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
Nico was a songwriter, singer, musician, actress, model, and – above all – a collaborator. Most commonly known for her work with The Velvet Underground throughout her career, The Velvet Underground & Nico album is a classic. Her lead vocals on “All Tomorrow’s Parties” are haunting and beautiful at the same time, but it’s her solo debut album Chelsea Girls where she truly shines. It’s a record which features The Velvet Underground quite prominently as well as songwriting and guitar-playing from Jackson Browne. “These Days” is one of those tracks, a song that Browne wrote when he was just 16 years old.
Jackson Browne’s recordings are underrated gems, but I still prefer Nico’s version. I certainly wouldn’t pick Nico to sing 10,000 Maniacs’ “These Are Days”, but she’s the perfect voice and persona for Browne’s songwriting masterpiece. A malaise hangs over the song like molasses, an emotional state in which Nico’s somber bent seems to feel perfectly at home. That feeling of not wanting to get out of bed is deeply entrenched in the vocals, Jackson Browne’s listless guitar arpeggios and a forlorn string arrangement.
“I'd stopped my dreaming. I won't do too much scheming these days.”