Here is a new song I would like to share with you and your readers.
Where is our hero
Where is our hero tonight
The bars are all booming and he’s no where in sight Where ever he is Lord, we hope he’s all Right
But where is our hero tonight
Where is our hero tonight
He left here a sailing
He was High as a kite
Feeling kinda sorry and looking for a fight
Where is our hero tonight
He used to be king of the bars
He opened and closed them from Waco to mars
Now he sings on the street and sleeps in his car
But he used to be king of the bars
And where is our hero today
Can we just tag along we will stay out his way
Does he still write the sad songs and can he still play Where is our hero today
Willie nelson
March 16 2011
Rockford Ill 4:06 pmWillie
Willie's next appearance is tonight at Lucky Star Casino, Concho, Oklahoma, followed by an appearance at First Council Casino in Newkirk, and a concert at the Show Me Center on the bend of the big river at Cape Girardeau, Missouri on Sunday, the 8th of April. Here's a song written by Cindy Walker. According to "The New York Times": Ms. Walker pronounces Mr. Nelson’s latest CD “wonderful.” While she was not directly involved, the disc does feature a number of her peers. The fiddler Johnny Gimble, credited as session leader, played with Wills’s band for many years, in addition to frequent stints with Mr. Nelson. Fred Foster is a close friend of Ms. Walker’s who produced Roy Orbison’s hit version of her “Dream Baby,” as well as her sole LP, the 1964 “Words and Music.” His arrangements on “Songs of Cindy Walker,” which include backing vocals by the Jordanaires, are retro but clean-lined, with a modern use of space.
Outstanding! Willie's still got it. My favorite line- He opened and closed them from Waco to Mars. Nice contribution as well from Mickey and his harmonica.
ReplyDeleteIt's an outstanding lesson in songwriting, given in the space of only a few minutes. First, he gives you the lyrics, then you see him play the changes and you can figure them out if you play guitar. Then Mr. Raphael throws in the harmonics, and it's a completed, structured tune. Not everyone composes that way. Some folks start with the rhythm, then they throw in the changes, and the last thing they add are lyrics. I've talked to guys who watched Hank, Jr., write one and they say he gets interested in a beat, then he starts humming the changes, and then adds the lyrics.
ReplyDeleteWhat is most important to me is it shows me what Willie Nelson is doing by making so many albums with other folks. He's preserving the work of writers whom you had no idea wrote so many very familiar tunes by correlating it with the session cats who cut the tunes, produced the arrangements, then putting together on one side, and teaching people how so many hits were actually crossovers from C&W to R&R. Just like Chuck Berry said, "You can buy it, you can try it, you can pay me next week." Still sounds right, don't it? Then I found out "Maybelliene is actually based on Bob Wills' rendition of "Ida Mae." Not a bad way to spend Easter weekend. - The Legendary
Well said, Legendary. I normally start with the lyrics myself. I try to come up with an interesting first line to get people "hooked" long before the hook. It was an outstanding lesson in songwriting, and thanks to Willie it was all free! On a related note, the latest edition of The Texas Monthly explores the beginnings of the progressive country music scene. Recollections from Willie, Michael Murphy, Jerry Jeff, Willis Alan Ramsey and many others are included in the article. Also what I thought was interesting was the importance of Lone Star beer in the promotion of the movement. And you gotta love this - Willie is on the cover wearing his Shotgun Willie t-shirt with Lone Star in hand.
ReplyDeleteHondo Crouch and the Sons of the Bunkhouse here for Lone Star Beer! Here in Lukenbach, Texas, we don't make a move without two six packs of that Lone Star Beer. Because with only one six pack, you cannot walk evenly. But with two six packs, you can walk evenly! It's the National Beer of Texas - Lone Star...
ReplyDeleteGreat song by a legend. I'm a poet and wanna-be songwriter and to hear this song, simple yet so hard to do, is a lesson in songwriting at it's best. Long Live the Red-Headed Stranger!
ReplyDelete