This is a beautiful song of regret and of a life wasted on foolishness. There's a lot of wisdom in this song for young people. This is my favorite version.
Yesterday When I Was Young - Dusty Springfield - 1972
And the original version was just an instrumental with no lyrics, called "Melody in A Major", composed in 1911 by Charles Gates Dawes, who later went on to be Vice President of The United States. It is the only #1 hit ever written by a US Vice President. The lyrics were added later in 1951.
Foo Fighters released Baker Street as a single B-side in 1998, and as an album bonus track. This very heavy handed version replaces the signature sax lick with electric guitar, and sucks nearly all of the charm out of this great song by making it far too heavy and muddy almost beyond recognition. Good for you, Dave, for liking the song...but some things are better off left alone.
Rafferty's original is an absolute classic. The sax line, played by Raphael Ravenscroft, is perfect (one of the best sax lines in all of rock music), and Rafferty's feel for this song is unmatched.
The Big Rock Candy Mountain
written by Harry McClintock
Steve Goodman died in 1984 at the age of 36 from leukemia. Santa Ana Winds was his last album, which he was able to finish before he died. It was released shortly after. One of the tracks is a remake of this song, with a strange jazzy chorus. Although the writing credit has been claimed by McClintock, it's often listed as traditional because it may have been taken from parts of different songs by the writer. On Goodman's album, the song is credited to him and Jim Rothermel, although it was actually written long before either were born.
McClintock's original version from 1928 was given new life in 2000 on the soundtrack of the Coen Brothers' film O Brother Where Art Thou?. It's the only song on the soundtrack that was made prior to the timeframe of the film (the mid 1930's). Burl Ives and Dorsey Burnette had hits with the song, but McClintock's version has endured well. He was born in 1884, and died in 1957. This song is by far his most famous work.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
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