Heart Banter/Music Covers & Acoustic Guitar

When Richard Marx wrote “Right Here Waiting,” he never meant to publish it. He wrote the song in 2010 as a personal message to his girlfriend and actress, Cynthia Rhoads. At the time, Rhoads was in South Africa making a film. Since Skype or Google Meets didn’t exist, Marx shipped the track directly to Rhoads. Marx wrote the song in twenty minutes. His friends were so moved by it that they convince...

After Steven Digman wrote “Anniversary Song,” he took it to Chris Biondo’s studio in Rockville, Maryland, to record it. At the time, Biondo was looking for material for  Eva Cassid y to record. After Chris heard the song, he insisted on recording it with Eva. Digman had another singer in mind, but Biondo wouldn’t give up. After hearing Eva sing “Anniversary Song” on the phone, Digman agreed to let...

“Brown-eyed Girl” was originally called “Brown-Skinned Girl.” The song is about an interracial relationship. Morrison changed the name to make it more acceptable to radio stations at the time (1967). Some stations banned it anyway for the line, “Making love in the green grass.” Why some gatekeepers took issue with the line in the free-loving sixties is beyond me. I guess there is no accounting for...

"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...

Steve Gillette released his first album in 1967 titled simply “Steve Gillette.” Top-heavy with folk ballads and original songs, I thought the album was a strong debut. Gillette had already established himself as a noteworthy songwriter when  Ian and Sylvia , a top Canadian folk duo, included “Darcy Farrow,” a song Gillette co-wrote on their 1966 album  “Early Morning Rain.” I still own Gillette’s...

I often feel that art comes from somewhere else. Let’s call it “The Great Beyond.” To me, a serious artist is a channeler of messages from The Beyond through the prism of his or her experiences and personality. These messages want to come through and be heard by a large audience. “Teach Your Children” is a good illustration of this idea. Here’s my cover. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcas...

Like many of us,  Don McLean  suffered through difficult passages in his life, many of which are reflected in his music. He wrote and recorded “Empty Chairs” when his marriage was failing. Despite the subject of lost love, I feel there is incredible beauty in the lyrics and the melody, and Mclean’s unique guitar style. Although the subject is mentioned just once in the song, McLean chose the symbo...

“The time that’s left is yours to keep.” These words come at the end of the chorus of the song “See Here She Says” by Kate Wolf. While I find all of the lyrics in this song beautiful, this sentence hit me in the center of my heart. I can picture a mother teaching a child about life. She is telling the child about the importance of dreams and to use his or her time wisely. Use it well, not only for...

“I live for a sense of a feeling of purposefulness in this world, you know, that I could stop my life at any point and feel that my life has been worthwhile; that the people I’ve loved and my children have all reached a point where their lives are now going to come to fruition. And as far as something I live by, it’s to try to be as alive as possible and feel free to make my mistakes and try to be...

Here's another Gordon Lightfoot tune that may not be as recognizable as many of the other songs of his that I've covered here. Somehow, "I'll be Alright" crept into my consciousness and I'm happy to offer my cover of the song in this post. To me, the song is as lovely and memorable as many of Lightfoot's hits including: "If You Could Read My Mind," "Early Morning Rain," and "Song For A Winter's Ni...

Here's my cover of a song inspired by Gordon Lightfoot's 1972 concert in London, England. I've loved Gordon's music for decades. I grew old with him. The sight of Lightfoot performing his song as a young man is both glorious and saddening. Lightfoot passed away recently at the age of 84. He never stopped performing until the very end. Thanks for your music, GL. --- Send in a voice message: https:/...

Here's my cover of "Fill My Eyes" played with Cat Stevens' unique guitar style. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-gittlin/message

Here's my cover of "My Opening Farewell" played the way Jackson Browne does it. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://davidgittlin.net/2023/01/13/jackson-browne-my-opening-farewell/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-gittlin/message

Eva Cassidy was a magnificent vocalist and an accomplished guitarist. Here's my cover of Eva's "Songbird." This episode is also available as a blog post: http://davidgittlin.net/2023/04/30/songbird/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-gittlin/message

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://davidgittlin.net/2023/03/17/folk-legends-ian-sylvia/ 

"Four Strong Winds," written by Ian Tyson, is recognized as one of the best folk songs ever written. It was performed by folk legends Ian & Sylvia and covered by many well-known recording artists. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-gittlin/message

For more beautiful covers and a sampling of my novels, please visit www.davidgittlin.net.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://davidgittlin.net/2023/03/04/changes/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-gittlin/message

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://davidgittlin.net/2023/02/14/love-found-and-lost/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-gittlin/message

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://davidgittlin.net/2023/02/07/the-beauty-of-the-bells/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-gittlin/message

Jackson Browne's Music is lyrical and penetrating. He is a poet as well as a prolific songwriter, musician, and vocalist. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-gittlin/message

Fans of Gordon Lightfoot will want to hear this cover of one of Gordon's earliest love songs. It is among his greatest hits. Thanks for listening. Love to all. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-gittlin/message

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://davidgittlin.net/2022/12/02/early-lightfoot-love/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-gittlin/message

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://davidgittlin.net/2022/11/21/simple-honest-transparent-beautiful-2/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-gittlin/message

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://davidgittlin.net/2022/11/15/the-wind-in-my-soul/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-gittlin/message