Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are in a serious situation, but I need a break from the gloom, doom and bullying by way of hoarding. Music has always been my refuge and watching those beautiful Italians singing to each other from their balconies reaffirmed my belief that music is the answer. So until the old normal returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day.  And if this helps anyone else, even better.

There are songs from my childhood that have followed me my entire life. I may have lost track of them occasionally along the way but then they always find me and usually at the most unexpected times. I remember watching the 2003 movie, “Stuck On You” (Greg Kinnear was a RIOT!!!) and hearing the melody of today’s song. Immediately my memory started humming along with it and suddenly I was singing the chorus. The supreme version in the movie was by the sorely underrated musician Pete Yorn. The original was by Albert Hammond. (His son, Albert Hammond Jr., is the guitarist for The Strokes).

Today’s track may be what Hammond is best known for as a singer & songwriter but he also co-wrote other big hits including “The Air That I Breathe” by The Hollies (1974), “When I Need You” by Leo Sayer (1977), “To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before” by Willie Nelson & Julio Iglesias (1984), “One Moment In Time” by Whitney Houston (1988) and over a dozen others. Hammond is also credited as a co-writer for the song “Creep” by Radiohead (1992) because the band admitted they based that song on “The Air That I Breathe”. But no matter how many other tunes Hammond has helped create, it is today’s song, released October 21, 1972, that I will cherish forever. Swoon.

“Will you tell the folks back home I nearly made it
Had offers but didn’t know which one to take
Please don’t tell ’em how you found me
Don’t tell ’em how you found me
Gimme a break, give me a break”.

Top: Pete Yorn circa 2000. Bottom: Albert Hammond circa 1972. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Albert Hammond: “It Never Rains In Southern California” (1972, written by Albert Hammond & Mike Hazelwood).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.