Hey, thanks so much for confirming the time periods for See You There and Adios, Cowpoke. Much appreciated.
I am listening (again) to Glen's "Everybody's Talkin'", the music video on YouTube and preview for the album's release this Friday. The writer from Paste magazine describes this song as the one misstep on the album because it "lacks the youthful optimism in Harry Nilsson’s definitive 1969 reading".
I can't agree with this one line of an otherwise outstanding review. Sure, Nilsson's 1969 version is youthful. Also definitive. Classic.
But optimistic? Perhaps in the tempo of the song. However, I can't hear the optimism, not when listening to the song's words. The lyrics begin with describing alienation and disconnecting from other people. Needing to escape. Escaping to a fantasy: "I'm going where the sun keeps shining." And yet, the escape is to a place where the sun keeps shining
through the pouring rain. This place is not all sunshine.
How about this dark verse:
"People stopping, staring
I can't see their faces
Only the shadows of their eyes"
Haunting, right?
The repetition of verses is interesting to me. Is the song's protagonist trying to reassure or convince him/herself that good things are to come?
The last line in the song speaks of determination or perhaps desperation: "I won't let you leave my love behind."
The song is deceiving, isn't it? It sounds lighthearted. However, some of its lines are very dark.
For me, it is impossible to listen to this song and not think about how it plays into the devastating context of the film, "Midnight Cowboy", as its theme song. The film is about two outcasts who befriend each other because they can't survive alone in the dirty jungle of New York City's dark side. However, survival in the city is only short-lived. They escape from the city near the end of the film, only for _______ to happen. (No spoiler here.)
Check out this video with Nilsson's song playing against the backdrop of clips from the film:
Contains spoilers!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zHVFXorF38" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Glen's reading is also upbeat for the most part, right?
It is delivered as a lighthearted song, I feel. But is it really optimistic? No, I don't think so; it can't be. Not for Nilsson, not for Glen.
Notice how Glen emphasizes the word "stone" giving it weight; significance. "Skipping over the ocean like a STONE."
Perhaps I am hearing his cover in the context of someone who has Alzheimer's. And how it must be for that person to feel that "Everybody's talking at me / I don't hear a word they're saying...." Maybe this is what the Paste reviewer meant by lacking youthful optimism? Regardless, the song seems to be a perfect choice for Glen's final album.
Below are the song lyrics from G@@gle. Glen stays relatively close to these lyrics except at the end when he Campbellizes the song with his own wonderful ending. It is a great song. Beautiful. Sad.
Lyrics
Everybody's talking at me
I don't hear a word they're saying
Only the echoes of my mind
People stopping, staring
I can't see their faces
Only the shadows of their eyes
I'm going where the sun keeps shining
Through the pouring rain
Going where the weather suits my clothes
Banking off of the northeast winds
Sailing on a summer breeze
And skipping over the ocean like a stone
I'm going where the sun keeps shining
Through the pouring rain
Going where the weather suits my clothes
Banking off of the northeast winds
Sailing on a summer breeze
And skipping over the ocean like a stone
Everybody's talking at me
Can't hear a word they're saying
Only the echoes of my mind
I won't let you leave my love behind
No, I won't let you leave
I won't let you leave my love behind
Written by Fred Neil • Copyright © BMG Rights Management US, LLC
Bonus Info!
DID YOU KNOW: John Barry, who supervised the music and composed the score for "Midnight Cowboy", won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Theme. Fred Neil's song "Everybody's Talkin'" won a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for Harry Nilsson. Schlesinger chose the song as its theme, and the song underscores the first act. Other songs considered for the theme included Nilsson's own "I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City" and Randy Newman's "Cowboy". Bob Dylan wrote "Lay Lady Lay" to serve as the theme song, but did not finish it in time. The movie's main theme, "Midnight Cowboy", featured harmonica by Toots Thielemans, but on its album version it was played by Tommy Reilly. The soundtrack album was released by United Artists Records in 1969. [Source: Wikipedia @
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_ ... Soundtrack" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;]