"PINK MOON" NICK DRAKE (1972)

A great title track is par for the course when it comes to great albums. If the title track doesn’t cut it, what does that say about the album itself? This month, the Mental Jukebox will be playing some of my favorite title tracks – inspired by @NicolaB_73’s music Twitter challenge, #TopTitleTracks.

Word has been out for several decades now, but for a time Nick Drake was one of music’s best kept secrets. Artists like Robert Smith drew upon Drake’s inspiration early on, but many fans didn’t even know who Nick Drake was or heard anything from his relatively short, but profound catalog until years after his death. With a return to cleaner acoustic-driven, folk-inspired, singer-songwriter records after the grunge era, Nick’s music resonated with fans, including the title track to the last album before his death: “Pink Moon”.

In between verses, Nick sings “Pink, pink, pink, pink”, going lower with each repetition, demonstrating the deep richness of his oak-barreled baritone voice. It’s a marvel to behold that a voice so deep can be so delicate and even serene – a stark contrast to the raw edge found in singers like Johnny Cash, Ian Curtis and Tom Waits. Nick’s voice – not just his vocals, but his message – has no peers. Even still today.

“I SAW IT WRITTEN AND I SAW IT SAY, A PINK MOON IS ON ITS WAY.”

"PINK MOON" NICK DRAKE (1972)

The moment a song is born, the world is different. It’s now a part of our lives. We sing it in the shower. We dance to it at our wedding. We get pumped with it. We break up to it. We memorize it. We try to forget it. We rediscover it. This month, I’m joining Arron Wright’s Twitter music challenge: ##Popiversary2. Because why the hell not. Songs deserve their own anniversaries, too.

Year: 1972

Word has been out for several decades now, but for a time Nick Drake was one of music’s best kept secrets. Artists like Robert Smith drew upon Drake’s inspiration early on, but many fans didn’t even know who Nick Drake was or heard anything from his relatively short, but profound catalog until years after his death. With a return to cleaner acoustic-driven, folk-inspired, singer-songwriter records after the grunge era, Nick’s music resonated with fans, including the title track to the last album before his death: “Pink Moon”.

In between verses, Nick sings “Pink, pink, pink, pink”, going lower with each repetition, demonstrating the deep richness of his oak-barreled baritone voice. It’s a marvel to behold that a voice so deep can be so delicate and even serene – a stark contrast to the raw edge found in singers like Johnny Cash, Ian Curtis and Tom Waits. Nick’s voice – not just his vocals, but his message – has no peers. Even still today.

“I saw it written and I saw it say, A pink moon is on its way.”

"TIME HAS TOLD ME" NICK DRAKE (1969)

Great album openers get the listeners to keep on listening. They can do this in any number of ways. Some openers set the tone by easing us in. Others jump right in and blow our minds from the very beginning. A great album opener isn’t an easy thing to create. More than a great song, it’s all about the sequence. Track 1 has to be the perfect starter. This month, I’m highlighting my favorites. #AlbumOpeningSongs

The story of Nick Drake is one of the most unusual narratives in music history. A man who went largely unnoticed while quietly putting together three exceptional folk albums before dying of a drug overdose at the age of 27. Later, his work garnered a growing acclaim among critics and listeners. That includes me. My introduction to the 60’s was The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Zeppelin and the like. I never even heard of Nick Drake until the 2000’s. But better late than never. Five Leaves Left is a rich, beautiful album – and the album opener “Time Has Told Me” is one of my favorite tracks from this under-the-radar record.

While Drake’s primary instrument was his acoustic guitar, the dark subdued piano chords form the key instrumentation on this song. The lyrics are written from a perspective one would expect from a wise, aged man. But this was a 21 year old. Drake’s old soul was driven by a deep sense of self-awareness and emotional maturity, which were remarkably beyond his years. This made his songwriting a true, rare gift. His deep, full baritone assures us that the answers aren’t always right in front us. But they do reveal themselves if we just give it time.

“And time has told me not to ask for more. Someday our ocean will find its shore.”

"TIME HAS TOLD ME" NICK DRAKE (1969)

I generally gravitate to the music first before the lyrics. But as a writer, I still marvel at well-spun verses and choruses. This month, I’m joining the music Twitter community in #31DaySongLyricChallenge

Day 7

For me, at least, the late blooming career of Nick Drake feels more like discovering hidden treasure on a long voyage than wondering and regretting while we didn’t reach shore earlier. His three-album catalog is a gift full of minor key melodies and wise-beyond-his-years lyrics – delivered in his rich, oaky baritone. “Time Has Told Me” is written like it came from an older, reflective man, but Nick was in his twenties when he penned it. They are words that remind us to never stop being content in the right relationship.

“Your tears they tell me there's really no way of ending your troubles with things you can say.

And time will tell you to stay by my side to keep on trying 'til there's no more to hide.”

"PLACE TO BE" NICK DRAKE (1972)

The decade in which I was born has given me a strange perspective on its music. I discovered pretty much all of the 70’s sounds – from prog rock to punk to disco – well after they came into the world. It wasn’t until the late 80’s that I discovered what I was missing. I would characterize the decade as one where budding genres leaped off their inspiration pads and came to fruition. For the month of February, Mental Jukebox will feature some of these gems with a different 70’s song each day. #28DaysOf70sSongs

Pink Moon was the third and final studio album from Nick Drake. His life vanished before most fans even had a chance to know his music. But his legacy has certainly lived on, and Drake has become somewhat larger than life several decades later. His music is appreciated more these days, but it also resonates more. His brand of folk was quite different from the Simon & Garfunkels and JTs of his era. But one could argue his version of the genre and his musical vision has had the most staying power. No better example of this than “Place To Be”.

Like the rest of the Pink Moon album, “Place To Be” is Nick Drake and no one else. He sings, he strums. It’s incredibly bare, like a friend playing a song for you in your living room. Much has been said about Drake’s bout with depression and his suicide. Pink Moon was released two months before his death, which adds a gravity to “Place To Be”. These were some of his last words and thoughts. It’s a melancholic treatise where Drake’s acoustic guitar strums are like logs in the fire and his vocals are like embers floating away in the dark, dark sky.

“And I was green, greener than the hill where flowers grew and the sun shone still. Now I'm darker than the deepest sea. Just hand me down, give me a place to be.”

"TIME HAS TOLD ME" NICK DRAKE (1969)

For the month of January, I’m selecting some of the most memorable and influential songs of the 60’s. While they all hail from the same decade, these are some of my favorite songs of any era. They remind me that the 60’s were so much more than just Woodstock and psychedelic rock. It was a flourishing period for blues, folk, progressive and straight-ahead rock. #31DaysOf60sSongs

The story of Nick Drake is one of the most unusual narratives in music history. A man who went largely unnoticed while quietly putting together three exceptional folk albums before dying of a drug overdose at the age of 27. Later, his work garnered a growing acclaim among critics and listeners. That includes me. My introduction to the 60’s was The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Zeppelin and the like. I never even heard of Nick Drake until the 2000’s. But better late than never. Five Leaves Left is a rich, beautiful album – and “Time Has Told Me” is one of my favorite tracks from this under-the-radar record.

While Drake’s primary instrument was his acoustic guitar, the dark subdued piano chords form the key instrumentation on this song. The lyrics are written from a perspective one would expect from a wise, aged man. But this was a 21 year old. Drake’s old soul was driven by a deep sense of self-awareness and emotional maturity, which were remarkably beyond his years. This made his songwriting a true, rare gift. His deep, full baritone assures us that the answers aren’t always right in front us. But they do reveal themselves if we just give it time.

“And time has told me not to ask for more. Someday our ocean will find its shore.”

"ONE OF THESE THINGS FIRST" NICK DRAKE (1971)

Exceptional soundtracks can make good movies great. They can also take on a life of their own, becoming a greater highlight than their respective films. In this series, I’m selecting some of my favorite soundtrack songs. While quite a few are well-known recordings, I’m also including a few that have flown under the radar over the years.

From top to bottom, the Garden State soundtrack is hands down one of the best of its era. It pretty much singlehandedly launched The Shins into orbit. It also gave us an early introduction to Iron & Wine and Thievery Corporation. And when I listen back to it, I believe it was also partly responsible for the ridiculously delayed resurgence and rediscovery of Nick Drake. Like most of his catalog, “One of These Things First” is a song that fits comfortably into our times even though it was recorded 50 years ago.

Nick might well be at his best when mired in misery, but the almost wistful demeanor of this song is what makes it pair so well with Garden State. It still has all the characteristics that make Nick Drake’s music so attractive today — from the immediately recognizable baritone voice to the intricate interplay of piano and guitar.

“I could have been a signpost, could have been a clock. As simple as a kettle, steady as a rock.”

"DAY IS DONE" NICK DRAKE (1969)

I’ve zeroed in on several string arrangement masterpieces lately on Mental Jukebox. Today I’m writing about one more. “Day is Done” is the kind of musical genius that you may overlook at first. Even when people started to finally appreciate Nick Drake well after his death, “Day is Done” was often overshadowed by other well-known songs. But it’s a favorite of mine because it packed so much punch in just two minutes with one of the best string arrangements to be featured on a Nick Drake album.

“When the day is done, down to earth then sinks the sun. Along with everything that was lost and won.”

"TIME HAS TOLD ME" NICK DRAKE (1969)

This is a timeless one. I’m not sure why Nick Drake’s music was never fully appreciated when he was alive. But I’m glad these recordings made their way to the world in the era of streaming. Nick was an old soul. He was 21 years old when he was penning songs like “Time Has Told Me”. But this song sounds like something someone twice his age would write. It has aged beautifully. Same goes for his entire catalog. As brief and prolific as it was.

“So I'll leave the ways that are making me be what I really don't want to be. Leave the ways that are making me love what I really don't want to love.”