Stay just a little bit longer…

In “The Load Out”, Jackson Browne tells us about his work experience and manages to make it palatable.  Most rock stars age out by the time they are 30. They never write another good song past that age. Why? Many reasons.

The main reason is that the exciting experiencing of youth have turned into the drudgery of the road. Once an artist gets to be famous to the “travelling-musician” level you are going to be seeing a lot of the road.

Or they hit it big and are riding in private jets. So, what do you write songs about if not your lived experience? You either must be super creative and imaginative, have a good memory of your youth, or use other people’s stories as content. Or attempt to describe your daily lived experience on the job. And that is risky. Paint an unflattering picture and risk being labelled a “sellout”, and alienate your audience.

But Browne avoids the pitfalls that I described above for two reasons. Primarily because the message is “All the mundane travel is worth it because when we walk on the stage and get to play for the fans it is all worth it.” And he is grateful to the behind-the-scenes people. He notices them. The work they do. Without this, the song wouldn’t work. Jackson Browne seems like a genuine guy, so the song connects.

There is one final touch that manages to bridge that gap that I was talking about—the wealth gap. This song is written as a love song. I am sure this has been called a “love song to the road” or a “love song to the fans” or whatever on a thousand publications, but here is apt. We can feel the love he has for the music.

And of course, the music of The Load out is so beautiful. And tender. The piano playing is casual as is his voice. As more instruments are introduced the song shows off the talents of each band member—each is given their time to shine.

The way he incorporates the song “Stay” by Maurice Williams is fun and unconventional. Just reading it sounds gimmicky, but it works. The falsetto is outrageous and playful. A contrast to the somber mood of where the song started. A great place to end the show.

The Ramones had a more colorful take about life on the road.

The Load Out Lyrics

Now the seats are all empty
Let the roadies take the stage
Pack it up and tear it down
They’re the first to come and the last to leave
Working for that minimum wage
They’ll set it up in another town

Tonight the people were so fine
They waited there in line
And when they got up on their feet
They made the show

And that was sweet
But I can hear the sound
Of slamming doors and folding chairs
And that’s a sound they’ll never know

Now roll them cases out and lift them amps
Haul them trusses down and get ’em up them ramps
‘Cause when it comes to moving me
You know, you guys are the champs

But when that last guitar’s been packed away
You know that I still wanna play
So just make sure you got it all set to go
Before you come for my piano

But the band’s on the bus
And they’re waiting to go
We gotta drive all night
And do the show in Chicago

Or Detroit, I don’t know
We do so many shows in a row
And these towns all look the same

We just pass the time in the hotel rooms
And wander ’round backstage
‘Til those lights come up, and we hear that crowd
And we remember why we came

Now we got Country and Western on the bus
R & B, we got Disco
And eight tracks and cassettes in stereo

And we got rural scenes and magazines
And we got truckers on the C.B.
And we got Richard Pryor on the video

We got time to think of the ones we love
While the miles roll away
The only time that seems too short
Is the time that we get to play

People, you’ve got the power over what we do
You can sit there and wait or you can pull us through
Come along, sing the song
You know that you can’t go wrong

‘Cause when that morning sun comes beating down
You’re gonna wake up in your town
But we’ll be scheduled to appear
A thousand miles away from here

Songwriters: Jackson Browne / Bryan Garofalo

Stay Lyrics

Stay, ah just a little bit longer,
Please, please, please, please, please,
Tell me that you’re going to

Now your Daddy don’t mind,
And your Mommy don’t mind,
If we have another dance, yeah,
Just one more, one more time.

Oh won’t you stay, just a little bit longer,
Please let me hear you say that you will
Say you will

Won’t you place your sweet lips to mine,
Won’t you say you love me all the time

Songwriters: Cedric Allen Williams

Oooh, what a lucky man he was…

Luck is one of the most under-appreciated forces that guides every aspect of our life—both good and bad. Nothing is a bigger turn off than hearing someone say, “I don’t believe in luck”. Luck is so pervasive that not even morality can escape it. Would you steal if you were starving? Of course you would. Most of us were born into a situation where food is abundant enough to not have to steal.

Have you ever been distracted while driving? Probably. The only difference between most of us and those who have committed vehicular manslaughter is dumb luck. We are considered “better people” for something we have no control over. That is, no other car or person was in our way during the time we were distracted.

The ”Lucky Man” in Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s hit is also susceptible to the whims of luck. One day he is a good-looking, able-bodied man who is bedding tons of women. The next, he is in a war (that he had no say in) getting shot at. Alas, his good luck runs out, and is struck with a lethal bullet. Had it been a windy day, perhaps the bullet would have drifted an inch to the left to a non-lethal area of his body. But it didn’t, and now he is dead.

What really makes the song is the moog synthesizer outro—it really is one of the great solos in rock. Interestingly it was not planned. That was just Emerson messing around on his Moog and his producer put that improvisation straight onto the record. The sound is so unique that they were unable to recreate it on tours, so they just stopped trying. Lucky.

The harmonies are strong and warm, but a lot of the depth of sound is created by overdubbing. But it still sounds great. You may also like Lake’s work in King Crimson.

Lucky Man Lyrics

He had white horses
And ladies by the score
All dressed in satin
And waiting by the door

Oooh, what a lucky man he was
Oooh, what a lucky man he was

White lace and feathers
They made up his bed
A gold covered mattress
On which he was laid

Oooh, what a lucky man he was
Oooh, what a lucky man he was

He went to fight wars
For his country and his king
Of his honour and his glory
The people would sing

Oooh, what a lucky man he was
Oooh, what a lucky man he was

A bullet had found him
His blood ran as he cried
No money could save him
So he laid down and he died

Oooh, what a lucky man he was
Oooh, what a lucky man he was

written by Greg Lake

I can see very well/
Take my word I’m a madman, don’t you know?

“Madman Across the Water” by Elton John seems to be written about a guy who is in an asylum but might not be as mad as everyone thinks he is. However, the circumstances might be driving him there.

He is lucid, and joking and sarcastic, the only thing we really suspect that makes him “mad” is his half-joke that he might not be up high enough from the ground (presumably so that if he jumped he wouldn’t kill himself).

He says “I can see very well”. The way he describes it makes it seem like a family put a troubled young man in a hospital of some sort and they come and visit for a short time once a week. And this isn’t exactly curing him. It makes him feel like a circus freak.

Musically, this is the first time we hear John use a guitar in one of his songs. The guitar solo is quite effective: it sounds dissonant, as if things aren’t right. Perfect for the song. John’s voice is always good. He sounds feisty when he sings this song.

He released two versions of “Madman Across the Water”. In the one on the Madman album there is also a lot of orchestral work. I can’t tell if I like this one or the one on Tumbleweed Connection better. They are both good. He seems to use the piano a lot less in this song then in most of his other work. He also experiments with different percussion.

Madman Across the Water Lyrics

I can see very well,
There’s a boat on the reef with a broken back.
And I can see it very well.
There’s a joke and I know it very well.
It’s one of those that I told you long ago,
Take my word I’m a madman, don’t you know?

Once a fool had a good part in the play.
If it’s so would I still be here today?
It’s quite peculiar in a funny sort of way.
They think it’s very funny everything I say.
Get a load of him, he’s so insane.
You better get your coat dear,
It looks like rain.

We’ll come again next Thursday afternoon,
The in-laws hope they’ll see you very soon.
But is it in your conscience that you’re after,
Another glimpse of the madman across the water?

I can see very well.
There’s a boat on the reef with a broken back.
And I can see it very well.
There’s a joke and I know it very well,
It’s one of those that I told you long ago.
Take my word I’m a madman, don’t you know.

The ground’s a long way down but I need more.
Is the nightmare really black
Or are the windows painted?
Will they come again next week
Can my mind really take it?

We’ll come again next Thursday afternoon.
The in-laws hope they’ll see you very soon.
But is it in your conscience that you’re after,
Another glimpse of a madman across the water?

Songwriters: Bernie Taupin / Elton John