Tuesday Tunes 252: Work

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Looking around for something new for a theme I realised that I had never used something which is (or was) a part of all of our lives. I’ve played several related songs but not as yet a full set, so this week I’m going with songs about work. Unusually for me, I’m not looking especially at songs with the word in their title, but I’m playing tunes which are about work experiences: some good, some less so. There are quite a few candidates for this, so I’m starting with a few that you may well know.

Having said the word work wouldn’t necessarily be in the titles, I’m starting today with one which does have it:

Working in the Coal Mine was written by the musician and producer Allen Toussaint. It was first recorded, with Toussaint producing, by Lee Dorsey and released as a single in July 1966, peaking at #8 in both the US and the UK. Toussaint has said that neither he or Dorsey had ever been down a coal mine. Neither have I, but I grew up in a village not far from the small coal fields that existed at that time in Kent, and one of our near neighbours was a miner. I remember asking him what he thought of this song when it was being played a lot on the radio, and he said it was a good reflection of the hard physical labour involved, the drudgery of the job, and the incredibly unsocial hours! I was 12 at that time, just coming up to 13, and was beginning to think about possible career paths: after this song and that conversation I decided that being a miner wasn’t the job for me!

My next tune is from one of my usual suspects, and is another about the dullness of the regular daily routine of work:

The Pretender was the title track from the first Jackson Browne album to break into the UK chart, which was released in November 1976 and reached #5 in the US and #26 in the UK. The track was released as a single in May 1977, peaking at #58 in the US but not making the UK chart. I have often said that I am a huge Jackson Browne fan, and it is classic songs like this that have drawn me to his music, ever since his first album came out in January 1972 and became a part of the soundtrack to my uni days later that year. There are many versions of the song on YouTube but this live performance, backed by CS&N, stands out for being utterly magical. Mutual respect abounds, and the beauty and power of the song and its wonderful lyrics shine through. Simply amazing.

I don’t think I’ve ever played anything by this next guy before. He probably isn’t in my usual wheelhouse but he was an excellent guitarist and had a great voice, much loved by my Mum back in the day. This is one of his best (and best-known) songs:

Glen Campbell released Wichita Lineman as a single in October 1968. It topped the US Singles Chart and became his first UK hit, peaking at #7. The song was written by Jimmy Webb in response to an urgent phone request by Glen Campbell for a “geographical” song to follow up his US hit By the Time I Get to Phoenix. His lyrical inspiration came while driving through the high plains of the Oklahoma panhandle past a long line of telephone poles, on one of which perched a lineman speaking into his handset. Webb “put himself atop that pole” with the phone in his hand as he imagined the lineman talking to his girlfriend. Despite its real-life roots lying elsewhere, Webb set his song in Wichita, Kansas – I guess “Oklahoma Panhandle Lineman” didn’t scan as well. It became the title track of Glen’s eleventh album, which was released in November 1968 and went to #1 in both the US and Canada, but wasn’t a hit here in the UK. As I said, my Mum loved him and had a couple of his albums, including this one.

I’m returning to the theme of early morning starts for work with this next one:

As I have often said, Cat Stevens has been a favourite of mine ever since his early pop star days. He was born as Steven Demetre Georgiou in July 1948, but changed to his stage name as he thought his real name might be difficult for people to remember when they were in record shops. He chose ‘Cat’ as a girlfriend said he had the eyes of a cat, and ‘Britons liked animals,’ and kept his first name as it was also easier to pronounce. His debut album, Matthew And Son, was released in March 1967, reaching #7 in the UK albums chart, and #173 in the US. His first single was I Love My Dog, released in September 1966, peaking at #28 in the UK and #118 in the US. This title track from the album was his second single, released in December 1966, and gave him a big hit in the UK, where it got to #2, though it only made #115 in the US. For those who know him from his later singer-songwriter days this 18 year old version of him may come as a surprise!

I’m indulging myself by closing with another of my favourites today. Having been born and brought up near the coast, when the fishing industry was important locally, I have a soft spot for the theme behind this one, though he is really using it as an escape from reality:

That was, of course, The Waterboys and Fisherman’s Blues, the title track of their fourth album, released in October 1988. The fiddle on that gets me every time: it is such a simply joyous sound. Mike Scott, the band leader and principal songwriter, was entering a period where his songs were becoming more folk-based, in keeping with his roots (he is Scottish, with Irish connections). Fisherman’s Blues reached #13 in the UK Albums Chart and was their first US success, getting to #76 over there. It is a wonderful album, which I have played many times and still love. As a single, released in December 1988, this track was a modest UK hit, reaching #32. Mike began writing the song on a flight from New York to London, at the end of the Waterboys’ North American tour in November 1985. In his autobiography he revealed: “I knew that the relationship [with Gary Kurfirst, their manager] was in terminal decline. I wanted out. Squeezed into seat 31F, I wrote down my feelings in verse on the back of my boarding pass, the beginnings of a new song called Fisherman’s Blues. Some of the lyrics were also inspired by the W. H. Auden poem The Night Mail.” In an interview with Songfacts in 2013 he said “I wrote the third verse in the studio. The music got written that day in the studio as well. I had the chords, but the tone of the song came from Steve Wickham’s fiddle accompaniment.” So it isn’t just me that thinks of that as a highlight!

That’s today’s five tunes done and dusted. This feels like a good theme, and I already have more than enough for another set so it may well return. I hope you’ve enjoyed them, and it was a welcome opportunity for me to play two new acts amongst the favourites. Have a great week, and I’ll see you again soon. 😊

 

55 thoughts on “Tuesday Tunes 252: Work”

  1. Pingback: Rounding Up May | Take It Easy

  2. Wichita Lineman is such a great song that is overlooked at times. Webb was a great songwriter and Glen Campbell was one of the best guitar players in pop, country, or rock. When EVH wants lessons from you…you are doing something right.

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  3. I listened to this the other day but forgot to comment. I always wondered why Cat Stevens chose Cat as his name. Thanks for the fact, and you did a great job again at picking the songs. But you didn’t have Working 9-5 by Dolly Parton 😂😂

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  9. 100% for me this week, Clive. The only one that was new for me was the last one. I don’t think I’m as big a fan of the fiddle as you, but I would listen to this one again. My favorite this week is Jackson Browne. One of the people in my last post mentioned Glen Campbell, so I included Wichita Lineman in the comments. I’m not a big Glen Campbell guy, but this was my favorite tune of his. I also mentioned that a high school classmate of mine just passed. He played the guitar, featuring mostly Glen Campbell tunes.

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    • A pleasing result, Pete, thank you. I’ve long enjoyed the fiddle in music – it’s my folk roots! That Jackson Browne one is a great song, and this was a wonderful performance. I’m sorry to hear of your friend – it must have been poignant for you to see this today.

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    • I’d forgotten about Car Wash, to be honest! It just shows how many songs there are for this theme. Glad you liked my selection, and I was never leaving Wichita Lineman out!

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    • Thank you, Ernie, I’m glad you enjoyed them. Cat Stevens’ early pop career didn’t really take off over there, and the Waterboys one wasn’t well known in the US either. I’m pleased you liked them both 👍

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  18. “Wichita Lineman” is one of my favorite songs, but too many people think Campbell wrote it, not Jimmy Webb. Webb’s always fascinated me. He wrote some real beauties…but then there’s “MacArthur Park,” with its cakes in the rain, baking, and recipes!

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  19. The thought of listening to Glen Campbell always elicits an eye roll and an exaggerated sigh of resignation …. until his voice breaks through and I remember what an amazing singer/storyteller he truly was. Each song this morning is a winner! Great work, Clive! ☺️

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  20. Greeat topic and list…”working for the weekend” is another great song, but you nailed it with “the pretender”…Jackson Browne is so great, saw him last fall in New York and he played just under three hours with a collection across all of his decades of music

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    • Thanks, John. It felt like I was on a winner choosing this! I saw JB back in 2010 – a real bucket list moment for me, and we got two shows in one: first half promoting the album he made with David Lindsey and full band for the second part. A magical evening 👍

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