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.”