’s work can often feel bright, spirited, and radiant. You can picture him writing this, full of energy and excitement. It has a light, almost chamber-like style, yet there is still an impulsive drive behind it.
Symphony No. 29 is one of Mozart’s better-known early symphonies. It also appears in the Amadeus film, which is where I first heard it. Just about every piece from that soundtrack has found its way into my music library – it remains my favourite film soundtrack, as I’ve mentioned many times.
The film itself sits at No. 1 on my Favourite Movies List. It goes without saying that Mozart features here more than any other classical composer.
According to Wikipedia:
The symphony is scored for two oboes, two horns (in A, with the second movement in D), and strings. The first movement is in sonata form, with a graceful main theme marked by an octave drop and strong horn passages.
At 17, Mozart was working as a musician at the Salzburg court, but he was already growing restless and travelled in search of better opportunities. One reason was his low salary – about 150 florins a year. He also longed to compose operas, and Salzburg offered only limited chances to do so.
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