“Steve Hackett asked, ‘Do you want paid or shall I record for your next album?’ I said, ‘I’ll forget the money in two weeks – your solo will be there forever”: Orphaned Land updated Plato to make a point about revolution
(Image credit: Zoharon Photography)
In 2018 Israeli proggers Orphaned Land released their sixth album, Unsung Prophets And Dead Messiahs, adapted from a 2,000-year-old allegory. Ahead of the launch, lead vocalist Kobi Farhi explained why he’d given up trying to change the world, celebrated the cultural diversity that informed his band’s music, and explained how Steve Hackett came to be heard on the track Chains Fall To Gravity.
Even in the multifaceted realms of prog rock and metal, Orphaned Land stand apart. Formed in Israel in 1991, the band draw upon influences from East and West for their politically and religiously charged songs that aim to bring a vision of unity to a corner of the world where that’s in very short supply. Never ones to do the expected or conventional, they held the first press date for their new album Unsung Prophets & Dead Messiahs in a Berlin mosque.
“That mosque is exceptional because it’s run by a woman,” says frontman Kobi Farhi. “She has a lot of death threats and she doesn’t move anywhere without bodyguards, and I thought, ‘This is something I want to support.’ She represents something that the new album also talks about – revolutionaries who ended up dead – and I thought she was a living example of these people.”
The idea behind the new release comes from Plato’s Allegory Of The Cave, written over two millennia ago, but which Farhi believes is just as relevant now. “How many revolutions have occurred?” he asks. “How many wars? And we’re still facing the same problems. This is why we chose the concept that people don’t want to leave the cave.
“They’re afraid of the light and they don’t want to change. Every time a revolutionary comes to take them out of the cave – it could be Jesus Christ, Mahatma Gandhi or Che Guevara – they’re all assassinated. How can someone kill Mahatma Gandhi? Was he a dictator? Dictators live forever. Only the good die young. That’s the meaning of this album.”
In addition to Ancient Greece, Farhi found inspiration in the form of Kim Kardashian. He explains this unlikely pairing of philosopher and celebrity: “Did you know that every year 70,000 kids are kidnapped in India for the purpose of paedophilia, trading their organs, or making them become street beggars for money?” he asks. “And we don’t hear about it. But do you know who Kim Kardashian is?
ORPHANED LAND – Chains Fall To Gravity feat. Steve Hackett (Album Track) – YouTube
“That alone should make you think: ‘Why is that? I don’t hear about those kids and I hear about Kim Kardashian every week. What’s the purpose of dealing with her while something so important doesn’t come before our eyes? I see her as the shadows in the cave and I see the kids as the truth outside.”
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Farhi says he naïvely believed he could change the world when Orphaned Land was formed; but after 26 years of writing, touring and recording, he’s changed his expectations. Now he just wants to make people question the world around them. “I thought that I should let people think that there are prophets even in our times because George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, they were like prophets,” he says.
“I always dream and try to make the world a better place. I could think about myself and make a song about my girlfriend who just left me, but it’s probably a better part of me to sing about the world.”
I was very flattered. Steve Hackett, man – that solo in Selling England By The Pound!
Unsung Prophets & Dead Messiahs features a guest guitar solo from Steve Hackett on Chains Fall To Gravity. They met when Farhi sang on Hackett’s The Night Siren. “He was writing a song about the Middle East,” says Farhi. “He wrote to me asking if I could sing on that song and if I could bring a friend of mine, an Arab singer, to sing as well. I was very flattered. Steve Hackett, man – that solo in Selling England By The Pound!”
Farhi called Mira Awad, the Arabian vocalist who appeared on Orphaned Land’s All Is One, and together they sang on Hackett’s West To East. “He basically asked me, ‘Do you want to get paid or shall I record for your next album?’ I said, ‘Steve, I will forget about the money in two weeks, but the solo will be there forever. Of course I want the solo.’”
The other two guests on the album are At The Gates’ Tomas Lindberg, and Hansi Kursch from Blind Guardian. Kursch sings on Like Orpheus, which describes the moment the hero leaves the cave for the first time. “In Greek mythology they say Orpheus’ singing was so beautiful that even the stones liked his voice; Hansi is a modern Orpheus for me. His voice is amazing. Tomas sings on Only The Dead Have Seen The End Of War: it’s the song where they kill the hero, and I needed the voice of a lunatic, a crazy guy from the cave. The guests on the album are just perfect – the roles they play and the way they executed it.”
ORPHANED LAND feat. Hansi Kürsch – Like Orpheus (OFFICIAL VIDEO) – YouTube
The new album, like its 2013 predecessor All Is One, was recorded across three countries. The choral voices come from Hellscore, the Israeli choir run by Noa Gruman of prog metal band Scardust, while all the orchestral parts were recorded in Turkey. “You hear the violins – no orchestra in the UK can play like that because the scales are so progressive; it’s like quarter tones,” says Farhi. “The West will be very linear, while the East will be wavy; and they do it in such a terrific way in Turkey that I had to travel there and pay a fortune for them to play it. But I can’t think of anyone else doing it.”
Farhi’s vocals and the drums were recorded in Sweden, the rest of the instruments in Israel, and back to Sweden for mixing. The diveristy of Orphaned Land’s music extends back ito the soundtrack of Farhi’s childhood in Israel. “It’s a combination of listening to the muezzin singing Allahu Akbar, to my father and grandfather listening to Italian operas by Puccini and Verdi, my grandmother listening to classical, my mother listening to The Beatles, myself listening to Iron Maiden or Metallica, Pink Floyd or King Crimson.
“You have to think about the country. The majority of the people are Jews, but they came from all over the world. You have Moroccan, Iraqi, Yemenite, Iranian, Egyptian Jews, and then you have Russian, Belgian, French; you have 80 different kinds of Jews bringing their own mentalities and habits, food, sounds, the way they look.”
If you can dance on a table and shed a tear at the same show, that’s a perfect show for me
The five band members trace their roots back to the Balkans, Morocco, Romania and Algeria, Egypt and Tunisia, and the Kurds. “Everyone one of us has different food in their house, a different language for their grandparents, and sometimes different music,” says Farhi. “You get those together, that’s a fusion – that’s progressive music. That’s a progressive life and a very rich life.”
Though they tackle contentious topics, Orphaned Land’s live shows feel celebratory. “What is life, basically? It’s a mixture of our happy and painful moments,” Farhi says of the contrast. “When our mother gives us birth it’s the most wonderful thing; life is created, but with screams of pain. Especially in the Jewish tradition, happiness, crying and sadness are always connected.
“When you get married in Judaism, you break a glass, because Jewish people say you should remember the destruction of the Jewish temple even on your happiest day. If we play a song like Brother or Let The Truce Be Known, there is nothing happy about it. If we play a song like Norra El Norra or Sapari, a Jewish traditional, those are uplifting.
“I get a lot of comments saying, ‘I had a tear in my eye when you sang Brother or Let TheTruce Be Known.’ If you can dance on a table and shed a tear at the same show, then that’s a perfect show for me. The greatest thing is to see people from different backgrounds – Jews, Muslims – uniting and celebrating. That’s the best.”
After starting his writing career covering the unforgiving world of MMA, David moved into music journalism at Rhythm magazine, interviewing legends of the drum kit including Ginger Baker and Neil Peart. A regular contributor to Prog, he’s written for Metal Hammer, The Blues, Country Music Magazine and more. The author of Chasing Dragons: An Introduction To The Martial Arts Film, David shares his thoughts on kung fu movies in essays and videos for 88 Films, Arrow Films, and Eureka Entertainment. He firmly believes Steely Dan’s Reelin’ In The Years is the tuniest tune ever tuned.
“When I read stories about guys who snorted everything they had, I said, ‘That‘ll never happen to me.’ But in the end I blew 20 million”: The wild story of Aerosmith’s spectacular 1980s fall and rise
(Image credit: Ross Marino/Getty Images)
It’s January 1980 and Aerosmith are playing Reefer Head Woman from their new Night In The Ruts album at the Civic Centre in Maine. It’s a sold-out show, but singer Steven Tyler doesn’t care.
Frustrated at having no cocaine to counteract the intoxicating effects of all the booze he’s swallowed since waking – rounded off by two double martinis gulped minutes before taking the stage – he gives up and pretends to pass out. Throwing himself to the stage he fakes a seizure, twitching his leg to make it look authentic.
Such is his level of chemical dependency and alcoholic intoxication, this is the best idea he can come up with to avoid the indignity of playing a gig just plain old-fashioned drunk.
To this point in the tour Aerosmith have just about been getting away with it. Though with guitarist Joe Perry no longer in the band – replaced by JP-lookalike Jimmy Crespo – they are a shadow of their former selves. They’ve played shows where the singer has frequently forgotten his lines, and, when not at the mic has just sat on the drum riser, too unsteady to stand, much less move about.
Tonight it’s worse. The band stop playing, and Tyler is carried from the stage, a faker and a fuck-up.
Elsewhere in early 1980, Perry is touring with his original Joe Perry Project. He feels liberated from the “dysfunctional depression” that was crippling Aerosmith and had forced him out of his own band – but now his new outfit faces ruin because singer Ralph Morman has turned into an out-of-control drunk.
“One night he showed up in a wild state of inebriation,” Perry recalls in his autobiography Rocks. “I hauled off and decked him.”
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These days Perry acknowledges the irony. As the book candidly admits, he was not in good shape himself: a barely functioning drunk addicted to snorting heroin. Career-wise, The Joe Perry Project’s Let The Music Do The Talkingalbum had been well reviewed, but was poorly promoted by Columbia and wasn’t troubling the charts. The gigs, though good, were small-scale. This was a problem – because Aerosmith’s co-manager David Krebs had not long since told Joe he personally owed $180,000 in room service charges and helpfully suggested that a solo album might be a good way to pay the bill.
For Aerosmith and for Joe Perry, however, things are going to get worse before they get any better.
Aerosmith in the late 1970s: (from left) Joe Perry, Steven Tyler, Brad Whitford, Joey Kramer, Tom Hamilton (Image credit: Ron Pownall/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
The 1980s began less than four years after Aerosmith’s fourth album Rockshad shipped platinum upon release, rising to No.3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Hindsight suggests that Rocks, the multi-platinum follow-up to the multi-platinum Toys In The Attic, was where the ‘first career’ of Aerosmith peaked. Afterwards, their decline and fall would be as marked and meteoric as their rise had been.
This feature originally appeared in Classic Rock Presents Aerosmith (Image credit: Future)
After Tyler’s fake seizure, Aerosmith cancelled a week’s worth of dates – thereby falling a little further – then resumed and limped on to the end of the tour, and more drink- and drug-induced lethargy. When they reconvened, work on a proposed next album was painfully slow. Then that faltering progress all but ground to a halt after Tyler badly injured himself in a motorcycle crash. Silently but inevitably, poverty crept up and was soon crippling them all.
Bassist Tom Hamilton: “For two years, the album we were working on – Rock In A Hard Pace – was always two months away. It was hard times, we [Tom and his wife Terri] sold our house and moved into a condo…”
Drummer Joey Kramer: “It was rough. There was no money. I was on the balls of my ass. I spent everything I had… until, finally, nothing.”
Guitarist Brad Whitford: “No money, no income, all my savings going to alimony and mortgages. Sold my guitars… sold my house…”
Eventually Whitford could stand it no more, and quit. Aerosmith were down to just three original members, Tyler plus the rhythm section of Hamilton and Kramer.
As Perry’s marriage to fellow drug addict Elyssa continued to falter and debts mounted, he released the second Project album, I’ve Got The Rock’N’Rolls Again (featuring new vocalist Charlie Farren) in 1981. Whitford, meanwhile, hooked up with Ted Nugent’s singer Derek St Holmes to release the eponymous Whitford-St Holmesthe same year. They toured briefly, but their record didn’t sell well.
On the recommendation of producer Jack Douglas, Aerosmith recruited Rick Dufay to play on Whitford’s side of the stage. It seemed like a good idea at the time, even though Dufay boasted to the singer that he had escaped from a “loony bin” having jumped out of a window and broken his legs…
The older, wiser and sober Tyler now reckons Dufay was “out of his mind”. Back then, though, the singer barely cared.
When the tour ended he “got deeper and deeper into drugs”, hanging out with and scoring heroin off his friend Richie Supa (with whom he’d co-written live favourite Chip Away The Stone). Somehow, stoned and hallucinating, he eventually managed to write enough lyrics to finish Rock In A Hard Place in time for release in August 1982. Good in parts, but a long way from former glories, it wasn’t a record that suggested the epic amount of time spent on it had been a wise investment. A Gold sales award – ending a string of Platinum hits for Aerosmith – and a Billboard chart peak of No.32 confirmed this.
Eventually, Tyler admitted to himself he needed help. He first tried detoxing at the Good Samaritan Hospital in New York in 1983 but, as he admitted in his 2011 biography Does The Noise In My Head Bother You?: “One of the reasons I wanted to go to Good Samaritan was that I heard they did tests on heroin… I thought: ‘Can I be one of the guinea pigs?’”
By then, Aerosmith’s Krebs was hiring psychiatrists to meet Tyler and report back with their thoughts. Domestically, Tyler’s fights with his wife of 12 years, Cyrinda, had turned physical and violent. Once, as she prepared to drive off, he jumped on her car and smashed the windscreen.
Tyler: “Cocaine insanity! She got out of the car and a violent, uncontrollable fight erupted. We were punching and scratching, and we fell over and rolled on the ground…”
For Perry, domestic life was no sweeter. Elyssa continued to spend money extravagantly, as if he were still a member of the 70s Aerosmith.
He recalled: “I was on the verge of losing my house. I was fucked up from drinking. I thought I was at the bottom, but every day that bottom kept getting deeper and darker.”
Sometimes, though, as the unexpectedly sage-like JK Rowling has observed, rock bottom can become a solid foundation on which to build a new life.
That new life – or “second career” as the five original, once-again-Platinum-selling members of Aerosmith are wont to describe it – was still a way up the road.
Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler with guitarist Jimmy Crespo in the early 1980s (Image credit: Ebet Roberts/Redferns)
Perry was taking any gigs he could to earn cash – sometimes supporting the likes of Heart and the J Geils Band, always travelling in a van and staying in cheap hotels to keep costs low. Back home, he took the life-changing decision to walk out on Elyssa, after six-and-a-half years together – but paid a heavy price in the battle for access to their infant son Adrian.
He was happy to play with the Project, but the debts he faced weren’t going away. One good thing was happening in the guitarist’s life, though. He had hooked up with a new manager, Tim Collins, who became “the only steady force in my life”. The deal was sealed after Perry tested Collins’ commitment by emptying a drawer in which he kept his unopened mail: mostly bills, IRS claims and foreclosure notices threatening repossession of his home, but also some unsigned death threats (presumably from drug dealers he owed money) and royalty cheques worth thousands of dollars. Collins took them away in a grocery bag and came back a week later offering to pay off “a big portion” of the guitarist’s debts, no strings attached.
Asked why, Collins simply reasoned: “I figure I need to do this to win your trust. I believe in your talent. I believe your best years are ahead of you. I want to manage you.”
One of his first moves was to negotiate Perry out of his deal with Columbia and get him a new one with MCA. Perry disbanded the old Project and hired a new one (fronted by singer Cowboy Mach Bell) on smaller salaries to record their third album, Once A Rocker, Always A Rocker, in 1983. It wasn’t as good as the first two, but the band got to open for ZZ Top on some of their US Eliminator tour. The headline gigs they were playing, though, Perry says, “were getting smaller and smaller”.
He did persuade Whitford to join the line-up, however, and the rhythm guitarist stayed for a month. Kramer later played drums at a few dates, too. Much more significantly, though, Perry was about to meet his soulmate, who was discovered when the Project were about to make a video for their last chance at a hit, a song called Black Velvet Pants.
Perry: “Tim Collins had a bunch of books sent over by talent agencies, I thumbed through half-heartedly until I came to a picture that stopped me in my tracks – a headshot of a beautiful blonde called Billie Montgomery. There was a look in her eyes that got to me, heart and soul. I had to meet her.”
When he did meet her, it was love at first sight. And their relationship would endure long after the video shoot had wrapped, to this day.
The Joe Perry Project – I’ve Got The Rock ‘N’ Rolls Again – YouTube
Aerosmith, meanwhile, were in trouble. They were playing bigger venues than the Project but, as Tyler has admitted, the tour for Rock In A Hard Place was “a disaster”.
Tyler: “By 1983 I had no money and no future except getting further into the pit. Back in 1976, when I read stories about guys who lost everything and blew a million bucks snorting all they had, I used to say: ‘That’ll never happen to me.’ But in the end, I blew $20 million.”
In addition, he came to admit that he was missing his buddy: “During the years that Joe and I were broken up I realised I wasn’t half the musician I thought I was without him.”
The two had kept in touch, though.
Perry: “I’d occasionally call Steven, or he’d call me… ‘How’re things going?’ Great, I’d lie. How about you? ‘Great!’ he’d lie… The bullshit flew thick and fast.”
Tyler: “I went to see the Joe Perry Project perform at the Bottom Line, then Joe came to the Worcester Centrum in the spring of 1983 to see an Aerosmith concert. We did a few lines of heroin in the dressing room – just for old times’ sake…”
The heroin took its toll on Tyler, who collapsed on stage in front of 14,000 people… and although it had been Tyler’s wife Cyrinda who supplied the drug, Perry took the blame, with Tom Hamilton lambasting him: “It’s just like the old days, Joe. You’re no good for this band. Look what you did! Why don’t you just stay the fuck away from us?”
Yet the idea of a reunion persisted.
In early 1984, Tyler and Perry met with Tim Collins and, despite some initial friction, Tyler – by then living in a hotel on $20 a day – agreed the original line-up should get together for a meeting at the only place available: Tom Hamilton’s house.
Perry: “If you want to put it on the IQ meter, Tom is a really smart guy, but I think he had just been more conservative with his money and watched what was going on. Also, he didn’t have to go through a divorce. He’s the one who’s been married the longest among us.
“Any professional who has to go through a divorce, the finances are going to take a real hit. It’s one of those things in life, it isn’t peculiar to rock’n’roll. If you’re making a lot of money, they take a lot of money.”
Once it became apparent that Joe would only rejoin the band on the condition it cut all ties with Leber-Krebs Management and joined him with Tim Collins, they set about discussing a way forward and naming a scapegoat for all their problems. They settled on David Krebs.
Joe Perry during his solo years in the early 1980s (Image credit: Chris Walter/WireImage)
Perry: “The main influence that the drugs will have had was that we were partying too much and didn’t notice the kind of money we were spending or take care of the decisions we were making – I don’t think we could have spent that much on drugs! And it’s not like we all had three houses and 16 Maseratis. We all had one house and a couple of nice cars, and that was it.
“I look back and just think we were taken advantage of, maybe in some quasi-illegal ways. You just have to do the numbers in your head: all those years we were selling out so many arenas, so many times. So to sit there and be told that the band’s kitty was empty, I mean – did they do something illegal? I don’t think so. We couldn’t prove anything. Was it immoral? Yeah!
“They weren’t taking care of us in terms of taxes and things like that. I should have been more on top of it but that was my own naïveté. There was a lot of money there, just lying on the table, and people took it because they could. That is the story. I can’t prove anything – but I was constantly asking for accountings and things like that, but it was kinda tough to get the rest of the band to lock up.”
While the reunion idea was left hanging, a third party was about to plant a crucial seed. Alice Cooper was looking for a new guitarist, and his manager Shep Gordon called Collins to sound out JP. Seeing no long-term future for the Project, Perry jumped at the chance and went to Gordon’s county pile to meet and jam with Alice. The next day, while Alice played golf, Perry called Tyler to gloat. At the time Tyler pretended not to care but deep down he was incensed. His book suggests he remembers the incident differently to Perry, but says that he later called him back:
“Are you seriously going to be his guitar player? What the fuck? That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard! Just stop. The shit’s over. Why don’t you just come back with Aerosmith?”
Well, since Tyler had asked so nicely, how could Joe refuse?
Initial rehearsals were fraught with tension, but gradually the band found something like their old groove, reworking old songs they remembered and discovering others they’d forgotten. Collins built a support network, hired a crew and so the band – crucially, still drug-dependent at this point – went out on what was dubbed the Back In The Saddle Tour. Some shows were good, some were horrible, but fans were stoked and tickets sold. The tour ran from late June to end of August then, after a break, from December into January 1985.
Aerosmith’s Joe Perry and Steven Tyler reunited in 1984 (Image credit: Richard E. Aaron/Redferns)
Meanwhile, Tim Collins set about courting record labels. One of the keenest was Geffen, as represented by weirdy-beardy teetotal A&R man John Kalodner.
At first the band were sceptical, viewing him as just another record company guy – albeit looking like a guru in his white suit and long hair. Financially burned and emotionally fragile, they didn’t trust outsiders. But Kalodner kept showing up, to see if these 70s legends might still be worth a deal in the 80s. In the end, at a show at LA’s Greek Theatre, a link was forged while Kalodner was talking with Brad’s wife, Karen. She showed him the gun she always carried and, in Crocodile Dundee style, he showed her his.
Kalodner recalled: “I pulled up the trouser leg of my white suit and showed her the .357 Magnum I was wearing in an ankle holster. ‘This is how I get around LA,’ I told her. I was showing off, but it worked. As soon as the band found out I was packing dynamite, they thought I was totally cool. It broke the ice with them because they loved guns.”
A deal with Geffen followed. Next they needed a producer. Tim Collins instructed Kalodner to get them Ted Templeman, who’d just hit platinum with Van Halen’s 1984 – though the band’s admiration for Templeman stemmed from his work on Montrose’s debut.
In a rehearsal space in Somerville, Massachusetts, the band knocked together “17 new songs in four weeks”. Judging by the eight that made what became the band’s eighth studio album Done With Mirrors(its title a reference both to magic and a cocaine user’s preference for snorting the drug from reflective surfaces), few were up to scratch. On day one, they ran through most of them and Tom Hamilton insists: “I think we wound up using most of the takes from that first day of just slapping them down on tape.”
Two weeks before the record was due to be mastered, Tyler was in his hotel room trying to write lyrics. It didn’t bode well.
Perry: “We were still doing everything like we had before. Everybody was still… dabbling. We thought we could continue the same way.”
Kramer: “Done With Mirrors sounds to me like an incomplete record, without the finishing touches, the nuances, the personalities.”
Kalodner was even more disappointed: “When I realised the only good song was Let The Music Do The Talking – an old Joe Perry song – I knew we were in trouble.”
RUN DMC – Walk This Way (Official HD Video) ft. Aerosmith – YouTube
He was right. Hardcore fans liked it but, outside the rock charts, there were no hits from Done With Mirrors. To get back in the charts, the band were offered a most unlikely route. A call to Collins from Rick Rubin of hip hop label Def Jam Recordings saw Perry recording guitar tracks and Tyler adding vocals to a new version of their 1975 hit Walk This Way, by New York rappers Run-DMC. The track was done in a day on March 9, 1986, and the famous “breaking down the walls” cross-culture/anti-racism video shot two weeks later.
Although plans to work further with Rubin faltered (yielding only their cover of Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu on the Less Than Zero soundtrack) the single became a crossover hit. It reached No.8 in the R&B/Hip-Hop singles chart and No.4 in Billboard’s Hot 100 after the video proved a huge hit on MTV. Although only two of the members had been involved, Aerosmith’s profile grew and the name reached a whole new generation, in the US and in Europe.
While their old management tried to sue the band, and their former label muddied the waters by releasing compilation albums (including Classics Live!, featuring the Crespo/Dufay line-up), the Done With Mirrors tour ran out of steam, the album having sunk without trace.
Tyler had tried rehab on three further occasions – encouraged by his band-mates who reasoned that as long as the singer was sober, they could continue getting high and function behind him. Predictably, Tyler didn’t agree and simply rebelled and lapsed.
The band and Collins persisted. Tyler and his new wife-to-be Teresa checked themselves into a methadone clinic and made progress. But this was not enough to satisfy everyone, and so in the autumn of 1986 Tim Collins hired a therapist to call an intervention on the singer. Once again, objecting to being singled out as what he called the “designated patient” while knowing full well that the band (and Collins) were as guilty as he, the intervention felt like an assault to Tyler. But the power of his peer group proved irresistible. Tyler entered rehab once more, this time emerging fiercely determined to make his band-mates and new manager do the same. This time: success.
One by one – starting with Joe Perry in October 1986, following the birth of his second son Anthony – the rest of Aerosmith went through rehab, too. For some, the respite lasted only two or three years – but they never fell so far from the wagon as they’d been before. For Tyler, it was good for 12 years – enough time to allow Aerosmith to soar to the end of the 1980s as successfully as they’d done in the previous decade. Except this time, they were healthy.
The reunited Aerosmith at the MTV Music Video Awards in 1988 (Image credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Perry: “We realised after Done With Mirrors that we had to be done with mirrors – we had to change the way we were doing things. One of those was getting fucked up and partying too much.
“So we cleaned up and finally that creativity could happen again. It was the final step. We proved we could sell tickets, going out without a record, touring just on the strength of our name and to show that the original line-up was back together. But we just needed to make that one final step.”
That step was 1987’s Permanent Vacation. Tyler described it as “the best album we’d made in 10 years – and the first one we ever did sober”. It was also, famously, the first album where they called on the services of writers from outside of the band.
That process was instigated by A&R man Kalodner, who insisted that, after the failure of Done With Mirrors, the band make their next record his way – by bringing in fresh blood to help them write. He persuaded Aerosmith they needed to score some hits, and that they could do so without selling out their hard-rocking roots. His first call had been to Jim Steinman but, because Steinman didn’t want to work away from his house, he didn’t get the gig. The plan to use Ted Templeman once again ended when the producer baulked at Kalodner’s insistence that, unlike on Done With Mirrors, the band’s A&R man be allowed in the studio to keep an eye on progress.
Kalodner’s golden ticket solution was for Aerosmith to go to Little Mountain Sound studios in Vancouver to record with producer Bruce Fairbairn – the man at the helm for Bon Jovi’s multi-platinum Slippery When Wet, recorded the year before. Fairbairn’s team included Jim Vallance, who had co-written every song on Bryan Adams’ 1983 album, Reckless.
Perry: “Bruce had a little clique of talented musicians, a real scene up there. Vancouver is a great place, I love that city, there’s a lot of creativity there. Jim Vallance was the nicest guy you’d every want to meet and hang around with. It was really fun working with him.
“Keyboards and guitar were his two main instruments, but I’m sure he could play drums, too. Being a songwriter, I think he could play anything, to some degree. But he was also getting into that whole computer thing. Jim was one of the first guys to use computers to write programs for different drum patterns. That was really where he and I locked up.
Aerosmith – Dude (Looks Like A Lady) (Official Music Video) – YouTube
“For me the biggest inspiration comes from the drums. When I first played with Steven he jammed on drums. I’d see him play in bands when he was a singing drummer, and when I put this band together, that was what I envisioned. His singing was top-notch but when he drums he’s not just hitting them, he really thinks about the song. He has this way of turning the beat around and that’s inspiring to me.”
For Tyler, the most important part of Team Fairbairn was Desmond Child. Born in Cuba as John Charles Barrett, Child was 34, five years younger than Tyler when they met. Behind him was a short recording career alongside two girls in Desmond Child & Rouge, and a far more successful career writing songs for the likes of Kiss (including the disco hit I Was Made For Lovin’ You and Heaven’s On Fire), Cher, Bonnie Tyler and… Bon Jovi. He enjoyed a co-credit on Livin’ On A Prayer and You Give Love A Bad Name, songs that had yielded the band No.1 and No.7 placings, respectively, on the Billboard chart, as well as two Top 20 hits in the UK.
Tyler: “I’d written with the band and I’d written with Richie Supa, but Richie and I were best friends. Desmond Child was another matter all together.”
According to Tyler, Child walked in sporting a moustache and looking “dapper”. They hit it off instantly, although not necessarily in a good way.
“I loved writing with Desmond because we always got into arguments,” said the singer, without irony. “When Desmond started throwing things at me that I didn’t know how to use I should’ve said: ‘Nah! I can’t sing that.’ But it took me a couple of years before I could voice my objections that strongly.”
One of the first songs that they worked together on was Dude (Looks Like A Lady), which at that stage was a Tyler/Perry composition that the singer recalls had a largely finished lyric but, much to his frustration, lacked a first verse. Child gave it to him with the line ‘Pull into a bar by the shore’. Tyler loved it and flung ‘Her picture graced the grime on the door’ right back.
Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry onstage in 1988 (Image credit: George De Sota/Redferns/Getty Images)
Two lines later, though, the fledgling partnership hit a bump in the road. After Tyler’s ‘She was a long-lost love at first bite’, Child proposed: ‘I threw my money down on the stage/And, well, I didn’t care.’
Tyler thought that “fey” but, in an uncharacteristically tactful reply, merely complained it didn’t rhyme, and then fixed it himself with ‘Baby maybe you’re wrong/ But you know it’s all right’. The rest is rock history.
Dude… was the first single released from Permanent Vacation, in October 1987 and took Aerosmith to No.14 in the Billboard chart. It later took on a life of its own thanks to the promo clip shot for MTV, its brilliant title (inspired by Mötley Crüe’s over-use of the word ‘dude’ during a New York bar-crawl on which Tyler was present), and its later use on the soundtrack to movies Mrs Doubtfire and Wayne’s World 2.
An even bigger hit, however, was power-ballad Angel – co-written by Tyler alone with Child.
These days Perry looks back on the song with mixed feelings, and describes its creation in his book as “a turning point”.
Perry: “I would say that was the start of a big change. Steven and I always had this ‘team’ thing – we would get together and write. Okay, over the years, obviously, he wrote some songs with Tom and with Brad too, but he and I had this thing that was tight, you know? We were friends. He was probably one of the guys I hung around with the most. We didn’t go out as a band together because we had other interests. That was how he and I, right from the start, hooked up.
“The band always felt like a democracy – all for one and one for all – but Steven and I had this thing that was one step further, like a lot of songwriting teams in rock’n’roll history, I guess. So it just surprised me that he would sit down overnight and do that.
“I literally lived five minutes away so it really shocked me that he didn’t phone up and say, ‘We’re working on something new, come over.’ When I found out he had it was like: Wait a minute, I thought we were friends. I thought we were songwriting partners. It just didn’t even cross his mind that it would be a blow to me.”
Perry, note, had no problem with the song itself… Indeed while some hardcore Aerosmith fans saw the song as overly commercial, the ballad style and format was part of the band’s DNA. Their first album contained Dream On, the second Seasons Of Wither, while Toys In The Attic and Rocks closed with You See Me Crying and Home Tonight, respectively. And although that softer side was mainly down to Tyler, Perry himself did it with Play The Game off the third Joe Perry Project album, I’ve Got The Rock’N’Rolls Again. As much as they were known for hard rock, part of Aerosmith had always been an AOR band.
Permanent Vacation was released at the end of August 1987. In October, amid a flurry of interviews revealing how they’d kicked the habits that had been killing them, the reborn Aerosmith took to the road in America. The tour would run until September 1988 and take them back to the level of their mid-70s heydays. Before the tour’s close, the album would be certified double platinum in the US, with Angel reaching No.3 to become their biggest hit to date, surpassing even Dream On when it was re-released in 1976, off the back of Toys In The Attic’s success.
In February 1989, after a four-month break, Aerosmith took that success and euphoria back into Little Mountain to hook up with Bruce Fairbairn and co once more, to make Pump. Released three months before the end of the decade in which they’d reached rock bottom, Pump took them to their greatest heights yet.
“Pump really felt like that band had back in the 70s,” says Perry. “I sometimes get confused talking about Pump and Rocks. . . Those are two hot points in our two careers.”
Pump yielded six singles to Permanent Vacation’s four, reached No.5 in the Billboard chart and No.3 in the UK. The success fuelled a 12-month tour that began in Europe in October – a territory they’d avoided since a few tentative dates in the late 70s – and continued around the world, ending in Australia. Aerosmith were, finally, a global act.
Tyler: “The best tours are the ones that are propelled by hit singles. The tour’s the surfboard, the wave is your popularity. It’s a wave 20 feet tall, and you’re riding that fucker as long as you can.”
Aerosmith were back, and as big as they ever were. Impossible as it seemed.
Perry: “The odds of one person staying sober were small. But five guys? Unheard of. In this business no one gets a second chance. Yet we were more successful than ever.”
Originally published in Classic Rock Presents Aerosmith
Freelance contributor to Classic Rock and several of its offshoots since 2006. In the 1980s he began a 15-year spell working for Kerrang! intially as a cub reviewer and later as Geoff Barton’s deputy and then pouring precious metal into test tubes as editor of its Special Projects division. Has spent quality time with Robert Plant, Keith Richards, Ritchie Blackmore, Rory Gallagher and Gary Moore – and also spent time in a maximum security prison alongside Love/Hate. Loves Rush, Aerosmith and beer. Will work for food.
Yearning is one of the most powerful emotions, a complex blend of desire, regret, and hope that has inspired some of the most enduring songs in music history. From intimate whispers of heartbreak to grand declarations of love, these songs tap into the universal longing for connection, closure, or the return of something lost. This list of the 20 Best Songs About Yearning for Someone captures the depth and breadth of this emotion, weaving together classics that explore every nuance of human longing. Each entry on this list represents a different facet of yearning, whether it’s a reflection of unspoken words, an ache for a distant lover, or the bittersweet memories of a love gone by.
In “Yesterday” by the Beatles, Paul McCartney’s plaintive melody and wistful lyrics create a timeless anthem of regret and yearning for simpler, happier days. The Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” closes the list with its soaring vocals and haunting melody, encapsulating the desperate longing to reconnect with a lost love. “Wichita Lineman” by Glen Campbell paints a vivid portrait of distance and devotion, its spare arrangement and poignant lyrics delivering a tender ache. Badfinger’s “Without You” captures the devastating weight of separation, with its aching refrain underscoring the impossibility of living without someone.
In “Baby Come Back” by Player, the plea for reconciliation is wrapped in smooth harmonies and a polished pop sound. The Scorpions’ “No One Like You” channels longing through the lens of hard rock, delivering impassioned vocals and fiery guitar riffs. Dire Straits’ “Romeo and Juliet” reimagines Shakespeare’s tale as a modern-day love story, rich with yearning and heartbreak. Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie’s “Red Sun” merges their trademark harmonies with lyrics that evoke late-night reflection and longing. Bruce Springsteen’s “Empty Sky” reflects profound loss and a yearning for justice, set against the backdrop of haunting post-9/11 imagery.
Mike + The Mechanics’ “The Living Years” offers a poignant reminder of unspoken words and the longing for reconciliation. Dan Fogelberg’s “Leader of the Band” blends gratitude with an aching need to preserve familial bonds. The Chi-Lites’ “Have You Seen Her” masterfully pairs spoken-word verses with soulful melodies to express a universal longing for lost love. The Miracles’ “Tracks of My Tears” elegantly conveys heartbreak and the emotional facade we wear to hide it.
Grand Funk’s “Heartbreaker” channels raw yearning through gritty rock instrumentation, while Hall & Oates’ “Melody for a Memory” captures the power of music to preserve moments of love and longing. Pearl Jam’s “Black” delivers one of Eddie Vedder’s most emotive performances, its lyrics saturated with unfulfilled desire and lingering pain. Simon & Garfunkel’s “For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her” offers a poetic ode to an idealized love, evoking both beauty and yearning.
John Waite’s “Missing You” combines 1980s pop production with an emotionally raw performance, giving voice to the complexities of denial and longing. Bread’s “Everything I Own” is a tender tribute to a departed loved one, encapsulating yearning in its most personal form. Linda Ronstadt’s “Long Long Time” showcases her vocal prowess, capturing the pain of unrequited love with heartbreaking precision. Finally, “Unchained Melody” brings the list to an emotional crescendo, reminding us of the enduring power of longing to move and inspire.
# 20 – Long Long Time – Linda Ronstadt
Few songs capture the ache of unreciprocated love as poignantly as Linda Ronstadt’s “Long Long Time,” a ballad that remains a testament to the vulnerability of yearning. Released in 1970 as part of her second studio album, Silk Purse, the song was produced by Elliot Mazer at Cinderella Sound Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Ronstadt’s soaring vocal performance, coupled with the melancholic instrumentation, solidified the track’s status as a classic. The lineup included Herb Steiner on steel guitar, Norbert Putnam on bass, and David Briggs on keyboards, whose contributions beautifully underscored the song’s emotional depth. The track reached number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, showcasing Ronstadt’s rising star power.
Lyrically, “Long Long Time” delves deep into the torment of unfulfilled love, painting a picture of someone left longing for a connection that will never materialize. The opening lines, “Love will abide / Take things in stride / Sounds like good advice, but there’s no one at my side,” introduce the internal conflict between rationalizing heartbreak and feeling its full weight. The poignant admission, “I can’t say you hurt me when you never let me near,” highlights the narrator’s unrequited devotion and the pain of being overlooked. This theme of yearning is further amplified in the verse, “Living in the memory of a love that never was,” where Ronstadt gives voice to the agony of clinging to an illusion. Her delivery, equal parts strength and fragility, transforms these lines into a universal lament for anyone who has experienced unreturned affection.
Critically, “Long Long Time” received acclaim for its emotionally raw performance and Ronstadt’s vocal interpretation. Her ability to embody the despair and resilience in Gary White’s lyrics elevated the song beyond a simple love ballad. The steel guitar’s mournful tones and the subtle yet evocative piano accompaniment create a sonic atmosphere that complements the lyrical themes. Compared to other songs on this list, such as Neil Young’s “Only Love Can Break Your Heart,” Ronstadt’s track offers a similar introspection but leans more into heartbreak’s personal solitude rather than a broader reflection on love’s fragility.
“Long Long Time” remains a defining moment in Linda Ronstadt’s early career, one that showcases her exceptional ability to translate complex emotions into unforgettable music. The song’s raw honesty and timeless appeal ensure that it resonates with listeners across generations, capturing the essence of yearning in every note.
Few songs encapsulate the depth of love and the ache of loss as beautifully as Bread’s “Everything I Own.” Written by band member David Gates, the track was released in 1972 as part of the Baby I’m-a Want You album. The song’s heartfelt lyrics, tender instrumentation, and understated vocal delivery make it a timeless ballad about yearning for someone irreplaceable. Recorded in Los Angeles, the track features Gates on lead vocals and guitar, with Larry Knechtel on keyboards, Robb Royer on bass, and Mike Botts on drums. Produced by Gates himself, the song reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and has since been covered by numerous artists, further solidifying its emotional resonance.
Lyrically, “Everything I Own” paints a vivid picture of devotion and longing. The opening lines, “You sheltered me from harm / Kept me warm, kept me warm,” express gratitude for a selfless love that provided comfort and protection. Gates captures the raw ache of loss in the chorus with, “I would give everything I own / Just to have you back again,” a sentiment that transcends time and speaks to the universal experience of longing for someone who is no longer present. The verse, “Is there someone you know / You’re loving them so / But taking them all for granted?” offers a poignant reminder of how fleeting life’s most treasured connections can be, urging listeners to cherish their loved ones while they have the chance.
Critically, “Everything I Own” has been praised for its simplicity and emotional clarity. Gates initially wrote the song as a tribute to his late father, infusing it with a depth of feeling that resonates universally. The gentle acoustic guitar and soft piano chords create an intimate backdrop that allows the lyrics to take center stage. Compared to other songs on this list, such as Linda Ronstadt’s “Long Long Time,” which also explores unfulfilled love, “Everything I Own” shifts the focus to the enduring ache of loss and the gratitude for a love that once was.
There’s an undeniable intensity in John Waite’s “Missing You” that perfectly captures the bittersweet struggle of longing for someone while trying to convince yourself otherwise. Released in 1984 as part of Waite’s No Brakes album, the song became an anthem of yearning disguised behind a façade of denial. The recording was produced by David Thoener and John Waite, with a polished yet emotionally charged arrangement that showcases Waite’s powerful vocal delivery. Featuring instruments played by accomplished musicians such as Gary Myrick on guitar and Donny Vosburgh on drums, the song reflects an immaculate blend of rock and ballad elements, creating a timeless piece that resonates with listeners to this day.
The lyrics paint a vivid picture of heartbreak and self-deception. Waite sings, “I hear your name in certain circles, and it always makes me smile,” a line that poignantly illustrates how a simple memory can spark joy and pain simultaneously. The repeated refrain, “I ain’t missing you at all,” stands as a bold declaration that belies the storm raging within, as highlighted in the line, “There’s a storm that’s raging through my frozen heart tonight.” These contrasts, paired with Waite’s emotive delivery, make the song a masterclass in lyrical storytelling, portraying the complexity of longing for someone who is no longer present.
Critically acclaimed and commercially successful, “Missing You” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, cementing its place as one of the defining hits of the 1980s. When compared to other songs on this list, such as Linda Ronstadt’s “Long Long Time,” Waite’s track takes a more defiant approach to yearning, as opposed to Ronstadt’s tender vulnerability. Both, however, delve deeply into the universal experience of missing someone, offering two sides of the same coin. With its unforgettable melody, heartfelt lyrics, and universal appeal, “Missing You” continues to resonate with audiences, making it an essential entry in any exploration of songs about yearning.
# 17 – For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her – Simon & Garfunkel
Released on Simon & Garfunkel’s Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme in 1966, “For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her” is a masterful expression of longing and devotion, showcasing the duo’s unmatched ability to capture emotional complexity. Paul Simon penned this delicate piece, and Art Garfunkel’s soaring vocal performance brings its lyrical yearning vividly to life. The track was recorded at Columbia Records’ studios in New York City under the production of Bob Johnston, a figure pivotal in creating the song’s intimate and ethereal quality.
Lyrically, “For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her” is a poetic ode to a dream-like love. The opening line, “What I dream I had, pressed in organdy,” sets a surreal tone, blending the tactile and the intangible. The imagery of “frosted fields of juniper and lamplight” evokes a serene and otherworldly setting, a place where love feels eternal and all-consuming. The narrator’s heartfelt gratitude in the line, “I kissed your honey hair with my grateful tears,” emphasizes the depth of their yearning and appreciation for this transcendent connection, even if it exists only in memory or imagination.
Critics have long praised the song for its minimalist arrangement, which features Garfunkel’s voice accompanied by Simon’s understated acoustic guitar. This simplicity underscores the purity of the song’s emotion, allowing the lyrics to take center stage. Compared to other songs on this list, such as Linda Ronstadt’s “Long Long Time,” which also delves into unfulfilled longing, “For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her” stands apart in its dream-like optimism. While Ronstadt’s ballad leans into heartbreak, Simon and Garfunkel’s song paints yearning as a poetic and almost spiritual experience.
“Black,” from Pearl Jam’s groundbreaking debut album Ten, is a haunting exploration of love, loss, and the profound ache of yearning for someone who has moved on. Released in 1991 and produced by Rick Parashar and Pearl Jam, the song was recorded at London Bridge Studio in Seattle, capturing the raw intensity that defined the band’s early sound. With Eddie Vedder’s poignant lyrics and an emotive performance set against the backdrop of Mike McCready’s soul-stirring guitar work, “Black” stands as one of Pearl Jam’s most evocative tracks.
The lyrics paint a vivid picture of love that once felt all-encompassing but has now faded, leaving behind a void that the narrator struggles to reconcile. The opening line, “Sheets of empty canvas, untouched sheets of clay,” symbolizes a blank slate forever altered by a love that consumed and defined the narrator’s world. The line “All five horizons revolved around her soul, as the earth to the sun” speaks to the all-encompassing nature of their connection, a love so powerful it became the axis of his existence. As the song progresses, the imagery turns darker—“All the pictures have all been washed in black, tattooed everything”—evoking the enduring pain of loss and the permanence of its impact.
Critics and fans alike have praised “Black” for its emotional depth and minimalist yet powerful instrumentation. Vedder’s impassioned delivery of the closing plea, “I know someday you’ll have a beautiful life, I know you’ll be a star in somebody else’s sky, but why can’t it be mine?” captures the essence of unfulfilled longing, making it a cornerstone of this list. Comparatively, the yearning expressed in “Black” shares a similar emotional gravity with Linda Ronstadt’s “Long Long Time,” yet Pearl Jam’s approach is marked by a grunge aesthetic that amplifies the rawness of the sentiment.
“Black” remains a timeless anthem of heartache and yearning, resonating deeply with anyone who has grappled with the ache of unrequited love or the bittersweet memories of a love that once was. Its placement on this list is a testament to its enduring ability to convey the universal experience of longing through both its poetic lyrics and stirring musical arrangement.
“Melody For A Memory,” from Hall & Oates’ 1978 album Along the Red Ledge, is a poignant reflection on love, separation, and the enduring power of music to encapsulate emotions. Recorded at Sound Labs and Sunset Sound Studios in Hollywood and produced by David Foster, the song features the duo’s signature blend of soul and rock, complemented by intricate arrangements that showcase their evolving artistry during this period. The track’s heartfelt lyrics and compelling instrumentation position it as a notable entry in their extensive catalog.
The lyrics convey the narrator’s plea for connection despite physical separation, encapsulated in the refrain, “Take this melody for a memory.” This line underscores the central theme of music as a vessel for preserving love and memories. In a poignant moment, the narrator reflects on the difficulty of distance: “She cried when he left her, her eyes went black with the blue,” vividly capturing the emotional toll of longing. The song’s recurring sentiment, “If you can’t take me with you, you’ll have to take a part of me,” reinforces the idea of music as a tangible remnant of love, a sentiment that deeply resonates within the context of yearning.
Critically, Along the Red Ledge marked a transitional moment for Hall & Oates, with “Melody For A Memory” showcasing their ability to balance emotional depth with polished production. The lush arrangement features Daryl Hall’s emotive vocals, John Oates’ harmonies, and contributions from top-tier session musicians, including Jeff Porcaro and George Harrison, lending the track its rich sonic texture. Comparatively, the song’s portrayal of emotional longing shares thematic similarities with “Long Long Time” by Linda Ronstadt, both encapsulating the aching beauty of love that persists despite separation. However, Hall & Oates’ use of a melody as a metaphor adds a unique layer to their storytelling.
“Melody For A Memory” stands as a testament to Hall & Oates’ lyrical and musical prowess, capturing the bittersweet essence of yearning through its evocative lyrics and soulful delivery. Its place on this list underscores the universal power of music to connect hearts, even across the chasms of time and distance.
“Heartbreaker,” a cornerstone track from Grand Funk’s debut album, On Time (1969), channels the raw emotional turbulence of longing and heartbreak into a powerfully direct blues-rock anthem. Produced by Terry Knight and recorded at Cleveland Recording Company, the song highlights the band’s signature blend of gritty vocals, driving rhythms, and searing guitar work. Mark Farner’s impassioned delivery and melodic storytelling bring the pain of unfulfilled love to life, making it a poignant addition to any list of yearning-themed songs.
The lyrics reveal a profound struggle with loss and longing, as the narrator reflects on the memory of a girl who is no longer present. The line, “Once I had a little girl, sometimes I think about her, but buddy, you know, she’s not really there,” vividly captures the ache of yearning for someone who feels unattainable. Farner’s voice wavers with intensity, underscoring the desperation in “When memories do call, I just can’t live without her, but trying all the time is so hard to bear.” The recurring refrain of “Heartbreaker, can’t take her, bringing me down” punctuates the song, driving home the inescapable weight of longing.
Musically, “Heartbreaker” exemplifies the raw power and minimalism that defined Grand Funk’s early sound. Farner’s guitar solos provide a visceral counterpoint to the emotive lyrics, while Mel Schacher’s bass and Don Brewer’s drumming form a relentless rhythmic foundation. The stripped-down production emphasizes the band’s intensity, creating an atmosphere of catharsis that aligns with the song’s lyrical themes. In comparison to other songs on this list, “Heartbreaker” shares a similar emotional depth with Pearl Jam’s “Black,” both addressing the enduring pain of love lost, though Grand Funk’s approach leans more on raw energy than introspection.
“Tracks of My Tears” by The Miracles captures the delicate balance between outward composure and internal heartbreak, a poignant theme that resonates deeply with anyone yearning for someone lost. Released in 1965 as part of their Going to a Go-Go album, this Smokey Robinson-penned classic stands as a masterclass in emotional storytelling. Recorded at the legendary Motown Hitsville U.S.A. studios in Detroit, Michigan, and produced by Robinson, alongside Warren “Pete” Moore and Marv Tarplin, the track weaves a seamless blend of soulful melodies, introspective lyrics, and exquisite vocal performances.
The song’s lyrics explore the pain of pretending to move on while secretly mourning a love that lingers. Lines like “People say I’m the life of the party ’cause I tell a joke or two” highlight the facade of happiness, while “But my smile is my makeup I wear since my breakup with you” reveals the profound sorrow beneath the surface. The metaphor of tears leaving “tracks” creates a vivid image of heartbreak etched on the narrator’s face, capturing the enduring mark of yearning for a love that once was. This deep emotional resonance mirrors the sentiment in “Black” by Pearl Jam, another entry on this list, where lingering memories and longing take center stage.
Musically, “Tracks of My Tears” epitomizes the sophisticated sound of Motown. Smokey Robinson’s falsetto floats over a lush arrangement of strings, gentle guitar lines, and harmonized backing vocals provided by The Miracles. Marv Tarplin’s memorable guitar intro acts as a melodic anchor, setting a wistful tone that underpins the song’s theme. Critically acclaimed, the song achieved significant commercial success, peaking at number sixteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming a defining track for the group. Its universal appeal and enduring legacy continue to make it one of the most evocative depictions of longing and unspoken sorrow.
By conveying the duality of external cheerfulness and internal despair, “Tracks of My Tears” encapsulates the bittersweet complexity of yearning. It speaks to a shared human experience, much like “For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her” by Simon & Garfunkel, which also explores love as both an aspiration and a memory. Together, these songs enrich this list with their ability to articulate the profound ache of unfulfilled longing, connecting listeners across generations and emotions.
The Chi-Lites’ “Have You Seen Her” beautifully captures the heartache and yearning that accompany the sudden absence of a loved one. Released in 1971 as part of their album (For God’s Sake) Give More Power to the People, this soul classic blends rich vocal harmonies with poignant storytelling, creating a timeless anthem for anyone longing to reconnect with someone they’ve lost. Produced by Eugene Record, who also contributed to the songwriting alongside Barbara Acklin, the track was recorded at the famed Brunswick Recording Studios in Chicago, Illinois, and became a defining moment in the group’s career.
The lyrics vividly describe the narrator’s daily struggles as he seeks solace in familiar routines while hoping for the return of his beloved. The opening line, “One month ago today, I was happy as a lark,” sets the stage for a heartbreaking tale of despair and longing. Lines like “I see her face everywhere I go, on the street and even at the picture show” illustrate the all-encompassing nature of his yearning, while “Oh, she left her kiss upon my lips, but left that break within my heart” encapsulates the lingering pain of her absence. The emotional resonance of these lyrics aligns with other tracks on this list, such as “Tracks of My Tears” by The Miracles, which also explores the deep sorrow hidden beneath a veneer of normalcy.
Musically, “Have You Seen Her” features lush orchestration, including strings and horns, which complement the Chi-Lites’ smooth vocal delivery. The spoken-word verses add a conversational intimacy, drawing listeners further into the narrator’s inner world. The song’s commercial success was remarkable, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the R&B charts. It cemented the Chi-Lites’ place in soul music history and remains one of their most celebrated works.
“Have You Seen Her” stands as a profound exploration of longing, blending heartfelt lyrics with a soulful arrangement that continues to resonate with audiences. Its universal themes of love, loss, and hope for reconciliation ensure its lasting relevance, connecting deeply with listeners much like “Long Long Time” by Linda Ronstadt, which also delves into the anguish of unfulfilled love. Together, these songs enrich this list, showcasing the emotional depth that yearning can inspire.
Dan Fogelberg’s “Leader of the Band” is an intimate tribute to his father, Lawrence Fogelberg, whose influence as both a musician and a man resonated deeply in Dan’s life and career. Released in 1981 on the album The Innocent Age, the song is a heartfelt reflection on gratitude, familial bonds, and the enduring legacy passed down through music. Produced by Fogelberg and Marty Lewis, the track was recorded at North Hollywood’s Sunset Sound Studios and other locations, showcasing Fogelberg’s signature soft rock sensibilities intertwined with folk and classical elements.
Lyrically, “Leader of the Band” paints a vivid portrait of a father whose dedication to music shaped his son’s identity. The opening lines, “An only child alone and wild, a cabinet maker’s son, his hands were meant for different work,” emphasize the father’s journey of leaving a traditional life for one guided by passion. The line “He earned his love through discipline, a thundering velvet hand” captures the dichotomy of his father’s strength and tenderness, while “His blood runs through my instrument and his song is in my soul” poignantly highlights the legacy of love and music he imparted to Dan. Like “Tracks of My Tears” by The Miracles, which explores emotional vulnerability, “Leader of the Band” resonates deeply with listeners by grounding its yearning in heartfelt introspection.
The song’s arrangement is as emotionally evocative as its lyrics. Acoustic guitar and piano lay the foundation, while the inclusion of brass instruments pays homage to Fogelberg’s father, a bandleader. The song’s commercial success reflects its universal appeal; it reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Adult Contemporary chart. Critics praised its sincerity and emotional depth, cementing it as one of Fogelberg’s most enduring works.
“Leader of the Band” captures the essence of yearning by connecting personal memory with universal themes of love, loss, and gratitude. Its reflective tone parallels songs like “Have You Seen Her” by The Chi-Lites, where nostalgia and longing form the emotional core. Together, these tracks demonstrate the profound impact of personal relationships on the human experience, making them essential to any exploration of yearning in music.
Mike + The Mechanics’ “The Living Years” is an evocative ballad that captures the profound regrets and yearning felt in the wake of unresolved conflicts with a loved one. Released in 1988 on the album The Living Years, this poignant track was penned by Mike Rutherford and B.A. Robertson and was inspired by the loss of their fathers. Recorded at The Farm in Surrey, England, the song’s heartfelt narrative and moving arrangement struck a chord with audiences worldwide. Produced by Christopher Neil, the track features the soulful lead vocals of Paul Carrack, alongside Rutherford on bass and guitars, Adrian Lee on keyboards, and Peter Van Hooke on drums.
Lyrically, “The Living Years” delivers a stark reminder of the importance of expressing love and understanding before it is too late. The line “I just wish I could have told him in the living years” encapsulates the central theme of regret over unspoken words. Similarly, “We all talk a different language, talking in defence” underscores the communication barriers that often lead to estrangement. In the final verse, the narrator’s reflection—”I think I caught his spirit later that same year”—reveals a poignant connection to his father through his newborn child, illustrating how loss and love are intertwined across generations. This emotional depth is comparable to Dan Fogelberg’s “Leader of the Band,” another track on this list that reflects on familial bonds and legacy, though “The Living Years” explores the theme with a more urgent plea for reconciliation.
The song’s commercial success and critical acclaim highlight its universal appeal. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and peaked at number two in the UK, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Song of the Year. Critics lauded the song’s ability to blend deeply personal lyrics with a universally relatable message. Its rich arrangement—featuring strings and a choir—enhances the emotional weight of the lyrics, creating a timeless anthem for those grappling with loss and unspoken words.
“The Living Years” stands as a profound exploration of yearning for lost opportunities and the ache of missed connections. Its heartfelt message aligns with the themes of longing found in other songs on this list, like “Have You Seen Her” by The Chi-Lites, which also conveys the pain of searching for what is missing. Together, these tracks illuminate the enduring human desire to bridge emotional distances and cherish the moments that matter most.
Bruce Springsteen’s “Empty Sky” serves as a hauntingly poignant reflection on loss, grief, and yearning in the aftermath of tragedy. Featured on his 2002 album The Rising, the song captures the emotional void left by the September 11 attacks, both on a personal and collective level. Recorded at Southern Tracks Recording Studio in Atlanta and produced by Brendan O’Brien, this stripped-down track relies on its raw emotion to convey the heartache of absence. The simplicity of Springsteen’s vocal delivery, accompanied by acoustic guitar, harmonica, and mournful instrumentation, draws listeners into its sorrowful narrative.
Lyrically, “Empty Sky” paints vivid imagery of devastation and longing. The line “I woke up this morning to an empty sky” becomes a refrain that underscores the aching void left by the loss of a loved one, echoing the stark visuals of the changed New York City skyline. The plea “I want a kiss from your lips, I want an eye for an eye” captures the deep yearning for connection intertwined with anger and a desire for justice. Further emphasizing the emotional weight, Springsteen writes, “Blood on the streets, blood flowin’ down,” evoking a visceral response to the human cost of tragedy. These lines weave together themes of mourning and an aching desire for closure, resonating deeply with the central theme of yearning explored throughout this list.
“Empty Sky” is thematically aligned with songs like Mike + The Mechanics’ “The Living Years,” as both delve into the pain of absence and unspoken words. However, while “The Living Years” focuses on familial reconciliation, Springsteen’s track is steeped in the collective grief and anger that follows a catastrophic event. The song’s sparse arrangement amplifies its intimacy, allowing the lyrics to take center stage, and its heartfelt resonance made it a crucial piece of The Rising, an album hailed as a musical response to collective loss and resilience.
“Empty Sky” is a testament to Springsteen’s ability to channel universal emotions into deeply personal narratives. It remains a moving exploration of yearning for what has been lost, offering listeners both a cathartic and contemplative experience. By grounding its sorrow in vivid, relatable imagery, the song stands as one of the most evocative tracks in this article’s celebration of yearning and loss.
# 8 – Red Sun – Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie
“Red Sun,” from the collaborative album Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie, captures the bittersweet essence of longing and unresolved emotions. Released in 2017, the track showcases Christine McVie’s graceful yet heart-wrenching vocals, complemented by Buckingham’s distinct guitar work and harmonies. Produced by Buckingham, McVie, and Mitchell Froom, the song was recorded at The Village Studios in Los Angeles, with additional contributions from Fleetwood Mac members Mick Fleetwood on drums and John McVie on bass. The blend of polished production and acoustic warmth mirrors the song’s introspective theme, making it a compelling exploration of yearning and reflection.
Lyrically, “Red Sun” delves into the ache of unreciprocated love and lingering questions about what might have been. The repeated line, “Sometimes I wonder, do you ever think of me?” encapsulates the universal experience of unfulfilled connection. McVie’s vivid imagery, such as “When the red sun kisses the sea,” conveys the emotional weight of solitude, particularly in moments of quiet contemplation. The song also reflects on the enduring nature of cherished memories, as seen in the line, “My mind is filled with journeys echoed with your smile,” highlighting how even fleeting moments can leave indelible marks on the heart.
Comparatively, “Red Sun” resonates with themes found in songs like Bruce Springsteen’s “Empty Sky,” where the passage of time amplifies feelings of loss and longing. However, while Springsteen’s track focuses on collective grief, “Red Sun” narrows its lens to the deeply personal realm of unresolved affection. The understated instrumentation and lilting melody amplify the song’s emotional pull, inviting listeners to sit with the pain and beauty of yearning.
Through its introspective lyrics and heartfelt delivery, “Red Sun” exemplifies the enduring power of McVie’s songwriting and Buckingham’s production finesse. The song stands as a poignant addition to this list, offering a nuanced portrayal of longing that lingers like the fading light of the titular red sun.
Dire Straits’ “Romeo and Juliet” is a deeply evocative exploration of love’s complexities, drawing inspiration from Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy while infusing it with modern-day realism and heartbreak. Released in 1980 as part of the album Making Movies, the song was recorded at Power Station Studios in New York City under the production of Jimmy Iovine and Mark Knopfler. Featuring Knopfler’s signature fingerpicked guitar lines and soulful vocals, the song captures the yearning and melancholy of a love story doomed by circumstance and misunderstanding.
Lyrically, “Romeo and Juliet” offers a poignant dialogue between two lovers whose relationship has crumbled under the weight of unfulfilled promises. The line “Juliet, the dice was loaded from the start” encapsulates the inevitability of their love’s demise, suggesting that their romance was always destined for heartbreak. Another striking lyric, “You promised me everything, you promised me thick and thin,” underscores the pain of betrayal and the lingering bitterness of broken vows. The song also echoes the sentiment of yearning in its refrain, “All I do is kiss you through the bars of a rhyme,” illustrating the narrator’s inability to let go of his love despite the distance and disillusionment.
Musically, the track’s use of Knopfler’s resonator guitar and the band’s understated rhythm section create a hauntingly intimate atmosphere that enhances the song’s emotional depth. Compared to other songs on this list, such as Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie’s “Red Sun,” “Romeo and Juliet” takes a narrative approach to yearning, crafting a detailed story that brings the listener into the heart of the lovers’ fractured world. Both songs share a sense of longing that feels inescapable, but where “Red Sun” emphasizes internal reflection, “Romeo and Juliet” thrives on dialogue and vivid imagery.
“Romeo and Juliet” remains a masterclass in storytelling and musical craftsmanship, seamlessly blending its literary roots with contemporary themes of love and loss. Its timelessness lies in its ability to evoke a deep, aching yearning that resonates universally, making it a cornerstone of any exploration of love’s complexities in music.
The Scorpions’ “No One Like You,” released in 1982 on the album Blackout, epitomizes the intense yearning and emotional vulnerability that comes with separation from a loved one. Recorded at Dierks Studios in Cologne, Germany, and produced by Dieter Dierks, the song features Klaus Meine’s powerful vocals, Rudolf Schenker’s fiery guitar work, and Matthias Jabs’ iconic solo. This track, a commercial success, became a defining anthem for the band, peaking at number sixty-five on the Billboard Hot 100 and dominating the rock airwaves.
Lyrically, “No One Like You” captures the aching desire to reunite with a partner. The opening line, “Girl, it’s been a long time that we’ve been apart,” sets the tone for a narrative steeped in longing. Klaus Meine’s delivery of “I imagine the things we’ll do” underscores the vivid fantasies that fill the void of physical absence. The lyric “I just imagine you’d come through this door, you’d take all my sorrow away” encapsulates the desperate hope for relief from loneliness. This yearning is heightened by the song’s structure, where the verses build toward the soaring chorus, mirroring the emotional crescendo of anticipation.
Musically, the Scorpions weave together soaring melodies and a relentless rhythm section, creating an emotional backdrop that complements the lyrics’ intensity. Compared to other songs on this list, such as “Romeo and Juliet” by Dire Straits, “No One Like You” leans heavily into a raw, passionate longing, driven by its hard rock energy. While “Romeo and Juliet” conveys a sense of resigned heartbreak, “No One Like You” radiates a hopeful urgency, reflecting a different facet of yearning.
The song remains a quintessential power ballad of the 1980s, blending vulnerability with electrifying rock instrumentation. Its universal theme of longing resonates as deeply today as it did upon its release, securing its place among the greatest songs about yearning for someone.
“Yesterday,” performed by The Beatles and primarily written by Paul McCartney, is a poignant exploration of loss and longing that has captivated listeners since its release on Help! in 1965. The song’s delicate arrangement, featuring McCartney’s solo vocal accompanied by an acoustic guitar and a string quartet, underscores its deeply personal and reflective nature. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios on June 14, 1965, and produced by George Martin, “Yesterday” marked a departure from the band’s earlier rock-oriented sound, showcasing a vulnerability that resonated universally.
The lyrics encapsulate a yearning for the simplicity and joy of a lost past, beginning with the wistful opening line, “Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away.” This stark contrast between the carefree nature of “yesterday” and the present state of despair is heightened in lines like, “Now I need a place to hide away,” which illustrates the narrator’s overwhelming sorrow and desire to retreat from his current reality. Perhaps the most poignant moment comes with the confession, “I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday,” suggesting the weight of regret and the irreversible nature of his loss. This deeply introspective narrative aligns with other songs on this list, such as Badfinger’s “Without You,” which also conveys the profound ache of longing for a love that has slipped away.
Critically acclaimed for its simplicity and emotional depth, “Yesterday” became one of The Beatles’ most celebrated songs, topping charts worldwide and remaining one of the most covered songs in history. Its themes of regret and nostalgia echo the sentiments found in songs like “Baby Come Back” by Player, both exploring the yearning for reconciliation after a relationship’s end. However, where “Baby Come Back” leans into a plea for forgiveness, “Yesterday” adopts a more introspective tone, reflecting on the past with a mixture of sorrow and acceptance. This nuanced portrayal of longing solidifies its place among the most evocative songs ever written about yearning, offering an intimate glimpse into the universal struggle of grappling with love and loss.
With “Wichita Lineman,” Glen Campbell captures the quiet yearning of a man isolated by both his work and his unspoken longing. Written by Jimmy Webb and recorded in 1968, the song is a masterful blend of narrative and emotion, epitomizing the aching desire for connection. Recorded at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, and produced by Al De Lory, the track features Campbell’s evocative vocals alongside his signature guitar work, supported by lush orchestration. The result is a timeless piece that transcends its initial inspiration, becoming a universal anthem of yearning and devotion.
The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a lineman enduring the solitude of his job, physically distant yet emotionally tethered to the person he loves. The haunting line, “I hear you singing in the wire, I can hear you through the whine,” metaphorically conveys the lineman’s connection to his distant love, underscoring his relentless hope. The phrase, “And I need you more than I want you, and I want you for all time,” crystallizes his longing with devastating simplicity, balancing vulnerability and permanence. This emotional candor places “Wichita Lineman” alongside songs like “Yesterday” by The Beatles in its ability to distill complex emotions into universally relatable truths.
Critics have hailed “Wichita Lineman” as a landmark in popular music, often highlighting its cinematic scope and introspective depth. The song reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and solidified Campbell’s reputation as both a skilled musician and an interpreter of deeply emotional material. Comparatively, its exploration of longing shares a kinship with “Without You” by Badfinger, though Campbell’s understated delivery contrasts with Badfinger’s raw, anguished vocal performance. Together, these songs underscore the universality of yearning, each offering a unique lens through which to view love’s complexities.
We all remember that scene in Ghost. Demi Moore broke all our hearts. Closing this list with “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers is a fitting tribute to one of the most iconic songs about yearning. Originally written by Alex North and Hy Zaret in 1955 for the film Unchained, the Righteous Brothers’ 1965 rendition remains the definitive version, thanks to Bobby Hatfield’s soaring vocal performance and Phil Spector’s lush production. Recorded at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles, the track features Hatfield on lead vocals, supported by a minimal yet poignant arrangement that amplifies the song’s raw emotional core. The result is a timeless classic that has resonated across generations.
The lyrics of “Unchained Melody” delve deeply into themes of longing and separation, perfectly aligning with the article’s focus. The opening lines, “Oh, my love, my darling, I’ve hungered for your touch,” encapsulate the deep ache for physical and emotional connection, a sentiment that grows more poignant as time passes. The line, “And time goes by so slowly, and time can do so much,” speaks to the enduring pain of waiting, echoing the emotional weight found in Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman.” The imagery of “lonely rivers flowing to the sea” metaphorically portrays an unrelenting journey toward reunion, offering a glimmer of hope amidst the heartache.
Critically and commercially, the song achieved immense success, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and enjoying enduring acclaim. Its inclusion in the 1990 film Ghost further cemented its cultural impact, introducing the song to a new generation of listeners. Within the context of this list, “Unchained Melody” stands out not only for its universal appeal but also for its singular ability to convey yearning with such visceral intensity. While songs like “Yesterday” by the Beatles explore regret and nostalgia, “Unchained Melody” focuses purely on the desire for reunion, making it a deeply evocative finale to this collection.
As the closing entry, “Unchained Melody” embodies the culmination of yearning expressed throughout this article. Its haunting melody, paired with Hatfield’s impassioned delivery, leaves listeners with a profound sense of longing, echoing the universal desire to bridge the gap between distance and love. This enduring classic brings the list to an emotional and memorable conclusion, reinforcing the timeless power of music to express the depths of human emotion.
Paul Rodgers – best known as the frontman for the bands Free and Bad Company – has shared the throwback video below, featuring his performance of Free’s “My Brother Jake”, live at the Jools 11th Annual Hootenanny on December 31, 2003.
In September 2023, Rodgers released Midnight Rose – his first solo album in nearly 25 years – via Sun Records. Order/save the album here.
Midnight Rose is celebration of a storied career and a feel-good, hopeful look towards the future. It features Paul’s quintessential larger-than-life vocals in a whole new chapter of his career.
Tracklisting:
“Coming Home” “Photo Shooter” “Midnight Rose” “Living It Up” “Dance in the Sun” “Take Love” “Highway Robber” “Melting”
A new episode of The SDR Show, featuring Raven, is now available wherever you get your podcasts. Watch video below.
Raven band members John and Mark Gallagher join Ralph Sutton and Dov Davidoff and discuss other famous bands with brothers as members, the origin of the band name Raven, Ozzy Osbourne hearing Raven on the radio then asking them to open for him, John Gallagher’s perfect pitch, Mark Gallagher being accident prone and the tragedies the band had to deal with, vomiting on stage, keeping high energy when performing at a more advanced age, Raven releasing a live album with tracks already recorded, a silly game to see if John and Mark Gallagher can identify different birds, John and Mark Gallagher’s first concert, first drug, and first sexual experiences.
On Ozzy picking them as an opening band, John said: “The way it was in England at the time. This DJ only did one thing—they played new music. I don’t know where Ozzy was, but he heard it and said I want that band.”
On being in their seventies and still rocking hard, Mark said: “We’re chasing our legacy. We still want to make sure that we’re still on point—we don’t want to be less. There’s no acoustic part of the set!”
The SDR Show is part of the GaS Digital Network, an audio/video podcast hosted by radio personality Ralph Sutton and comedian Dov Davidoff. The SDR Show is often in the top fifty comedy interview podcasts on iTunes, was selected as one of the first podcasts on Spotify, and is available on Google Play, iHeartRadio, and theSDRshow.com. Recent guests include musicians Peter Frampton, Gene Simmons, Alice Cooper, DMC of Run DMC, and Shaggy; comedians Ray Romano, Thomas Lennon, Michael Che, Pete Davidson, Sussie Essman, and Mario Cantone; and notable personalities including Mark Cuban, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Daymond John.
Newcastle, UK metal legends, Raven, recently unleashed the ear-splitting title track from their 50th anniversary Can’t Take Away The Fire release, out February 14 via Silver Lining Music.
Stream the new single “Can’t Take Away The Fire” here. The video, by widely acclaimed visual arts icon Costin Chioreanu, can be viewed below.
This rebel cry from the insane new Raven release underlines that the band aren’t letting their legacy dictate what they are… instead, they continue to push and redefine their approach by employing mega metal flamethrowers of CRUNCH!
Co-founding lead vocalist and bassist John Gallagher comments: “After the last album, All Hell’s Breaking Loose, we knew it was time to raise the bar yet again… ‘Can’t Take Away The Fire’ is the perfect introduction to this new EP … five tracks of pure cranium crushing headbanging mania!”
Founding Geordie brothers John Gallagher (lead vocals, bass) and Mark Gallagher (guitar, backing vocals) aligned with the jet-propulsive power of Mike Heller (drums), throw down their speed demon gauntlet on “Black And Blue”, roar with turbo charged intensity on “Power Hungry”, carpet bomb and bludgeon with the mega riffs of “Can’t Take Away The Fire” then accelerating back to the pyrotechnic fury of “Gimme A Lie”. The new suite of songs wraps up with “The Wreckage” – a doom-tinged epic with the weight of a thousand baseball bats pummelling your skull!
Adding to the festivities are live bonus tracks from across the band’s career – “The Power”, as well as “Architect Of Fear”, with Joe Hasselvander on drums and “Don’t Need Your Money” with Rob Hunter.
Featuring artwork by All Things Rotten, Can’t Take Away The Fire is a very limited-edition release, with only 1,000 CDs available, all of which will be numbered and signed by the band as well as coming with an exclusive 50th anniversary Raven patch. The limited-edition CD will also only be available from the official Raven store, and once they’re gone, they’re gone.
Digital pre-order is now available, all formats can be pre-ordered here.
Tracklisting:
“Black And Blue” “Power Hungry” “Can’t Take Away The Fire” “Gimme A Lie” “The Wreckage” “The Power” (Live In Clifton, New Jersey, 2022) “Architect Of Fear” (Live In Erlangen, Germany, 1991) “Don’t Need Your Money” (Live In Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1984)
Raven are:
John Gallagher: Lead Vocals, Bass Mark Gallagher: Guitar, Vocals Mike Heller: Drums
Los Angeles death metal titans, Abysmal Dawn, and Canadian heavy metal champions, Striker, are the latest acts confirmed for the 2025 edition of 70000 Tons Of Metal, taking place January 30 – February 3, 2025.
This year’s cruise will take fans back to an absolute favorite port that hasn’t been visited in a decade – Ocho Rios, Jamaica!
60 Bands, 4 Days, 1 Cruise Ship, and only 3000 Tickets. This is 70000 Tons Of Metal, The Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise!
70000 Tons Of Metal 2025 roster: Arcturus, Benighted, Beyond Creation, Candlemass, Crownshift, Decapitated, Delain, Emperor, Ex Deo, Finntroll, Flotsam And Jetsam, HammerFall, Ihsahn, Incantation, In Extremo, Kalmah, Kissin’ Dynamite, Majestica, Metsatöll, Mork, Powerglove, Samael, Septicflesh, Sepultura, Sonata Arctica, Stratovarius, Subway To Sally, Swallow The Sun featuring Finnish Ballet, Symphony X, Tankard, The Kovenant, The Zenith Passage, Trollfest, Trouble, Twilight Force, Unleash The Archers.
On 70000 Tons Of Metal you get unrestricted festival access to all 120 live shows on board, 70000 Tons Of Karaoke until sunrise, Jamming In International Waters – the Official 70000 Tons Of Metal All Star Jam which writes heavy metal history every year, clinics and work-shops with the musicians, our infamous belly flop contest, shore excursions with your favorite artists, and much more.
Organizers: “Everyone on board is a VIP, we don’t have assigned seating (this is a heavy metal cruise after all), and most importantly the bars on our ship never close – you heard us, bars that never close! On this life changing adventure you will spend five days and four nights at sea mingling side-by-side with your favorite artists in this incredibly fan-friendly scenario that has no comparison. It’s like having an All-Access backstage pass!”
Jason Bieler and the Baron Von Bielski Orchestra will release their third studio album, The Escapologist, on February 21.
Crafted with reckless abandon, wit, and a dash of whimsy, this record serves as a testament to Jason Bieler’s boundless creativity and his knack for turning his musical toolbox into an island of misfit songs. Few artists have displayed such a consistent disdain for adhering to a single genre or sound. Bieler’s blissful disregard for scenes and micro-niches has ironically resulted in the creation of a genre all his own—a space where boundaries blur and musical exploration reigns supreme.
“In a day and age where everything sounds nearly the same, built off algorithm-tested chord progressions and tempos, Bieler should be celebrated as a singular genius of his time. ‘Don’t let the fact that he’s ridiculously good-looking fool you into thinking he uses his sex appeal as a marketing weapon,’ said Bieler.”
Recorded at the illustriously named Baron Von Bielski’s Audio Propulsion Labs, the album features an all-star lineup of musicians, including long time collaborators guitarist Andee Blacksugar (Blondie, KMFDM, Peter Murphy), drummer Edu Cominato (Geoff Tate, Mr. Big, Soto), as well as new friend and bass player extraordinaire Johan Niemann from Evergrey.
Fans don’t have to wait long for their first taste —the album’s lead single, “Savior”, drops today and is now available on all major streaming platforms. A visualizer/lyric video can be found below.
With a discography that has already garnered critical acclaim in progressive and alternative music circles, The Escapologist takes Bieler’s artistry to deeper, more introspective levels—lyrically dark and rich, musically adventurous, and brimming with unexpected turns.
When asked about the album, Bieler shared his thoughts (and a fair amount of digression): “If Houdini made an album, it’d probably vanish before your very eyes—which has nothing to do with this record. For that, I apologize… but not really. One of my earliest memories is being babysat (or abandoned?) in a Broadway theater to watch Doug Henning’s The Magic Show in 1974. To be fair, I had excellent seats—my mother’s side of the family were all theater folk, stretching back to vaudeville days. That might explain great-great-grandma Bielski’s greasepaint mustache… or maybe it raises even more questions. Did you even ask about my childhood?
“But back to The Escapologist!
“I’ve written a lot of songs and let my ‘process’ (a cringe-worthy term for making stuff up) be visible to the public. Over the years, I’ve shared writing demos on Bandcamp, giving folks a peek behind the scenes. While a dedicated following for these demos has grown, most people have never heard them. So, we revisited some of the best—like old friends you haven’t seen in years. There’s warmth in their smiles, familiarity in their humor, and then it hits you: Wait a minute… these sons of bitches owe me money!
“I sincerely hope this answered none of your questions and leaves you just as confused as I am. I also hope you listen to—and maybe even love—‘our work.’ Side note: any artist or musician who refers to making records as their work is, without fail, an asshat. Which, if I’m reading this correctly, means I just called myself an asshat—but, you know, in a snarky, self-aware hipster kind of way. So it’s fine.”
Pre-orders for The Escapologist are now open, with exclusive vinyl and CDs available via Bandcamp.
Tracklisting:
“Industrious” “Savior” “Stars Collide” “Violent Creatures” “Hollow” “Zombies & Black Swans” “No Real Goodbyes” “Space Debris” “Sacred Cow” “March Of The Vikonauts”
Pacific Battleship Center (PBC), the 501(c)3 nonprofit that owns and operates the National Museum of the Surface Navy at the Battleship IOWA and Los Angeles Fleet Week, have announced it will host an evening in honour of Los Angeles’ first responders, military, and disaster response agencies. The Rock For Responders benefit concert will be held Thursday, February 27, 2025, at the Battleship IOWA Museum in San Pedro, Calif.
Rock For Responders will celebrate and support firefighters, police, military, and disaster response agencies, highlighting their critical roles in ensuring community resilience and recovery. Actor, comedian, and USAF Veteran BJ Lange will emcee the event, with an appearance by Matt Gutman, Chief National Correspondent, ABC News.
The program will include a classic rock concert by rock supergroup Kings Of Chaos featuring rock icons Sammy Hagar, Robin Zander (Cheap Trick), Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple), Matt Sorum (Guns N’ Roses/Velvet Revolver), Orianthi (Alice Cooper), Carmine Rojas (David Bowie/Rod Stewart), Brent Woods (Gene Simmons/Chevy Metal), and more. Additional artists and special guests to be announced. Food and beverages will be available onsite from various local-area food trucks.
As a regional leader in the Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) program, PBC has played a critical role in facilitating the building of relationships between regional first responders, military, and emergency planning professionals through leadership summits and exercises conducted annually during LA Fleet Week. PBC activities strengthen resiliency and support recovery resulting in better-coordinated interagency response and recovery efforts. This concert announces the establishment of the LA Disaster Recovery and Resilience Collective (LADRRC), a program of the PBC that is focused on building a more resilient Los Angeles through relationships, resources, and knowledge to effectively assist in disaster recovery.
“This event will give the local community the opportunity to recognize and celebrate the extraordinary work that our first responders dedicated in the effort to reduce the loss of life and destruction of property during the recent fires,” explained Jonathan Williams, President and CEO of Pacific Battleship Center. “In addition to enjoying an epic classic rock concert, attendees can be assured that the funds raised from their participation in this event are going to programs that impact lives, foster cooperation between agencies during times of crisis, and boost the morale of those who serve on the front lines.”
Tickets for the event will be free for first responders and distributed in advance by event organizers. Blocks of tickets will be available for sponsors and veterans, and a limited number of individual tickets will be available for sale to the public. For more information visit pacificbattleship.com/rock-for-responders.
Can a project as rooted in the past as Wardruna truly be considered progressive? The Norwegian group utilise recreated Viking-era and Stone Age instruments to explore ancient cultural and mythological themes. This is a place where experimental archaeology meets pure creativity.
There are sounds and instruments that distant ancestors might have been familiar with, but arranged and expressed in a way that might never have been heard until the band spearheaded a burgeoning movement of Norse-inspired folk – and certainly not by modern ears.
With no way of knowing what music those ancients actually created, Wardruna’s contemporary vision marries subtlety and complexity to an elemental power. Moments on sixth album Birna (named for a she-bear in old Norse mythology) are sparse and simple – but these compositions are as meticulously constructed as any modern prog opus.
The old Nordic themes also have a timelessness that resonates through the ages. Having previously pored through runes and ravens, here they consider the bear and everything that it represents, symbolically and mythologically. That might seem a narrow focus, but through it they explore the cycle of the seasons and man’s relationship with nature – a subject as relevant today as it ever was.
Given the bear’s reputation for savagery, Birna could have easily trod some of the more aggressive ritualistic paths that have endeared them to metal as well as prog and folk fans. Instead, the majority of the album has an airier touch.
The title track revolves around Lindy-Fay Hella’s haunting vocals and bright choral arrangements, and there’s an early three-track set-piece that takes the listener into hibernation and back again.
Wardruna – Himinndotter (Sky-Daughter) Official Music Video – YouTube
Ljos Til Jord (which translates roughly as ‘Light To Earth’) musically represents the transition from sunlit world to beneath the ground while Dvaledraumar (‘Hibernation Dream’) is a 15-minute segment of found sounds and deep, trance-inducing ambience. Finally, Jord Til Ljos (‘Earth To Light’) returns to the surface with beautiful strings and playful flutes welcoming the spring.
Himinndotter celebrates the notion of the bear’s mythical origin as a celestial being, with the voices of the Norwegian women’s choir Koret Artemis reaching up to whatever heavens are appropriate. Hibjørnen provides a much sparser counterpoint, with chief visionary Einar Selvik evoking skaldic traditions with a simple vocal and plucked lyre accompaniment. The closing trio of songs do go deeper and darker, rounding off an album of extraordinary scope.
In 2018, six years after their inception, Montreal’s Big | Brave found themselves at a crossroads. For vocalist/guitarist Robin Wattie, the experience of being a woman in a male-dominated music scene, not to mention mixed race and queer, was starting to take its toll, from the endless arguing with sound techs who thought they knew better than her, to experiences of racism, misogyny and myriad “tiny things that add up”, familiar to so many women in the music scene and beyond.
“I actually thought [2021’s] Vital was going to be our last album, because I was so burnt out,” recalls Robin in remarkably good humour. “I was so tired and so alone. Every tour, every time we wrote, recorded… after, I was fucking spent. I had no one who could even remotely share a bit of an experience like we had. I felt like I had nothing in common with anybody.”
Rather than give in to frustration, Robin had a change of heart, no longer burying her lyrics in metaphor, and addressing more directly “the human condition, the culture and society that we live in that compels people to act certain ways that end up harming people like me. I’ve never just written about someone breaking my heart.”
In the process, Big | Brave have built a dedicated following, from lovers of minimalist yet overwhelming avant noise who’d seen them live with Sunn O))), to those for whom Robin’s starkly moving, heaving-up-through-limbo vocals spoke to them on the most primal of levels.
“We got the attention of other queers and people of colour, people telling me our records had saved their life,” says Robin. “I thought, ‘I’m not alone. I’m not crazy. This is real.’”
A Chaos Of Flowers is the sibling to last year’s Nature Morte album, less crushingly heavy and reliant on riffs juddering like tectonic plates, more infused with Robin’s long-standing love of folk. As she puts it: “Nature Morte is the cause, the observations of the subjugation of femininity and all its pluralities. A Chaos of Flowers is the effects, what that does to your psyche, to your body, to your brain state.”
The new album also found her seeking out and interpreting female poets. She read the work of America’s famed Emily Dickinson, British lesbian poet Renée Vivien who wrote in French, Harlem Renaissance writer Esther Popel and Canada’s E. Pauline Johnson, the daughter of a Mohawk chief and his English wife.
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“I was searching for the shared experience of women and people of colour and queers throughout the centuries,” she explains. “I tried really hard to do a good job by them, because their work means so much to me. Just the fact that they existed is huge, and they’re giving something a voice.”
“There’s nothing like having a private experience that you feel you can’t relate to others, but then to come across a piece of work and relate to it so much that it is almost as if they took your thoughts out of your own head… it’s crazy!”
