Today’s classic song of the day is “Second Avenue.” The song was written by little-known singer-songwriter Tim Moore but also recorded and released as a single by Art Garfunkel. Tim Moore released his version of the song in September of 1974 and it peaked at #58 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #41 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. Art Garfunkel’s version, released the same month, fared better, going all the way to #34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #8 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart.
“Second Avenue” is a breakup song, more or less. The lyrics describe the narrator getting back together with his ex-girlfriend, just for a day:
Since we can no longer make it, girl
I’ve found a new place to live my life
It’s really no place at all
Just a hole in the wall, you see
It’s cold and dusty but I let it be
Livin’ here without you
On Second Avenue
It’s a gentle ballad, heartfelt and heartbreaking, especially when you get to the last verse:
Since we can no longer see the light,
The way we did when we kissed that night
Then all the things that we felt,
Must eventually melt and fade.
Like the frost on my window pane.
Where I wrote ‘I am you,’ on Second Avenue
Such strong imagery.
Musically, “Second Avenue” almost sounds like a Jimmy Webb tune, although it was written by Tim Moore. It’s definitely a piano song, filled with interesting chords and a progression that doesn’t progress in the way you might expect. The verse, for example, includes some nice extended chords anchored by a bass line that first ascends and then descends, all in stepwise order. In the key of E, it goes like this: E – F#m7 – E/G# – AMaj7 – A6, then back down again with E/G# – C/G – D/F# – G – D/F#. That last chord serves as the dominant for a temporary modulation into G, which is the next chord, which then starts another descending bass line phrase, going G – D/F# – C#m7 – F#m7, that last chord serving as the dominant to the next chord, B7, which is the dominant of E, which leads us right back to the original chord progression. Very sophisticated use of modulations and dominant-tonic transitions there.
Tim Moore grew up in Philadelphia and played drums in a band called Woody’s Truck Stop alongside fellow bandmate (and future pop star) Todd Rundgren. He worked as a studio guitarist for Thom Bell and Gamble and Huff on various Philly Soul sessions, and lived next door to Daryl Hall for awhile; Moore and Hall even formed a pre-Hall & Oates band called Gulliver. When Gulliver disbanded, Moore moved to Woodstock, New York, and sang backup on the first (non-album) single for Steely Dan, “Dallas.” He released his self-titled debut album in 1974 for a label called A Small Record Company, which unfortunately went out of business shortly after the album was released.
That album contained the track “Second Avenue,” which was also released as a single. Moore’s second album, 1975’s Behind the Eyes, contained the song “Rock and Roll Love Letter,” which became a hit for the Bay City Rollers. He never had anything remotely resembling a hit after that, although he continues to perform today.
As to Art Garfunkel, he’d split from his old friend Paul Simon in 1970 and released his first solo album, Angel Clare, in 1973. “Second Avenue” was a non-album single release between Angel Clare and his follow-up album, 1975’s Breakaway. Unfortunately, with Mr. Garfunkel’s version of “Second Avenue” and Tim Moore’s version competing with each other on the charts, neither became a big hit. That’s a shame; it’s a hell of a song.
