“These Days” is today’s classic song of the day. Written by singer/songwriter Jackson Browne, it was a standout track on Mr. Browne’s 1973 album, For Everyman. It’s a terrific song.
Jackson Browne wrote “These Days” in 1965, when he was just 16 years old. It’s a song about loss and regret that grows more poignant with the passing of years:
Well, I’ve been out walking
I don’t do that much talking these days
These days
These days I seem to think a lot
About the things that I forgot to do for you
And all the times I had the chance to
These days I’ll sit on corner stones
And count the time in quarter tones to ten, my friend
Don’t confront me with my failures
I had not forgotten them
It’s amazing that a 16 year-old had that kind of insight and wisdom.
Not surprisingly, “These Days” has been covered by a large number of artists over the years. The first recording of “These Days” was done by the singer Nico on her 1967 album, Chelsea Girl. Other notable versions were by Tom Rush on his 1970 self-titled LP; Greg Allman on his 1973 album, Laid Back; Ian Matthews on his 1973 album, Valley Hi; Cher on her 1975 album, Stars; 10,000 Maniacs on the 1990 tribute album, Rubáiyát; Fountains of Wayne on their 2005 album, Out-of-State Plates; St. Vincent on her 2006 EP, Paris is Burning; Glen Campbell on his 2008 album, Meet Glen Campbell, and Cat Power on her 2022 album, Covers. It says a lot about the song that so many different artists can interpret it in their own ways and it still more than holds up. It’s a great tune.
One of my favorite covers of “These Days” is a newer one, by singer Rachael Price (of Lake Street Dive) with stories and yMusic. Their very moving chamber ensemble version is today’s daily bonus video of the day.
These days, Jackson Browne continues to perform “These Days” in concert. And what does the now-77 year-old songwriter think when he’s singing words he wrote more than sixty years ago?
“Well, I’m not thinking about the same thing I did when I wrote it. Mainly, I’m thinking about life now. If a song is worth anything, it’s about the life of the listener. And I become a listener, too, when I sing it.”
