Jackson Browne wrote “For A Dancer” in memory of a modern dancer friend who died tragically in a fire. When Jackson’s wife, the model Phyllis Major, died suddenly in 1976, “For A Dancer” mysteriously took on a new meaning. “That’s how songs work,” Brown said in an interview. “They migrate into other parts of your life and other experiences.”
Browne eventually played the song at the funerals of two other celebrity friends. And if one listens to the lyrics closely, “For A Dancer” becomes a larger commentary on the intransience of life itself. We cling to it like a thread.
To me, the larger meaning underscores the necessity of using every precious moment wisely. Here’s my cover.
In a 2009 interview, Cat Stevens (by then Yusuf Islam) is quoted as saying: “I was on holiday in Spain. I was a kid...
This John Prine song has been lauded as, "One of the best breakup songs ever written." Here's my cover of Prine's "All The Best."
Willie Nelson made “Always On My Mind” one of his signature songs. Upon hearing the song for the first time, Nelson knew that he...