Before the Reinvention, Emmylou Harris’ “High Powered Love” Set Cowgirl’s Prayer in Motion
On an album shaped by wood, space, and quiet conviction, “High Powered Love” arrived like...
Melody Era
In 1980, Emmylou Harris Brought Gold Watch and Chain Back Home on Roses in the Snow
On Roses in the Snow, Emmylou Harris did not just revisit an old song. She...
That First Drift of Sound: Emmylou Harris’ Where Will I Be and the 1995 Wrecking Ball Reinvention
Where Will I Be opens Wrecking Ball like a question hanging in dusk, and in...
Before the Breakthrough, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Walk on the Water Still Sounded Like The Golliwogs Growing Up
Before Creedence Clearwater Revival found the sound that would soon define them, “Walk on the...
The Wild Turn Nobody Expected: Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Ramble Tamble Opens Cosmo’s Factory Like a Dare
Before Cosmo’s Factory settles into its run of hits and hard-driving confidence, Creedence Clearwater Revival...
The Quiet Surprise of 1971: The Partridge Family’s “I’ll Meet You Halfway” Gave David Cassidy His Most Tender Vocal
On “I’ll Meet You Halfway”, The Partridge Family sounded less like a television phenomenon and...
He Wasn’t Chasing Yesterday: David Cassidy’s Romance (Let Your Heart Go) and the 1985 European Reinvention
By 1985, David Cassidy was no longer singing from inside a teen dream. With Romance...
Why Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram’s “Somewhere Out There” Became the Beating Heart of An American Tail
In a film about separation, hope, and the long ache of distance, “Somewhere Out There”...
A Different Kind of Trouble: Linda Ronstadt Turned “Poor Poor Pitiful Me” into a 1977 Classic on Simple Dreams
On Simple Dreams, Linda Ronstadt took “Poor Poor Pitiful Me” and changed its whole temperature,...
The Quiet Spark of 1981: Emmylou Harris and Don Williams Made “If I Needed You” Feel Like a Promise
In 1981, Emmylou Harris and Don Williams stepped into “If I Needed You” and made...
When Neil Diamond and Brian Wilson Met, “Delirious Love” Found a Whole New Glow
On the 2005 special edition of 12 Songs, Neil Diamond and Brian Wilson turn “Delirious...
A Reunion Hidden in Plain Sight: Bee Gees’ Walking Back to Waterloo Is Trafalgar’s Most Human Moment
On Walking Back to Waterloo, the Bee Gees turn reunion into song: two brothers singing...
Buried in 2012’s Punching Bag, Josh Turner’s ‘Pallbearer’ Becomes Something Else With Marty Stuart and Iris DeMent
Some songs feel written in ink; Pallbearer feels carved out of wood, dust, and silence....
The Song Too Many Fans Skip: Linda Ronstadt’s “Love Has No Pride” May Be the Soul of Don’t Cry Now
On Don’t Cry Now, Linda Ronstadt turns “Love Has No Pride” into something almost unbearably...
Before Rodney Crowell Took Center Stage, Emmylou Harris Set Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight Loose on Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town
Fast, bright, and deceptively weightless, this 1978 recording shows how Emmylou Harris could carry a...
The Slow-Burning Fury of 1969: Why Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Effigy” Still Feels Dangerous
Closing Willy and the Poor Boys with smoke, repetition, and dread, “Effigy” turned Creedence Clearwater...
Buried on Cherish, David Cassidy’s Ricky’s Tune Was the 1972 Side of Him the Hits Couldn’t Show
On a 1972 album built in the glare of fame, David Cassidy left room for...
Before “Desperado” Belonged to Everyone, Linda Ronstadt Made It Ache on 1973’s Don’t Cry Now
On Don’t Cry Now in 1973, Linda Ronstadt turned “Desperado” from a beautifully written song...
The Turning Point Few Fans Missed: Bee Gees’ Wind of Change Was Re-Recorded for Main Course
Sometimes a deep cut tells the real story. On Main Course, Bee Gees song Wind...
Hidden in Odessa, Bee Gees’ Marley Purt Drive Showed a Rougher, Earthier Side in 1969
On an album remembered for sweep, detail, and grand design, Marley Purt Drive lets the...
The Night Cherry, Cherry Caught Fire Again: Neil Diamond’s 1973 Hot August Night Live Single Still Surges
On the 1973 live single from Hot August Night, Neil Diamond did more than revive...
When Romance Ruled the Charts: Neil Diamond’s Longfellow Serenade and Its 1974 Run to No. 5
In 1974, Neil Diamond carried a stately, romantic song into the center of American pop,...
The Song Fans Missed: Why Josh Turner’s “Eye Candy” Still Glows in His 2010 Haywire Era
Not every revealing song is a hit single. Sometimes an overlooked album cut says more...
Easy to Miss, Hard to Forget: Josh Turner’s “The Difference Between a Woman and a Man” Gave Long Black Train Its Quiet Depth
On a debut remembered for one towering signature song, “The Difference Between a Woman and...
When Two Voices Fell Into Place: Linda Ronstadt’s “I Can’t Help It” With Emmylou Harris on Heart Like a Wheel
On Heart Like a Wheel, Linda Ronstadt did not simply revisit a Hank Williams song....
The First Wound Runs Deep: Linda Ronstadt’s “Lose Again” Opened Hasten Down the Wind in 1976 With Quiet Devastation
Before Hasten Down the Wind reveals its full sweep, Linda Ronstadt begins with a song...
A Quiet Spark Still Glows: Why Emmylou Harris and Mark Knopfler’s “This Is Us” Says So Much With So Little
On This Is Us, Emmylou Harris and Mark Knopfler turn a grown-up conversation into song,...
Before Wrecking Ball, Emmylou Harris Found the Quiet Truth in “Crescent City”
On Cowgirl’s Prayer, Emmylou Harris sang “Crescent City” as if she were already stepping away...
The Quiet Power of 1981: Why Emmylou Harris and Don Williams Made ‘If I Needed You’ Feel Like a Whisper You Never Forget
Some duets do not arrive with drama at all. Emmylou Harris and Don Williams turned...
When the Room Goes Still: Emmylou Harris’s “Wayfaring Stranger” on Roses in the Snow Finds a Deeper Truth
On Roses in the Snow, Emmylou Harris sings “Wayfaring Stranger” as if the old spiritual...