Blue Jean Rock Poets IV

“Singer-songwriter became less relevant… people stopped listening to it. The form of it, the sound of it- it just didn’t sound like of the moment. And so it went away. But I’m still writing out of that form. I break the form a lot- and I use sounds that are not from the ’60s. I’m using sounds from everywhere. But that’s what I mean. The form of this kind of writing that has a content, that has a story- that’s more 20th century than it is 21st century- at the moment. It could come back. It probably will come back.”   

– Paul Simon

Dar Williams

I started enjoying ‘70s singer-songwriters in the mid-00’s and haven’t looked back. Many of these blue jean rock poets are still going strong today and they- as well as the artists they inspired- keep the singer-songwriter flame burning in a dark time when the new generation of singer-songwriters (I assume there must be some) are having trouble saying anything witty, wise, or literate. Perhaps these new kids on the block lack the attention span, thoughtfulness, and patience good songwriting requires. Or perhaps- like Paul Simon said not too long ago- the time of the singer-songwriter has passed. Here are some more of my favorite singer-songwriter songs. Enjoy!

Randy Newman

01. Randy Newman – “Korean Parents” (2008)

02. Randy Newman – “A Few Words in Defense of Our Country” (2008)

03. Joni Mitchell – “River” (1971)

04. Dan Fogelberg – “Same Old Lang Syne” (1981)

05. Rickie Lee Jones – “On Saturday Afternoons in 1963” (1979)

06. Dar Williams – “The Christians and the Pagans” (1996)

07. Jesse Winchester – “Sham-A-Ling-Dong-Ding” (2009)

08. Jim Croce – “It Doesn’t Have to Be That Way” (1973)

09. Warren Zevon – “Lawyers, Guns and Money” (1978)

10. Warren Zevon – “Excitable Boy” (1978)

11. Leonard Cohen – “The Future” (1992)

12. Ted Hawkins – “Happy Hour” (1986)

13. Jim Croce – “Walkin’ Back to Georgia” (1972)

14. Bruce Cockburn – “If I Had a Rocket Launcher” (1984)

15. Tom Waits – “Big Joe and Phantom 309 (Live)” (1975)

16. Joni Mitchell – “Both Sides Now” (2000)

17. Tom Waits – “(Looking For) The Heart of Saturday Night” (1974)

18. Leonard Cohen – “Memories” (1977)

19. Jackson Browne – “Before the Deluge” (1974)

20. Tom Waits – “San Diego Serenade” (1974)

21. Joni Mitchell – “Both Sides Now” (1969)

22. Elton John – “Friends” (1971)

23. Cat Stevens – “I Love My Dog” (1966)

Leonard Cohen

Listen to the playlist on Spotify...