I went by Gomez’s house to borrow a copy of Dusty in Memphis and was listening to it tonight as I went through last week’s newspapers. Music snob that he is, Gomez said, “listen, this is the kind of CD you listen to on Saturday or Sunday morning, or in the evening with a glass of wine, not one you play in the car.”
He’s right – her voice is rich and soulful and the music has the kind of sweeping quality to it – I found myself gliding across the wood floors in my stocking feet, moving to lyrics like “this world wouldn’t be quite as sad, if everybody had just a little bit of loving in the morning” or next track “so much love to give you, more than enough to last the whole night through, yes, all for you” — Gomez says he skips the third track – “Son of a Preacherman” having heard it one too many times – but in ‘I don’t want to hear it anymore’ when Dusty sings “their talk is loud and the walls are much too thin…he don’t really love her, that’s what I heard them say, he sure wasn’t thinking of her today…I don’t want to hear it anymore, the talk just never ends and the heartache soon begins” stops my apartment sashaying and makes me listen cause it’s a sad sad song: “the talk is so loud and the walls are much too thin” — the last track (there are three bonus tracks that Gomez said I should disregard because the album is perfect until then) is the one I wanted to borrow the CD for – it’s ‘I can’t make it alone’ – and when she sings: There’s something in my soul/That will always/Lead me back to you – that’s when I close my eyes:
I CAN’T MAKE IT ALONE
(gerry goffin / carole king)
Now you know me
You know how proud I am
And what I’m gonna tell you now
Won’t be easy to say
Before I left your side
Ooh, I was so happy then
But I’ve been so lonely
Since I’ve been away
Oh, baby
I’ve tried and I know I can’t make it alone
It’s such a hard way to go
I just can’t make it alone
There’s something in my soul
That will always
Lead me back to you
What can I say now?
Sorry is just not good enough
I couldn’t blame you if you hurt me now
The way I hurt you then
But who else can I turn to?
Oh, baby, I’m begging you
Won’t you reach out for my dying soul?
And make me live again
Oh, baby, its so hard
I’ve tried and I know I can’t make it alone
It’s such a hard way to go
I just can’t make it alone
There’s something in my soul
That will always
Lead me back to you
Baby, help me
I’ve tried and I know I can’t make it alone
It’s such a hard way to go
And I can’t make it alone
There’s something in my soul
That will always
Lead me back to you
Oh, help me
(please help me)
You know I need you
(I need you)
I’m saying that I need you
I just can’t make it by myself
(I just can’t make it by myself)
I just can’t make it all alone
(I just can’t make it all alone)
I just can’t make it by myself
(I just can’t make it by myself)
Come on baby