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Heart Of Gold

heart-of-gold chords and lyrics

“Heart of Gold” is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young. From his fourth studio album Harvest (1972), it is Young’s only U.S. No. 1 single. In Canada, it reached No. 1 on the RPM national singles chart for the first time on April 8, 1972, on which date Young held the top spot on both the singles and albums charts, and No. 1 again on May 13. Billboard ranked it as the No. 17 song for 1972.

In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it No. 297 on their list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, No. 303 in an updated 2010 list, and No. 259 in 2021.

Description

The song, which features backup vocals by James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, is one of a series of soft acoustic pieces which were written partly as a result of a back injury. Unable to stand for long periods of time, Young could not play his electric guitar and so returned to his acoustic guitar, which he could play sitting down. He also played his harmonica during the three instrumental portions, including the introduction to the song.

“Heart of Gold” was recorded during the initial sessions for Harvest on February 6–8, […]

Paul2026-04-20T08:38:58-04:00

When I Fall In Love

“When I Fall in Love” is a popular song written by Victor Young (music) and Edward Heyman (lyrics). It was introduced in Howard Hughes‘ final film, One Minute to Zero, as an instrumental titled “Theme from One Minute to Zero”. Jeri Southern recorded the first vocal version, released in April 1952, with Young handling the arrangement and conducting duties. The song went on to become a standard, recorded by many artists; the first hit version was sung by Doris Day and released in July 1952.

Day’s recording was made on June 5, 1952. It was issued by Columbia Records as catalog number 39786, backed with “Take Me in Your Arms”. The single reached number 20 on the Billboard chart. A 1993 duet version by Celine Dion and Clive Griffin, recorded for the film Sleepless in Seattle, brought the song renewed international attention and won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s). A 1996 recording by Natalie Cole, performed as a duet with her father Nat King Cole using vocals from his 1956 version, won two awards at the 39th Annual Grammy Awards: Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and Best Instrumental Arrangement with Accompanying Vocal(s).

“Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day; while failure is simply a few errors […]

Paul2026-04-20T08:30:21-04:00

Silver Wings

Download the PDF chords and lyrics for Silver Wings

“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.” – Aldous Huxley

Paul2026-04-08T18:26:13-04:00

Momma Tried

“Mama Tried” is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Merle Haggard and The Strangers. It was released in July 1968 as the first single and title track from the album Mama Tried. The song became one of the cornerstone songs of his career. It won the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999, and was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry due to its “cultural, historic, or artistic significance” on March 23, 2016, just 14 days before Haggard’s death. In 2021, it was ranked at No. 376 on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time”.

Background

In “Mama Tried”, Haggard focuses on the pain and suffering he caused his own mother by being incarcerated in 1957 in San Quentin. Haggard ultimately served three years on a robbery conviction.

However, the song is not literally autobiographical, as many country music historians point out. While writer Bill Malone’s assessment of the song is in agreement with Ace Collins’ (referring to his own experiences that saw him sentenced to prison), Malone points out that Haggard never was sentenced to “life without parole,” as the protagonist in the song was. Still, the song’s lyrics, and the protagonist’s experiences, are heavily influenced by Haggard’s early life.

Paul2026-03-16T19:07:59-04:00

Whiskey in a Jar

whiskey in a jar

“Whiskey in the Jar” (Roud 533) is an Irish traditional song set in the southern mountains of Ireland, often with specific mention of counties Cork and Kerry. The song, about a rapparee (highwayman) who is betrayed by his wife or lover, is one of the most widely performed traditional Irish songs and has been recorded by numerous artists since the 1950s.

The song first gained wide exposure when Irish folk band the Dubliners performed it internationally as a signature song and recorded it on three albums in the 1960s. In the U.S., the song was popularised by the Highwaymen, who recorded it on their 1962 album Encore. Irish rock band Thin Lizzy hit the Irish and British pop charts with the song in 1973. In 1990, the Dubliners re-recorded the song with the Pogues with a faster rockish version charting at No. 63 in the UK. American metal band Metallica in 1998 played a version very similar to that of Thin Lizzy’s, though with a heavier sound, winning a Grammy for the song in 2000 for Best Hard Rock Performance.

“Do it again on the next verse and people think you meant it.” – Chet Atkins

Paul2026-04-08T18:26:54-04:00

Sweet Home Alabama

“Sweet Home Alabama” is a song by American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, released on the band’s second album Second Helping (1974). It was written in response to Neil Young‘s songs “Southern Man” and “Alabama“, which the band felt blamed the entire Southern United States for slavery; Young is name-checked and dissed in the lyrics. It reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1974, becoming the band’s highest-charting single.

The song remains a staple in Southern and classic rock, and, along with “Free Bird”, is arguably the band’s signature song.

The political lyrics of the song compare Richard Nixon and his Watergate scandal with the governor of Alabama George Wallace and his political supporters in Birmingham. The lyrics have been perceived as mocking the American liberals and their outrage at Nixon’s conduct.

“Inspiration may be a form of super consciousness, or perhaps of subconsciousness – I wouldn’t know. But I am sure it is the antithesis of self-consciousness.” – Aaron Copland

Paul2026-04-19T12:27:08-04:00

Edelweiss

“Anyone who loves music can never be quite unhappy.” – Franz Schubert

Paul2026-04-08T18:28:50-04:00

Hallellujah

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.” – Plato

Paul2026-04-08T18:28:21-04:00

Trashy Women

“Trashy Women” is a song written by Chris Wall and recorded by American country music singer Jerry Jeff Walker in 1989 and later by the band Confederate Railroad. It reached number 63 on the US Country chart in 1989 for Walker, and was a number 10 country hit four years later from Confederate Railroad’s self-titled debut album.

According to legend, Walker was in the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar in Jackson, Wyoming one evening and heard either Wall (who was also a bartender at the bar) or Kip Attaway performing the song. He then asked whichever it was to come to his hotel room later to teach him the song.

“If only the whole world could feel the power of harmony.” -Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Paul2026-04-19T09:02:24-04:00

Mr. Bojangles

“Mr. Bojangles” is a song written and originally recorded by American country music artist Jerry Jeff Walker for his 1968 album of the same title. It has since been recorded by other artists, including the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1969 whose version hit number 9 on the Hot 100 in November 1970.

Walker said he was inspired to write the song after an encounter with a street performer in a New Orleans jail. While in jail for public intoxication in 1965, he met a homeless man who called himself “Mr. Bojangles” to conceal his true identity from the police. Mr. Bojangles had been arrested as part of a police sweep of indigent people that was carried out following a high-profile murder. The two men and others in the cell chatted about all manner of things, but when Mr. Bojangles told a story about his performing dog who was killed by a car, the mood in the room turned heavy. Someone else in the cell asked for something to lighten the mood, and Mr. Bojangles obliged with a tap dance. The homeless “Mr. Bojangles”, who was white, had taken his pseudonym from Bill “Bojangles” Robinson (1878–1949), a black entertainer.

“Music is powerful. As people listen to it, they can be affected. They respond.” – […]

Paul2026-04-08T18:29:50-04:00

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