At Seventeen - Janis Ian (1975)

LCM Classic: ‘At Seventeen’ - Janis Ian

Our LCM classic this week is a beautiful and reflective Grammy winning No.1 song by US singer-songwriter Janis Ian, taken from her ‘Between The Lines’ album. We won’t say too much more about the song, as Janis gives a great introduction on this live version. Enjoy!

Janis’ most successful recording, the song is a commentary on society's beauty standards, adolescent cruelty, the illusion of popularity, and teenage angst, as reflected upon from the maturity of adulthood. It is told from the point of view of a woman who was an "ugly duckling" as a girl and ignored in high school while the popular girls got all the attention.

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Sundown - Gordon Lightfoot (1974)

LCM Classic: ‘Sundown’ - Gordon Lightfoot

Our LCM Classic this week is the wonderful ‘Sundown’ a song by Canadian folk artist Gordon Lightfoot, taken from his eponymous album and released as a single in March 1974.

"Sundown" reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and and No. 13 on the Hot Country singles chart, as well as No. 1 in Canada on RPM's national singles chart and surprisingly only No. 33 in the UK chart. It was Gordon’s only single to reach No. 1 on the Hot 100.

The song's lyrics seem to describe a troubled romantic relationship, (often cited as notorious groupie Cathy Smith) with the narrator recounting an affair with a "hard-loving woman [who's] got me feeling mean".

In a 2008 interview, Gordon said: ‘I think my girlfriend was out with her friends one night at a bar while I was at home writing songs. I thought, 'I wonder what she’s doing with her friends at that bar!' It’s that kind of a feeling. 'Where is my true love tonight? What is my true love doing?'.

Pale Blue Eyes - Velvet Underground (1969)

Our LCM Classic this week is a great song ‘Pale Blue Eyes’ by the Velvet Underground, taken from their 1969 self titled album. The song was written and sung by the late and great Lou Reed.

Despite the name, "Pale Blue Eyes" was actually written about someone whose eyes were hazel, as Reed notes in his book ‘Between Thought and Expression’. The song is said to have been inspired by Shelley Albin, Reed's first love, who at the time was married to another man.

In Spite Of Our Ourselves - John Prine & Iris DeMent (1999)

You could say that this weeks LCM Classic 'In Spite of Ourselves' by John Prine and Iris DeMent is one of the most 'honest' love songs ever written. The lyrics will certainly make you smile. It's the title track from John's 13th studio album released in 1999 and features duets with well-known female folk and alt-country vocalists.

The album was John Prine’s first release since successfully battling throat cancer. The female duet partners include Iris DeMent, Connie Smith, Lucinda Williams, Melba Montgomery, Emmylou Harris, Trisha Yearwood, Dolores Keane, Patty Loveless, and his wife, Fiona Prine.

Autumn Leaves - Eva Cassidy (1996)

Our LCM Classic this week is one of my favourite covers by Eva Cassidy, the beautiful 'Autumn Leaves'. Originally it was a 1945 French song, "Les Feuilles mortes" (literally "The Dead Leaves"), with music by Hungarian-French composer Joseph Kosma - derived from a ballet piece of music ('Rendez-vous', written for Roland Petit), itself partly borrowed from 'Poème d'octobre' by Jules Massenet and lyrics by French poet Jacques Prévert. 

The video is a live version recorded and filmed at The Blues Alley in Washington DC's Georgetown neighborhood and was the last album that Eva recorded. This version still gives me goosebumps, with Eva's very special and pure vocals soaring above the track.