Tribute to Guy Clark CD is “Stuff That Works”

This One's For Him: A Tribute to Guy Clark

One of my favorite recent CD purchases is This One’s For Him: A Tribute to Guy Clark (2011), which I have had on repeat play since I got it in December. This One’s for Him is a solid 2-CD collection of songs by the wonderful Texas singer-songwriter Guy Clark. Although tribute albums often are hit-and-miss affairs with an uneven collection of interpretations by various artists, this one maintains a nice consistency throughout. One reason the CDs work so well is the consistency of Guy Clark’s writing, although tribute albums usually consist of well-written songs. Another reason that the listening experience is like listening to a CD by one artist is because the producers recorded live with the band and a limited number of overdubs, giving consistency throughout. Finally, the great collection holds up due to the group of artists assembled for the project. Although there are some famous singers on the collection, the producers clearly opted for talented musicians who love Clark’s music instead of just seeking big names, and the love comes through the music.

It is hard to choose a favorite song, but one of mine is Jack Ingram’s version of “Stuff that Works.” In a video no longer available on YouTube, Jack Ingram talked about his love of Guy Clark’s music, noting that the music feels “like the Truth.” The great thing about Clark’s songs is that he writes beautiful words to go with his beautiful music.

Stuff that works, stuff that holds up;
The kind of stuff you don’t hang on the wall;
Stuff that’s real, stuff you feel;
The kind of stuff you reach for when you fall.

Artists on the CD include a who’s who of great singers and songwriters: Rodney Crowell, Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Kris Kristofferson, Robert Earl Keen, Ray Wylie Hubbard, John Prine, and many more. [UPDATE: In a promotional video no longer on YouTube, Hayes Carll, who sings “Worry B Gone” on the tribute CD, talked about hanging out with Clark.]

If you are already a fan of Guy Clark’s music, you will love the CD. But if you are new to his music, the tribute CD is a great place to start. One of my favorite songs of all-time is Guy Clark’s “LA Freeway.” Radney Foster does an excellent job covering the song on the CD. I could not find his version on Youtube, so here is the songwriter’s version. He does a pretty good job too.

If I can just get off of this LA freeway,
Without getting killed or caught;
I’d be down that road in a cloud of smoke,
For some land that I ain’t bought — bought — bought.

“LA Freeway” captures the common longing for running off and being free. Even if you cannot make that kind of escape, you might come a little closer if while you’re on the road you pop in this CD.

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    Willie Nelson & Ray Charles: Who are the “Seven Spanish Angels”?

    In 1984, Willie Nelson and Ray Charles released the duet, “Seven Spanish Angels,” a Western saga telling a tragic story of two lovers and the mysterious seven Spanish Angels.

    willie nelson half nelson seven spanish angels Willie Nelson was born in Abbott, Texas on April 29, 1933. In 2012 a statute of Willie was unveiled in Austin, but instead of choosing his birthday, organizers chose the appropriate date of April 20 at 4:20 p.m. for the man who released an album that features a song with Snoop Dogg called, “Roll Me Up And Smoke Me When I Die.” Today we consider another one of his great collaborations, this one with Ray Charles singing “Seven Spanish Angels.”

    The songwriters wrote the song in a style reminiscent of Marty Robbins’s “El Paso.”  But since Robbins had passed away, reportedly they turned to Willie Nelson.  And, in at least one version of the story, after Nelson made a demo of “Seven Spanish Angels,” producer Billy Sherill suggested they also enlist Ray Charles in a duet. (But see video below for a slightly different version of events.)

    The duet was released as a single in November 1984 and originally appeared on Nelson’s album, Half Nelson (1985) and on Charles’s album, Friendship (1984). Although Charles had several successful country recordings including his great album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, this song was his most successful single.

    I was surprised to learn that this song was so successful for Charles, as it is not the first country recording I think of when I think of Charles. But it is an excellent one.

    In the video below, contrary to the Wikipedia story that Nelson’s producer enlisted Ray Charles after Nelson already had made a recording of the song, Nelson says here that Charles brought the song to him.  Nelson adds that “it is going to be a phonograph record pretty soon.”

    The Song’s Story and Who Are the Seven Spanish Angels?

    Like Willie Nelson’s great recording of Townes Van Zandt’s “Pancho & Lefty” with Merle Haggard, “Seven Spanish Angels,” written by Troy Seals and Eddie Setser, recounts the story of an outlaw in Mexico. Instead of being about two men, though “Seven Spanish Angels” tells the story of an outlaw and his girlfriend. But the song takes a more tragic turn than the death of the outlaw.

    After the outlaw is killed in a gunfight with a posse, the woman exclaims, “Father, please forgive me; I can’t make it without my man.” Then she picked up his rifle, knowing it is empty, and points it at the men who then shoot and kill her.
    willow tree angel The Seven Spanish Angels in the song “pray for the lovers in the valley of the guns.” When the smoke cleared, “seven Spanish angels took another angel home.”

    The line about “another angel” at the end always made me wonder, does that mean the Seven Spanish Angels left the woman’s boyfriend behind? But there is another way to read the chorus because it repeats throughout the song, including after the first verse.

    He looked down into her brown eyes,And said “Say a prayer for me;”She threw her arms around him,Whispered “God will keep us free;”They could hear the riders comin’,He said “This is my last fight;If they take me back to Texas,They won’t take me back alive.”

    The outlaw does not clearly die in the first verse but it is followed by the chorus, which includes the line “And seven Spanish Angels / Took another angel home.” So the chorus at that point tells us the outlaw died and the seven Spanish Angels took him “home.”  Then, after the verse about the girlfriend dying, the chorus, which is repeated, is just referring to the angels taking her “home.”

    Such a reading is also consistent with a verse written for the song that was omitted in the Nelson-Charles version:  “Now the people in the valley swear/ That when the moon’s just right,/ They see the Texan and his woman/ Ride across the clouds at night.” That verse tells us the lovers are still together after death. But the producer of the recording, Billy Sherrill apparently opted to omit that verse as it made the song too long.

    And so, due to time constraints, we did not get to see the lovers happy again.  Although maybe it was enough to know they had gone off with the seven Spanish Angels.

    But who are the seven Spanish Angels?  Some have said they signify “not just celestial figures, but also a collective yearning for salvation and solace.” Others have focused on the number seven and used the Bible to conclude they are a “reference to the seven angels from the Book of Revelation, whom bear witness to the end times.” Still others have reasoned that since angels have no nationality, the “Spanish” in the description means the seven Spanish Angels is a “reference to the members of the posse sent in pursuit of the couple.”

    But the ambiguity of the meaning of “Seven Spanish Angels” may be intentional and there is no one definitive meaning. Reportedly, songwriter Eddie Setser came up with the title before writing the song.  Thus, it was maybe the sound of the mysterious title that first attracted them to creating the story.  And there are other ambiguities in the song, as we are left wondering why the man was being pursued to be taken back to Texas. We assume he is an outlaw, but we do not even know that for sure.

    The only certainty we end up with is that love is eternal.  And that is not a bad message for a song.

    And that is the story behind the song.  What do you think happened at the end of “Seven Spanish Angels”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    “Bird on a Wire” and the Return of the Bald Eagle

    bald eagle live feed

    Last year, along with John Fullbright’s cover of Steve Earle’s “Me and the Eagle,” we posted a live feed of a bald eagle and its eaglets in a nest in Iowa. Well, those babies have flown off, but the feed now has a bald eagle with some new eggs, so we check in on the new babies while we also listen to a Johnny Cash song on a day that would have been the country legend’s eightieth birthday. Recently there was posted live feed of a mother Bald Eagle from Decorah, Iowa. [2024 Update: Unfortunately, the live stream is no longer available.]

    The nest seems fairly secure for the high winds, but seeing the family so high up reminds me of one of Leonard Cohen’s most covered songs, “Bird on a Wire.” Cohen originally recorded the song in 1968 for the album Songs from a Room (1969). The song has been covered by The Neville Brothers, Willie Nelson, KD Lang, and others. My favorite cover is the one made by Johnny Cash for the 1994 album that marked a comeback for him, American Recordings. The weariness of his voice goes perfectly with the song.

    A version of Cash singing the song with an orchestra appeared on Unearthed (2003), and Cohen has also performed his song with an orchestra. But I like the sparse instrumentation versions.

    bald eagle The song is so beautiful that Kris Kristofferson, who has written many beautiful songs, has stated that he’d like the first three lines of “Bird on a Wire” on his tombstone.

    Like a bird on a wire,
    Like a drunk in a midnight choir,
    I have tried in my way to be free.

    The song has been described as a “bohemian My Way,” and one can sense a more realistic and darker life appraisal in Cohen’s song than the Frank Sinatra classic. While “My Way” is underscored with pride, “Bird on a Wire” is tempered with regret (“I have torn everyone who reached out to me”). There are some reports that the song inspired the title of the Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn movie, Bird on a Wire (1990), but it is hard to see the meaning of the song in the action-comedy film, so I hope that story is not true.

    For today, here is to the Iowa bald eagles who unlike us, live free without regret. And here is to Johnny Cash on his birthday, because his music helped us comprehend freedom as well as sorrow, atonement, and grace.

    What is your favorite version of “Bird on a Wire”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Devil’s Right Hand Arrest in New York City

    pellet gun Recently, a woman from Tennessee was arrested for carrying a licensed gun in New York City. The case has sparked some uproar because of the unusual facts. The woman, Meredith Graves, apparently was carrying a gun licensed in her home state of Tennessee while visiting the 9/11 Memorial in New York. After seeing a “No Guns” sign, Ms. Graves asked police where she could check her gun. Subsequently, she was arrested under a New York law prohibiting people from carrying a loaded gun, even if the gun is licensed in another state.

    The case is a perfect illustration of the old adage, “Ignorance of the Law is No Excuse.” Generally, that is true in the law, as one may understand that someone should not be able to commit robbery and then say they did not know it was against the law. Only very rarely can ignorance of the law rise to a Due Process problem when someone is punished for violating a law they did not know existed. Under this case, a court would probably hold that when someone travels to another state with a gun, it is not unfair to require them to check the local laws on whether they can pack heat.

    Here, Ms. Graves had every intent to comply with the law and was arrested for violating a New York law she did not know existed. A prosecutor sought a felony conviction, which could result in a sentence of up to 3 1/2 years. This case seems like a perfect one for a prosecutor to use discretion to avoid a conviction of someone who did not wish to cause any harm and who tried to comply with the law — even if she could have done things a little better. My guess is that the prosecutor is using the case to help publicize the New York law to tell tourists to leave their guns at home. 

    There are a number of slang terms for guns, and one of the coolest is “the Devil’s right hand,” used in the song of the same name written by Steve Earle from his album, Copperhead Road (1988). The song begins with the singer’s first encounter with what his mama called “the Devil’s right hand,” illustrating a fascination that ends up with the singer using a gun to kill another man during a fight in the card game. Like Ms. Graves, the singer pleads not guilty and blames it all on “the Devil’s right hand.” Here is a young Steve Earle performing the song.

    It is somewhat surprising that the song has not been covered more often by rock groups, considering the song’s catchy music and edgy lyrics. Perhaps the best cover is by The Highwaymen. That version makes good use of all of the members of the group: Johnny Cash, Waylong Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, and Willie Nelson.

    Two of the members of that group — Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash — recorded their own solo versions too. Here is the group version. So listen to the song one more time as a reminder to check those gun laws when you travel.

    UPDATE:  In March 2012, Merredith Graves reached a deal with prosecutors so she did not face any jail time for carrying bringing her gun to town.

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    This Week in Pop Culture Roundup (4 Dec. 2011 Edition)

    Tommy movie film In case you have been preoccupied having seizures from watching The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 — or you have been preparing to suspend you campaign for president — or if you were busy writing a speech for a governor apologizing to a teenager, here are some of the pop culture stories you might have missed.


    —— Music ——

    Don McLean revealed where he wrote and first performed “American Pie,” refuting a local legend.

    In Grammy news, Adele, Kanye West, Bruno Mars, and Foo Fighters led the Grammy nominations. In other Grammy news, some pondered whether or not the Beach Boys will reunite at the Grammys. Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane was nominated for two Grammys and will compete with Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand. Finally, Sugarland joined Lady Gaga for a rousing performance of “You and I” at the Grammy Nominations Concert this week.

    In another cool collaboration, Bruce Springsteen appeared on stage with Bob Seger last week for some old time rock and roll. Blogness has the story and video.

    John Lennon’s to-do list went up for auction. All you need is . . . more marmalade.

    Andrea True, singer of “More More More (How Do You Like It?),” passed away earlier this month.

    You may listen to the new CD from the Roots, “undun,” on NPR’s website.

    Hanson (i.e., The Hanson Brothers) are developing a beer named. . . “MMMHop.” I’m guessing the beer will stay with you for a long time in the same way the catchy song does.

    The Los Angeles Times reviewed Willie Nelson’s new CD, “Remember Me, Vol. 1.”

    In touring news, George Michael cancelled the remaining dates of his tour to recover from pneumonia. Meanwhile, The Red Hot Chili Peppers announced their first U.S. tour in nearly five years, starting Jan. 25.

    It’s “either a misprint or a satire.” — Elvis Costello, commenting on $339.98 box set of a Costello performance.

    The New York Times
    reviewed a new biography of Ahmet Ertegun, the great founder and president of Atlantic Records.

    Watch the ten films for the ten songs on Bon Iver’s self-titled album, released this week in a deluxe edition.

    —— Movies ——

    The Sound of Music has found a new life in movie theaters as a sing-a-long event.

    Planet of the Apes

    This week, Retraunaut posted some cool behind-the-scenes photos from Planet of the Apes (1967) of the “apes” hanging out.

    Firstshowing.net reviewed Cameron Crowe’s new movie We Bought a Zoo.

    In honor of the director’s latest film, Salon featured a slide show of Martin Scorsese’s greatest films.

    A new book recounts how actress Hedy Lamarr contributed to the cell phone technology we use today.

    The New York Times
    reviewed the new DVD and Blu-ray of the classic and controversial film, Birth of a Nation.

    Ken Russell, the director of Tommy, The Devils, and Altered States passed away. Watching each of those films in the movie theater were memorable events for me. RIP Mr. Russell.

    New pictures were released of the fictional Mars in the upcoming John Carter.

    Fans discussed how the possible Before Sunrise/Before Sunset sequel should go.

    I was sorry to hear that Roger Ebert’s recent incarnation of At the Movies is going on hiatus. I enjoyed the show.


    —— Other Pop Culture News ——

    The Waltons reunited on The Today Show for their 40th Anniversary.

    In The Office news, now you may buy Dunder Mifflin copy paper. Also, Stanley from The Office (Leslie David Baker) made a music video. In sadder Office-related news, comedian Patrice O’Neal, who also appeared periodically on The Office, passed away last week from complications of a stroke. RIP.

    The Fantastic Four are turning 50.

    The inventor of the Jenos pizza roll and Chun King canned Chinese food, Jeno Paulucci, died on Thanksgiving. Chun King was the only time I encountered Chinese food as a kid, and, well, I have enjoyed several meals of nothing but pizza rolls. RIP Mr. Paulucci.

    What were your thoughts on the pop culture stories of the week? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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