Song for Adam

Last updated
"Song for Adam"
Song by Jackson Browne
from the album Jackson Browne
Released1972
Genre Folk rock
Length5:22
Label Asylum
Songwriter(s) Jackson Browne
Producer(s) Richard Sanford Orshoff

"Song for Adam" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne. It is the third track on his self-titled debut album, Jackson Browne , released in 1972.

Contents

Origin

On the surface it tells of the mournful memory of a friend of Browne's, Adam Saylor, who died in 1968, possibly by suicide. Wordplay and themes in the lyrics make allusions to mankind and Browne's place in this lost mankind, playing off of the name "Adam" and its religious connotations, and the use of candle as a metaphor for life's journey: "Now the story's told that Adam jumped, but I'm thinking that he fell..." Instrumentally, it contains a soft acoustic guitar part interlaced throughout by a viola line.

According to Russell Paris's Jackson Browne website, Saylor was "a friend of Greg Copeland's with whom Jackson and Greg drove to New York in early 1967." Paris had become a staff writer for Elektra Records' publishing company, Nina Music, in addition to reporting on musical events in New York City with his friends Copeland and Saylor. "From New York," according to Paris, "Greg and Adam went to Europe and Adam continued traveling the world until the autumn of 1968 when he either fell or jumped from a hotel in Bombay (Mumbai), India." [1]

When we parted we were laughing still, as our goodbyes were said
And I never heard from him again as each our lives we led –
Except for once in someone else's letter that I read –
Until I heard the sudden word that a friend of mine was dead.

An officially released live version of Jackson Browne singing the song exists on Nina Gerber's Live - Good Music With Good People from 2007. Browne introduces the song saying "Well, it wouldn't be a set from me if it didn't have at least ... one song about death and despair..."

Reception

Jeff Walker, upon reviewing Jackson Browne in Phonograph Record on the album's release, said of "Song for Adam" that it is "a simple song about a friend's death; an often-used theme, but rarely expressed in such spiritual terms." [2]

"Even the meticulously structured requiem 'Song for Adam' interests me more for the quality of Browne's concern than for its philosophical conclusions," noted Robert Christgau. [3]

Cover versions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackson Browne</span> American singer, songwriter and political activist (born 1948)

Clyde Jackson Browne is an American rock musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 22 million albums in the United States.

<i>The Pretender</i> (album) 1976 studio album by Jackson Browne

The Pretender is the fourth album by the American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, released in 1976. It peaked at No. 5 on Billboard's album chart. The singles from the album were "Here Come Those Tears Again", which reached No. 23, and "The Pretender", which peaked at No. 58.

<i>Excitable Boy</i> 1978 studio album by Warren Zevon

Excitable Boy is the third studio album by American musician Warren Zevon. The album was released on January 18, 1978, by Asylum Records. It includes the single "Werewolves of London", which reached No. 21 and remained in the American Top 40 for six weeks. The album brought Zevon to commercial attention and remains the best-selling album of his career, having been certified platinum by the RIAA and reaching the top ten on the US Billboard 200. A remastered and expanded edition was released in 2007.

<i>Reggatta de Blanc</i> 1979 studio album by the Police

Reggatta de Blanc is the second studio album by British rock band the Police, released on 5 October 1979 by A&M Records. It was the band's first release to top the UK Albums Chart and features their first two UK number-one singles: "Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon". In early 1980, the album was reissued in the United States on two 10-inch discs, one album side per disc, and as a collector's edition with a poster of the band.

<i>The Cars</i> (album) 1978 studio album by the Cars

The Cars is the debut studio album by American rock band the Cars, released June 6, 1978, by Elektra Records. The album was produced by longtime collaborator Roy Thomas Baker, and spawned several hit singles, including "Just What I Needed", "My Best Friend's Girl", and "Good Times Roll", as well as other radio and film hits such as "Bye Bye Love" and "Moving in Stereo". The Cars peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard 200 album chart, and has been certified 6x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

<i>Grace</i> (Jeff Buckley album) 1994 album

Grace is the only studio album by the American singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley, released on August 15, 1994 in Europe and on August 23, 1994 in the United States by Columbia Records.

<i>Jackson Browne</i> (album) 1972 studio album by Jackson Browne

Jackson Browne is the debut album of American singer Jackson Browne, released in 1972. It peaked on the Billboard 200 chart at number 53. Two singles were released with "Doctor, My Eyes", which peaked at number 8 on the Pop Singles chart, and "Rock Me on the Water", which reached number 48.

<i>For Everyman</i> 1973 studio album by Jackson Browne

For Everyman is the second album by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, released in 1973. The album peaked at number 43 on the Billboard 200 chart and the single "Redneck Friend" reached number 85 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 2012, the album was ranked number 450 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

<i>Hold Out</i> 1980 studio album by Jackson Browne

Hold Out is the sixth album by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, released in 1980. Although critically the album has not been as well-received as other Browne recordings, it remains his only album to date to reach number 1 on the Billboard chart.

<i>Leo Sayer</i> (album) 1978 studio album by Leo Sayer

Leo Sayer is the sixth album by English-Australian singer-songwriter Leo Sayer, released in 1978.

<i>Lawyers in Love</i> 1983 studio album by Jackson Browne

Lawyers in Love is the seventh album by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, released in 1983 by Asylum Records. It was Browne's fourth straight Top 10 album and stayed on the charts for 33 weeks, peaking at No. 8 on the Billboard 200. Out of eight tracks, four were released as singles. The title song reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was accompanied by one of Browne's first music videos released on MTV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jump (Van Halen song)</span> 1983 single by Van Halen

"Jump" is a song by American rock band Van Halen. It was released in December 1983 as the lead single of their sixth studio album, 1984. It is Van Halen's most successful single, reaching number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song differs from earlier Van Halen songs in that it is driven by a keyboard riff, although the song does contain a guitar solo. David Lee Roth dedicated the song to martial artist Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, of whom he was a student. In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked "Jump" at number 177 on its updated list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

<i>Son of a Son of a Sailor</i> 1978 studio album by Jimmy Buffett

Son of a Son of a Sailor is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was initially released in March 1978 as ABC Dunhill AA-1046 and later re-released on its successor label, MCA.

<i>Running on Empty</i> (album) 1977 live album / studio album by Jackson Browne

Running on Empty is the fifth album by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne. Featuring songs themed around life on the road, the entire album was recorded on tour, either live on stage, or in locations associated with touring, such as backstage, on tour buses, or in hotel rooms. Released in 1977, the album reached No. 3 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart in 1978 and stayed on the charts for 65 weeks. The single for the title track, "Running on Empty", peaked at No. 11 and the follow-up single, "The Load-Out"/"Stay", reached No. 20 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Take It Easy</span> 1972 single by the Eagles

"Take It Easy" is the debut single by the American rock band Eagles, written by Jackson Browne and Eagles band member Glenn Frey, who also provides lead vocals. It was released on May 1, 1972, and peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on July 22, 1972. It was also the opening track of the band's eponymous debut album and has become one of their signature songs, included on all of their live and compilation albums. It is listed as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

"These Days" is a song written by Jackson Browne and recorded by numerous artists. Browne wrote the song at age 16; its lyrics deal with loss and regret. It was first recorded by Nico in 1967 for her album Chelsea Girl, and Nico's arrangement was recorded by several other artists. Tom Rush recorded the tune with a string arrangement for his album Tom Rush in 1970. Gregg Allman recorded a new arrangement of the song for his 1973 LP Laid Back, and Browne released his own version, based on Allman's arrangement, on For Everyman, also in 1973. "These Days" has since been recorded by many other artists, and remains one of Browne's most enduring compositions.

<i>No Nukes: The Muse Concerts for a Non-Nuclear Future</i> 1979 live triple album by various artists from Madison Square Garden

No Nukes: The Muse Concerts For a Non-Nuclear Future was a 1979 triple live album that contained selections from the September 1979 Madison Square Garden concerts by the Musicians United for Safe Energy collective. Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, Bonnie Raitt, and John Hall were the key organizers of the event and guiding forces behind the album.

<i>Someday Well Look Back</i> 1971 studio album by Merle Haggard and The Strangers

Someday We'll Look Back is the thirteenth studio album by American recording artist Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released in 1971. It reached number 4 on the Billboard country albums chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boulevard (song)</span> 1980 single by Jackson Browne

"Boulevard" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne. It is from his 1980 album Hold Out. When it was released as a single, it entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart at position number 72 on July 5, 1980. It peaked at number 19 and spent 16 weeks on the chart, the fifth-biggest hit of Browne's Top 40 career. Besides the United States, the song was also released as a single in Spain, Japan, the U.K., Italy and Germany. In Canada, "Boulevard" reached number four.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fountain of Sorrow</span> 1975 single by Jackson Browne

"Fountain of Sorrow" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne. Released as the second single from his 1974 album Late for the Sky, at 6:42, it was the longest song on the album, and the longest song Browne had yet released. Two minutes were removed from the single release of "Fountain of Sorrow", but the song still failed to chart on Billboard's Hot 100.

References

  1. Paris, Russ. Jackson Browne Fans Page, Jackson Browne Trivia Quiz. Archived 2012-04-28 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Walker, Jeff. Phonograph Record, Review of Jackson Browne, 1972. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  3. Christgau, Robert. Robert Christgau Record Guide.
  4. Amazon.com. Cantame Mis Canciones.