Heart Banter/Music Covers & Acoustic Guitar

Townes Van Zandt’s life touched mine only tangentially until recently. I first heard of Van Zandt through Nanci Griffith’s cover of his song  “Tecumseh Valley.”  Like many Van Zandt ballads, it tells a tragic and beautifully melodic story about a woman named Caroline. “Techumseh Valley” is about a life, a time, and a place far from the life I’ve led. Yet, it’s a song I’ll never forget. Although Va...

The ending of a love relationship is often painful and dramatic. In “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye,” Leonard Cohen has penned a poetic plea for a graceful, respectful breakup that honors the beauty of a dying connection, rather than dwelling on the pain, anger, and lingering regret of the ending. Cohen wrote the song in 1966 on a decrepit bed in the Penn Terminal Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. In...

The ending of a love relationship is often painful and dramatic. In “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye,” Leonard Cohen has penned a poetic plea for a graceful, respectful breakup that honors the beauty of a dying connection, rather than dwelling on the pain, anger, and lingering regret of the ending. Cohen wrote the song in 1966 on a decrepit bed in the Penn Terminal Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. In...

In his thirties, Leonard Cohen wrote novels, poetry, and the occasional song. These were his passions, and he hoped to make a living at them. Unfortunately, at this early stage in his career, Cohen realized these passions couldn’t support him. Most people at this point would, with a heavy heart and great disappointment, turn to a more mundane and practical way to make a living. Not Leonard. He dec...

Suzanne: The Lady Of The Harbor In his thirties, Leonard Cohen wrote novels, poetry, and the occasional song. These were his passions, and he hoped to make a living at them. Unfortunately, at this early stage in his career, Cohen realized these passions couldn’t support him. Most people at this point would, with a heavy heart and great disappointment, turn to a more mundane and practical way to ma...

“Eternal Flame” is another song that came into my head from out of nowhere. It just started playing in my mind on its own. I remembered the song, but I had never heard of (or don’t remember) an all-girl band called The Bangles. The group was popular in the 1980s. Susanna Hoff, their lead singer, wrote Eternal Flame with songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. The idea came from a Cyndi Lauper s...

It started out as a poem. Then it turned into a song. Then it became a background song for the movie “Beaches.” After various song covers at home and abroad, in 1988, Bette Midler made “Wind Beneath My Wings” a #1 hit in the USA. A year later, the song won Grammy Awards for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Here’s my version. Chapters (00:00:08) - My Hero

It started out as a poem. Then it turned into a song. Then it became a background song for the movie “Beaches.” After various song covers at home and abroad, in 1988, Bette Midler made “Wind Beneath My Wings” a #1 hit in the USA. A year later, the song won Grammy Awards for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Here’s my version. Chapters (00:00:09) - When You Were Simply Everything

“Sky Blue and Black” is an emotional roller coaster, looking back on the joys and sorrows of love and its lasting impact. Jackson Browne wrote the song over four years and released it on his album “I’m Alive” in 1992. The source material comes from Jackson’s relationship with a famous actress. However, Browne never wants his songs to be identified with his specific life events, so he rarely speaks...

Cat Stevens wrote “The First Cut Is The Deepest” when he was eighteen. At the time, he had no intention of becoming a worldwide star performer. He sold the song for thirty pounds to P.P. Arnold, a soul singer who lived near him in London. She released “The First Cut Is The Deepest” on her first album. It reached #18 on the U.K. charts in 1967. Eventually, Rod Stewart and Sheryl Crow covered the so...

The Seekers are an Australian band formed in 1962. The Folk and Gospel group achieved the zenith of their popularity in the mid ’60’s with several hit songs. Their most memorable chart-topper is a song titled “I’ll Never Find Another You.” It reached #1 on the UK charts in 1965, making the Seekers the only Australian band with a #1 hit song outside of Australia. The song reached #97 in the United...

“True Colors” is a song with legs. It started out as a song written for a mother in a traditional ballad format. Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly wrote the song in 1986 and offered it to Anne Murray, a popular singer at the time. Murray passed on the song. Cyndi Lauper took it and creatively revamped the format into a stark and breathtaking version. The song became a hit worldwide because of its univ...

Eric Andersen’s voice, songs, guitar, and piano playing created a career that has spanned over 45 years. He has recorded 25 albums of original songs and made numerous tours of North America, Europe, and Japan. His songs have been recorded and performed by world-renowned artists such as Judy Collins, Peter Paul and Mary, Linda Ronstadt, Johnny Cash, The Grateful Dead, Linda Thompson, plus many othe...

Cat Stevens first met Alun Davies as a backup musician in a recording session. He liked what he heard. After another session, Stevens recognized that Davies was an exceptional talent. In a following private session, Stevens played something like fifty of his original songs for Davies, whereupon Davies decided Cat was also an exceptional talent. He agreed to accompany Stevens on an upcoming tour. A...

In this song, Cat Stevens is singing to a woman he yearns for in a Human form. On another level, he may be singing, aware or unaware, to the Divine Feminine. In either case, the object of Stevens’ love is unattainable in the present. Yet, I believe, the admirer (Stevens) continues to yearn for his beloved in the hope that he will, one day, meet his perfect love. There are many interpretations of “...

Have you heard of  Steve Gillette?  If you were alive in the 1960s and liked folk music, there’s a chance the name rings a bell. Gillette never reached the top of the charts, but he’s a very talented singer/songwriter. Many of his songs have been performed by artists you have heard of ,  including John Denver,  Gordon Lightfoot ,  Ian and Sylvia ,  Nanci Griffith , and Linda Ronstadt. “The Bells i...

A movie studio commissioned a composer to write "Everything I Do" for Kevin Costner's Film, "Prince of Thieves." Bryan Adams, with his producer Mutt Lange, wrote the lyrics, bridge, arrangement, and outro. Adams used a line from the movie for the song title. The studio did not like the instrumentation in the finished product. They buried it midway in the credits, not anticipating what a huge hit t...

If you missed the vocal and guitar cover of "Heaven," here it is again with a rocking digital enhancement. Chapters (00:00:07) - God's Love Songs For People In Heaven

"How Can I Tell You" with digital instrumentation. Chapters (00:00:23) - "Always Thinking of You"

Previous to this writing, I had never heard of  Bryan Adams . I am in the minority because Adams has created a number of beautiful, chart-topping hits that most people besides me are familiar with. “Heaven” is another song that came into my mind from someplace I can’t define. When I heard  Boyce Avenue’s  stirring performance of it, I fell in love with the song immediately. On July 15, 1985, “Heav...

Here’s another song, written by  Paul Kennerly  and made famous by Emmylou Harris, called “Heaven Only Knows.” The song was released on Emmylou’s 1989 album,  “Bluebird.”  The song reached #16 on the Hot Country Music Chart. Since I’m a newcomer to the Country Music Scene, I’d never heard of Paul Kennerly before. He’s an Englishman who has written 30 published Country Music songs. (I guess there a...

“Long May You Run” is written by Neil Young. The song came alive for me when I heard Emmylou Harris and her band perform it. Now in her seventies, Emmylou is still beautiful and sings like an angel, as attested to in the video I’ve included. After hearing Miss Harris’ version of the song, I began listening to many of her other reels on YouTube. She is a consummate, unique performer, not to mention...

Here’s another song, written by Paul Kennerly and made famous by Emmylou Harris, called “Heaven Only Knows.” The song was released on Emmylou’s 1989 album, “Bluebird.” The song reached #16 on the Hot Country Music Chart. Since I’m a newcomer to the Country Music Scene, I’d never heard of Paul Kennerly before. He’s an Englishman who has written 30 published Country Music songs. (I guess there are s...

While searching for a video of Bruce Springsteen playing his iconic hit “Born to Run,” I stumbled upon a video of  Emmylou Harris  singing “Born to Run.” Now, here’s the fascinating surprise: Emmylou is singing an entirely different song written by Paul Kennerly. And this song really rocks. Released in 1982 as the second single from Harris’ album Cimarron, “Born to Run” reached number 3 on the Bil...

“Long May You Run” is written by Neil Young. The song came alive for me when I heard Emmylou Harris and her band perform it. Now in her seventies, Emmylou is still beautiful and sings like an angel, as attested to in the video I’ve included. After hearing Miss Harris’ version of the song, I began listening to many of her other reels on YouTube. She is a consummate, unique performer, not to mention...