William's Song a Day Blog - est. September 2007

From: Rhymes & Reasons ; Year: 1969; Genre: Folk Rock I guess this one is a song that you will not understand unless "you know." Originally penned by folk great Tom Paxton, John Denver does an amazing job with such in the best way he can.   Hear The Ballad of Richard Nixon on YouTube.        My song pick 1 year ago today: The Thermals - Returning to the Fold     My song pick 2 years ago today: The Doors - Twentieth Century Fox     My song pick 3 years ago today: 1984 - There's a Wrinkle In Our Time   My song pick 4 years ago today: Bay City Rollers - Yesterday's Hero   My song pick 5 years ago today: Supertramp - Breakfast in America   My song pick 6 years ago today: Bobbie Gentry - Ode to Billie Joe   My song pick 7 years ago today: Blue Öyster Cult - Eyes On Fire My song pick 8 years ago today: The Beach Boys - All Summer Long My song pick 9 years ago today: Bernard Wright - Who Do You Love My song pick 10 ye...

From: Aerie ; Year: 1971; Genre: Folk Aerie is one of my top favourite John Denver records; it contains many of his songs that I like a great deal. Tools is a short, but sweet acoustic track that really acts like a "cooldown" to bring the album to a close, especially after the previous epic and energetic song The Eagle and the Hawk . Apparently it is an ode to a childhood pet rabbit he had for a short span.   Hear Tools on YouTube.         My song pick 1 year ago today: The Lovin' Spoonful - Daydream     My song pick 2 years ago today: Hawkwind - Lost Johnny   My song pick 3 years ago today: The Soul Searchers - Ashley's Roachclip   My song pick 4 years ago today: Frank Mackey & The Keltic Cowboys - Promise of a Better Life   My song pick 5 years ago today: The Supremes - You Can't Hurry Love   My song pick 6 years ago today: Yes - Harold Land   My song pick 7 years ago today: The Charles Mingus Quintet + Max Roach - Dr...

From: Spirit ; Year: 1976; Genre: Folk Rock This is another one of the many of John's songs that begs simple questions that are quite profound; not preachy or claiming to know some greater "truth" as some anointed judge on a lofty pedestal, but just as another human as lost as the rest of us. (How's that for a run-on sentence? 😜)    Hear The Wings That Fly Us Home on YouTube.         My song pick 1 year ago today: Phil Lesh & Friends - Celebration     My song pick 2 years ago today: Primus - Mama Didn't Raise No Fool   My song pick 3 years ago today: Rush - Spindrift   My song pick 4 years ago today: Rush - Secret Touch   My song pick 5 years ago today: Megadeth - Never Walk Alone... A Call To Arms   My song pick 6 years ago today: Triumph - Follow Your Heart   My song pick 7 years ago today: Harlequin - Survive My song pick 8 years ago today: Mr. Bungle - My Ass Is On Fire My song pick 9 years ago today: Mike +...

From: Whose Garden Was This ; Year: 1970; Genre: Folk For being such an admirer and fan of his work, I have never really paid much attention to this record. I dunno why, maybe it's the dreaded sophomore album curse , with the successor being his massive breakout and its predecessor being quite a strong outing. With the majority of the contents being covers could also be a factor, but I thought I should really delve back into it. This is one of brightest gems in my opinion; I love the sparse accompaniment that beautifully contrasts with the overall sadness and heaviness of his voice and guitar/chord choices in this rather emotional piece concerning the parting of ways, bringing a close relationship to an end.   Hear The Game Is Over on YouTube.         My song pick 1 year ago today: Uriah Heep - Rainbow Demon     My song pick 2 years ago today: Counting Crows - August And Everything After   My song pick 3 years ago today: 3rd Secret - Last Day of...

From: Windsong ; Year: 1975; Genre: Folk Rock/Soft Rock/Country Just had some of his music pop into my mind as I started to make my blog post for today. My Mom is a huge fan of his and thus I grew up with his music and it holds a special place for me on a few levels. This one, which features Olivia Newton-John's vocals is among his most known recordings.    Hear Fly Away on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Paice Ashton Lord - Ghost Story   My song pick 2 years ago today: Thompson Twins - Lies   My song pick 3 years ago today: ABBA - Eagle   My song pick 4 years ago today: George Harrison - Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)   My song pick 5 years ago today: Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) - The Bouncer My song pick 6 years ago today: Dick Dale - Summer Surf My song pick 7 years ago today: Neil Young - Computer Cowboy (aka Syscrusher) My song pick 8 years ago today: Jethro Tull - The Foot of Our Stairs My song pick...

From: Rocky Mountain High ; Year: 1972; Genre: Folk/Rock John Denver was one of the biggest fans of The Beatles, and you can tell by how many songs of theirs he covered and their influence on his own music and playing. Funny enough, I heard John Denver's version many times before I heard the original; my Mom is also a huge fan of John Denver and played him a lot. Anyway, I really like the way he arranged this one with more of a stripped-down acoustic country folk sound; he definitely did it justice.   Hear Mother Nature's Son on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Rossington Collins Band - Don't Misunderstand Me   My song pick 2 years ago today: ABBA - Just a Notion   My song pick 3 years ago today: Jigsaw - Freud Fish   My song pick 4 years ago today: Rush - Faithless   My song pick 5 years ago today: Our Lady Peace - Starseed My song pick 6 years ago today: David Bowie - Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) My song pick 7 years ago...

From: Rocky Mountain Christmas ; Year: 1975; Genre: Christmas Music/Folk/Country   John Denver's idealistic, heartfelt, and honest style and music have always been a perfect fit for this time of year. I have said it prior, but I do admit that I am more than a bit biased in favour of him and the songs he performed. Even so, I think we can all acknowledge his contributions to all of his endeavours. Anyway, this song and album comes from one of the top crests of his catalogue, and thus is very familiar to even casual fans who only know his greatest hits.   Hear Christmas for Cowboys on YouTube.         My song pick 1 year ago today: Bob Rivers - White Trash Christmas   My song pick 2 years ago today: Ben Keith, Neil Young, Pegi Young - Les Trois Cloches   My song pick 3 years ago today: Primus - The Thing That Should Not Be   My song pick 4 years ago today: Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Christmas in Blue   My song pick 5 years ago today: Elec...

From: Poems, Prayers & Promises ; Year: 1971; Genre: Folk Rock I have been returning to this profound record a lot as of late; just need the non-jaded outlook toward wot is great about the world and that it's still worth saving from the late-great John Denver. Poems, Prayers & Promises is probably if not the most, right up there with his albums where his outlook had not been yet sullied and his spirit not yet battered by the same world he so wished to save. I decided to go with a double pick today with the two tracks that close it out; the first being a cover of one of James Taylor 's signature songs: Fire and Rain , and the second being a poem originally written and performed by Kendrew Lascelles . The one-two punch of both of these tracks are absolute perfection for closing out the record.   Hear Fire and Rain on YouTube. Hear The Box on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - Testify   My song pick 2 ...

From: John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together (soundtrack); Year: 1979; Genre: Christmas Music Been a long and exhausting Holiday weekend, and I thought it'd be apropos to bring it all to a close with this short, but sweet traditional Christmas song off of the film John Denver did with The Muppets back in the day. It's one of those renditions that'll surely bring back great memories if you are acquainted with the movie and/or soundtrack, but even if not it should give a nice feeling to the uninitiated listener.   Hear We Wish You A Merry Christmas on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Bobby (Boris) Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers - Monsters' Holiday   My song pick 2 years ago today: Darlene Love - Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)   My song pick 3 years ago today: Steve Winwood - Christmas Is Now Drawing Near At Hand   My song pick 4 years ago today: Louis Armstrong and the Commanders - Cool Yule My song pick 5 years ago today:...

From: Forever, John ; Year: 1998, (1980); Genre: Folk Rock/Folk This is a cover of the folk hit song originally written and recorded by Ian & Sylvia , which has been recorded and re-recorded a plethora times by many artists over the years. His version of the song was released about a year after his tragic death in a compilation of unreleased tracks, with this one being apparently left on the "cutting room floor" during a session back in 1980. As always, John Denver did his best and made a great version of this storied song.   Hear Four Strong Winds on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Rush - BU2B2   My song pick 2 years ago today: Jigsaw - Keeping My Head Above Water   My song pick 3 years ago today: ABBA - Andante, Andante My song pick 4 years ago today: The Who - Join Together My song pick 5 years ago today: The Steve Miller Band - Abracadabra My song pick 6 years ago today: Blood, Sweat & Tears - And When I Die My song pick ...

From: Back Home Again ; Year: 1974; Genre: Folk/Country This is one of many John Denver albums that are permanently burnt into my mind from being played a lot when I was young; my mom especially loves them a lot. I believe that Sweet Surrender was one of the singles off the record and is a nice, mellow track to just sit back and listen to.   Hear Sweet Surrender on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Blind Faith - Sea of Joy   My song pick 2 years ago today: Ultravox - Reap the Wild Wind My song pick 3 years ago today: The Fixx - One Thing Leads to Another My song pick 4 years ago today: Kansas - Miracles Out Of Nowhere My song pick 5 years ago today: Wilson Pickett - I'm a Midnight Mover My song pick 6 years ago today: Beat Crusaders - Slip Out My song pick 7 years ago today: Boston - The Launch/Cool the Engines My song pick 8 years ago today: Stratovarius - Dreamspace My song pick 9 years ago today: Queensrÿche - Promised Land My ...

From: Poems, Prayers & Promises ; Year: 1971; Genre: Folk Had some of his music come on yesterday, which was a very emotionally draining time; it helped me get through a lot. That's something I've always loved about John Denver's music: the emotions in his songs are very open and ubiquitous, not some false front. Hear Sunshine On My Shoulders on YouTube. My song pick 1 year ago today: Blue Öyster Cult - Madness to the Method My song pick 2 years ago today: Jerry Reed - Rooster Jones My song pick 3 years ago today: The Steve Miller Band - Journey From Eden My song pick 4 years ago today: Kansas - Dust in the Wind My song pick 5 years ago today: King Crimson - Red My song pick 6 years ago today: Sky - March to the Scaffold My song pick 7 years ago today: Rhapsody of Fire - Holy Thunderforce My song pick 8 years ago today: Guided by Voices - Everybody Thinks I’m a Raincloud (When I'm Not Looking) My song pick 9 years ago today: Gorō Yamagu...

From: Seasons of the Heart ; Year: 1982; Genre: Folk Rock/Pop After listening to the album I had songs from it running through my mind. This is another album/artist that I grew up hearing a lot and ended up liking much of his music. It's probably mostly due to the full-on honesty and openness of his writing and singing that I am still drawn to his songs to this day. Hear Heart to Heart on YouTube. My song pick 1 year ago today: Nine Inch Nails - Head Like a Hole My song pick 2 years ago today: Gene Pitney - (The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance My song pick 3 years ago today: Genesis - A Trick of the Tail My song pick 4 years ago today: Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge over Troubled Water My song pick 5 years ago today: Parliament - Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker) My song pick 6 years ago today: Pallas - For the Greater Glory My song pick 7 years ago today: Steely Dan - Peg My song pick 8 years ago today: What Made Milwaukee Famous - Selling Yours...

From: Rocky Mountain High ; Year: 1972; Genre: Folk/Folk Rock Had this song come to mind as I was about to make today's pick; of course I'm picking it. Goodbye Again , along with the rest of the album, is one that has always been with me and never goes away. Hear Goodbye Again on YouTube. My song pick one year ago today: John McCutcheon - Christmas in the Trenches My song pick two years ago today: Cybotron - Implosion My song pick three years ago today: Blue Öyster Cult - Godzilla My song pick four years ago today: Tangerine Dream - White Eagle My song pick five years ago today: Elvis Presley - Heartbreak Hotel My song pick six years ago today: Rare Earth - I Just Want to Celebrate My song pick seven years ago today: Top Gear Band - Red Light Spells Danger My song pick eight years ago today: Azteca - Love is a Stranger My song pick nine years ago today: Danzig - Mother My song pick ten years ago today: Savatage - Gutter Ballet

From: Aerie ; Year: 1971; Genre: Folk Rock I had John Denver on my mind for the last couple of days and thought I would add another one of his songs to my blog. This is his cover of the song by Buddy Holly, but with his signature folk sound/stylings. Hear Everyday on YouTube. My song pick one year ago today: Pat Benatar - Heartbreaker My song pick two years ago today: Carmen - I've Been Crying My song pick three years ago today: Banchee - 38 My song pick four years ago today: Xerath - Unite to Defy My song pick five years ago today: John Fogerty - Centerfield My song pick six years ago today: The Chambers Brothers - Time Has Come Today My song pick seven years ago today: John Denver - Take Me Home, Country Road My song pick eight years ago today: Nirvana - Lithium

From: Some Days Are Diamonds ; Year: 1981; Genre: Folk Rock/Country For some reason this time of year I always have John Denver's music on my mind; probably the existential nature of his music during this cold and stark season that is mid winter. Hear Some Days Are Diamonds (Some Days Are Stone) on YouTube. My song pick one year ago today: The Steve Miller Band - Dance, Dance, Dance My song pick two years ago today: Porcupine Tree - Bonnie the Cat My song pick three years ago today: Ugly Kid Joe - Everything About You My song pick four years ago today: Ludwig Van Beethoven - Op. 31 No. 2 - Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor " Tempest " My song pick five years ago today: David Bowie - Diamond Dogs My song pick six years ago today: Sky - Toccata My song pick seven years ago today: Journey - Who's Crying Now My song pick eight years ago today: Billy Joel - Only the Good Die Young

From: Poems, Prayers, and Promises ; Year: 1971; Genre: Folk Rock For no reason whatsoever I really felt like listening to some of John Denver's music. As with most of the time, I first turned to his Poems, Prayers, and Promises album. This is of course John Denver's cover of the immensely popular hit by The Beatles of which he was a huge fan. I really like his sparsely acoustical arrangement that matches up quite nicely with his clear and powerful vocals. Hear John Denver's version of Let it Be on YouTube. My song pick one year ago today: The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations My song pick two years ago today: Sly and the Family Stone - I Want to Take You Higher My song pick three years ago today: Argent - Tragedy My song pick four years ago today: Weather Report - Barbary Coast My song pick five years ago today: Molly Hatchet - Gator Country My song pick six years ago today: The Beatles - I Me Mine My song pick seven years ago today: Creedence Clearw...

From: Poems, Prayers & Promises ; Year: 1971; Genre: Folk Rock For the last few days I've had this song running though my mind, so, as I normally do, I am taking it as a sign I should pick it. I grew up hearing John Denver's Poems, Prayers & Promises along with a few other of his albums to the point I can clearly hear each note and word in my mind almost perfectly. Anyway, this is one of his songs that I love to sing along to at the top of my lungs. Hear Wooden Indian on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Barenaked Ladies - One Week My song pick two years ago today: Paul Abraham Dukas - The Sorcerer's Apprentice My song pick three years ago today: Jigsaw - Jesu, the Joy of Man's Desiring My song pick four years ago today: Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO) - Second Hand My song pick five years ago today: Glenn Miller - Moonlight Serenade

From: Take Me to Tomorrow ; Year: 1970; Genre: Folk Rock It's kind of a busy day, so I'm making somewhat of an abbreviated pick. This is a great cover by Mr. Denver of the James Taylor classic; I love the overall rock sound and feel he infused into the song, which made it quite distinct. Hear Carolina In My Mind on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Asia - Time Again My song pick two years ago today: U2 - The Unforgettable Fire My song pick three years ago today: Tears for Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule the World My song pick four years ago today: Thompson Twins - Hold Me Now My song pick five years ago today: Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO) - Gimme Your Money Please

From: Seasons of the Heart ; Year: 1982; Genre: Soft Rock/Folk Rock Yesterday I had this track come on my iPod and I thought it would be an excellent song to pick today. I grew up hearing this album a lot; while it's not my favourite song or album from John Denver, there are a lot of good memories I have connected to it. Hear Shanghai Breezes on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Aphrodite's Child - The Beast My song pick two years ago today: Duran Duran - Lonely In Your Nightmare My song pick three years ago today: Jethro Tull - Dogs in the Midwinter My song pick four years ago today: John Denver - Season Suite: Late Winter, Early Spring (When Everybody Goes To Mexico) My song pick five years ago today: César Antonovich Cui - Orientale