There were so many songs that qualified for inclusion in this week’s Song Lyric Sunday. Jim suggested we consider songs that revolve around the words Come/Go/Leave/Stay. I knew most of the songs in my mental repertoire were most likely going to be related to love and/or heartbreak!
I would guess there have been more songs about love and love lost than any other subject in the world. That should reveal a little bit about our human condition. What is love? How many times have I been in love? Will love last? Does love hurt? What about unrequited love? There’s puppy love and forever love.
Today’s song asks the question about how long love lasts — even when it’s over.
”Long, Long Time” was written by Gary B. White and was first recorded in 1970 by Linda Ronstadt. The song was released as a single and included on Ronstadt’s first solo album (Silk Purse) since leaving the Stone Poneys. Linda’s meeting with Gary White is detailed on AmericanSongwriter.com, written by Gary B. White himself:
“In 1969, Ronstadt was opening shows for Jerry Jeff Walker at New York’s Bitter End. Songwriter and guitar player David Bromberg once asked her after a show to accompany him to the nearby Cafe Au Go-Go, where Gary White was playing backup guitar for singer-songwriter Paul Siebel. “He said White had written some good songs, and there was one in particular that he felt would be perfect for me,” Ronstadt writes in Chapter 3, “Going Solo.”
“I was prepared to be disappointed. I thought it difficult for someone to know what I looked for in a song,” she adds.
“We saw the last part of his very impressive show made rich with his cowboy falsetto and a song about a poignant, sad girl of a certain reputation named Louise, and then went backstage to meet Gary,” she writes of the first moment she heard the song. “He had already packed up his guitar, so he took it back out of its case, sat down, and began to sing [this song]. I told Gary I wanted to record it immediately.”
“Long, Long Time” reached #25 on the Billboard Top 100, and #20 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart. In 1971, the song earned Ronstadt a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Female Vocal Performance.
Linda Ronstadt was a powerhouse. The read about her life was extremely interesting and I have not even scratched the surface about her contribution to the music industry. Sadly, she is no longer able to sing since her diagnosis of PSP (progressive supranuclear palsy).
A little side note: all four members of the original Eagles band were once members of Linda Ronstadt’s band although not at the same time. All four (Frye, Henley, Leadon and Meisner) did perform together at one of Ronstadt’s concerts at Disneyland in 1971. A year later, the Eagles recorded and released their first album – Eagles.
“Long, Long Time”
Lyrics from Songfacts.com
Love will abide, take things in stride
Sounds like good advice but there’s no one at my side
And time washes clean love’s wounds unseen
That’s what someone told me but I don’t know what it means.
Cause I’ve done everything I know to try and make you mine
And I think I’m gonna love you for a long long time
Caught in my fears
Blinking back the tears
I can’t say you hurt me when you never let me near
And I never drew one response from you
All the while you fell all over girls you never knew
Cause I’ve done everything I know to try and make you mine
And I think it’s gonna hurt me for a long long time
Wait for the day
You’ll go away
Knowing that you warned me of the price I’d have to pay
And life’s full of flaws
Who knows the cause?
Living in the memory of a love that never was
Cause I’ve done everything I know to try and change your mind
and I think I’m gonna miss you for a long long time
Cause I’ve done everything I know to try and make you mine
And I think I’m gonna love you for a long long time.
Song Lyric Sunday is a great way to learn and share knowledge about music that spans all genres. Check our Jim’s blog to see what music was shared today. Then why not join in?
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