Advertise on podcast: Heart Banter by David Gittlin

Everybody’s heard of John Denver. Well, almost everybody. At the risk of dating myself, I’ve known about Denver and his music for decades. Yet, I never took the time to examine or play John’s music. Until now. He inspired me to cover “Jenny Dreamed of Trains” in my last blog. Here, I’m taking on one of John’s favorite and most popular songs: “Poems, Prayers, and Promises.” “Released in 1971, “Poems” finds Denver taking stock of his twenty-eight-year-old life. Although he still had many years to live, the song sounds like it is written by someone nearing the end of their life. (Maybe that’s why I’m taking it up now.) The song is prescient because John died tragically and prematurely in a plane crash at the age of fifty-four after years of personal turmoil. His immense talent and worldwide fame took their toll on him and his marriage. Still, “Poems, Prayers, and Promises” is an optimistic, wise, and beautiful work of art. Let’s leave it at that. Here’s my cover. Chapters (00:00:11) - Song: Poems, Prayers and Promises

Everybody’s heard of John Denver. Well, almost everybody. At the risk of dating myself, I’ve known about Denver and his music for decades. Yet, I never took the time to examine or play John’s music. Until now. He inspired me to cover “Jenny Dreamed of Trains” in my last blog. Here, I’m taking on one of John’s favorite and most popular songs: “Poems, Prayers, and Promises.” Released in 1971, “Poems” finds Denver taking stock of his life at 28. Although he still had many years to live, the song sounds like it is written by someone nearing the end of their life. (Maybe that’s why I’m taking it up now.) The song is prescient because John died tragically and prematurely in a plane crash at the age of fifty-four after years of personal turmoil. His immense talent and worldwide fame took their toll on him and his marriage. Still, “Poems, Prayers, and Promises” is an optimistic, wise, and beautiful work of art. Let’s leave it at that. Here’s my cover. Chapters (00:00:11) - Poems, Prayers and Promises (song)

Vince Gill wrote “Jenny Dreamed of Trains.” He performs it beautifully, but John Denver’s version caught my attention. The song reminds us what we can create when we hold fast to a dream and work to make it happen. Dreams call to us, despite the many distractions that come between the songs in our hearts. The ordinary necessities of life kept me from pursuing my dreams until I cleared the distractions and focused fully on bringing forth what was always in my heart. In the song, Jenny’s dream seemed impossible, but with faith and the force of her will fueled by passion, a teenage girl changed the world around her. Nothing is impossible if we listen to and accept the dreams in our hearts. I have written and published 15 novels and created a YouTube channel with guitar and vocal song covers that has reached more than one million subscribers. You can do it, too. Have the courage to live your dreams. The beauty and message of “Jenny Dreamed of Trains” have made me cry at times. Does the song take you back to your Childhood dreams? Where are they now? Please enjoy my covers. Chapters (00:00:08) - Jenny Dreamed of Trains

Vince Gill wrote “Jenny Dreamed of Trains.” He performs it beautifully, but John Denver’s version caught my attention. The song reminds us what we can create when we hold fast to a dream and work to make it happen. Dreams call to us, despite the many distractions that come between the songs in our hearts. The ordinary necessities of life kept me from pursuing my dreams until I cleared the distractions and focused fully on bringing forth what was always in my heart. In the song, Jenny’s dream seemed impossible, but with faith and the force of her will fueled by passion, a teenage girl changed the world around her. Nothing is impossible if we listen to and accept the dreams in our hearts. I have written and published 15 novels and created a YouTube channel with guitar and vocal song covers that has reached more than one million subscribers. You can do it, too. Have the courage to live your dreams. The beauty and power of “Jenny Dreamed of Trains” have made me cry at times. Does the song take you back to your Childhood dreams? Where are they now? Please enjoy my covers. Vince Gill wrote “Jenny Dreamed of Trains.” He performs it beautifully, but John Denver’s version caught my attention. The song reminds us what we can create when we hold fast to a dream and work to make it happen. Dreams call to us, despite the many distractions that come between the songs in our hearts. The ordinary necessities of life kept me from pursuing my dreams until I cleared the distractions and focused fully on bringing forth what was always in my heart. In the song, Jenny’s dream seemed impossible, but with faith and the force of her will fueled by passion, a teenage girl changed the world around her. Nothing is impossible if we listen to and accept the dreams in our hearts. I have written and published 15 novels and created a YouTube channel with guitar and vocal song covers that has reached more than one million subscribers. You can do it, too. Have the courage to live your dreams. The beauty and power of “Jenny Dreamed of Trains” have made me cry at times. Does the song take you back to your Childhood dreams? Where are they now? Please enjoy my covers. Chapters (00:00:06) - Jenny Dreamed of Trains (Song)

I recently changed my music source from Sirius XM to Pandora. As an avid fan of Folk and Country Music, it turned out to be a wise decision. Now, I can listen to my favorite recording artists singing songs from the 60’s through the 90’s. And lately, several of those songs are appearing on this blog. Like the previous song I posted here, “Silver Skies Blue” captured my attention almost immediately. I had never heard it before because, prior to Pandora, I had never listened to Judy Collins’ music the way I do now. In addition to Silver Skies Blue, I’ve posted several of Judy’s cover and original songs, including: When I Was a Girl in Colorado, Suzanne, and Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye. The album “Silver Skies Blue” features songs by Collins and Ari Hest, who also performs with his polished guitar playing and powerful, deep voice that complements Judy’s higher one perfectly. Released in 2016, the album earned Collins her first Grammy nomination in 40 years. Chapters (00:00:06) - I Color My Silver Skyes Blue

I recently changed my music source from Sirius XM to Pandora. As an avid fan of Folk and Country Music, it turned out to be a wise decision. Now, I can listen to my favorite recording artists singing songs from the 60s through the 90s. And lately, several of those songs are appearing on this blog. Like the previous song I posted here, “Silver Skies Blue” captured my attention almost immediately. I had never heard it before because, prior to Pandora, I had never listened to Judy Collins’ music the way I do now. In addition to Silver Skies Blue, I’ve posted several of Judy’s cover and original songs, including: When I Was a Girl in Colorado, Suzanne, and Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye. The album “Silver Skies Blue” features songs by Collins and Ari Hest, who also performs with his polished guitar playing and powerful, deep voice that complements Judy’s higher one perfectly. Released in 2016, the album earned Collins her first Grammy nomination in 40 years. Here’s my cover. Chapters (00:00:06) - I Color Your Silver Sky Blue

At 82 years young, Judy Collins used poetry that she had written and collected over the years to create an album of original songs named Spellbound. She used the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic to write and perfect the music. “Spellbound” broke new ground because it was the first album Judy Collins produced in her six-decade career that contained all original songs. This is a remarkable achievement for someone who had made her name mostly by singing and playing cover songs from recording artists she admired. The first song on “Spellbound” is titled “When I Was a Girl in Colorado.” I’ve changed it to “A Boy in Colorado.” In words and music, the song paints a picture of the artist moving with her family to Denver, Colorado, from Seattle, Washington, as a young girl in 1949. The song’s lyrics hearken back to the natural beauty of “rivers dancing on canyon walls,” “blooming paintbrush flowers,” and “bluebirds in the pine trees.” These images reflect Judy’s deep love for the wilderness, which at one point in her early life almost led her to become a park ranger. Here’s my cover. Drop me a line if you feel moved to. Chapters (00:00:14) - Like the Wind

“When You Say Nothing At All” is a country music song with a storied past. Written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz, the song was picked up by Keith Whitley. He loved the song when he first heard it, and wasn’t going to let it go to another recording artist. Whitley had learned his lesson after passing on another Overstreet-Schlitz song that became a hit for Randy Travis. This time around, “When You Say Nothing At All” became a major hit for Whitley when he introduced it in 1988 on his “Don’t Close Your Eyes” album. Sadly, Whitley passed away a few months later at the age of 33. As an interesting side note, Schlitz and Overstreet created the song after an unproductive day in the studio. While strumming their guitars, they sang about coming up with nothing at all, which led to the song’s lyrics. They didn’t think the song was anything special, but history proved them wrong. Country Singer Allison Krause and her band, Union Station, reintroduced the song in 1995 on a tribute album to Keith Whitley. “When You Say Nothing At All” became their first top 10 country hit. Chapters (00:00:15) - When You Say It Best To Me

“When You Say Nothing At All” is a country music song with a storied past. Written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz, the song was picked up by Keith Whitley. He loved the song when he first heard it, and wasn’t going to let it go to another recording artist. Whitley had learned his lesson when he passed on another Overstreet-Schlitz song that became a hit for Randy Travis. This time around, “When You Say Nothing At All” became a major hit for Whitley when he introduced it in 1988 on his “Don’t Close Your Eyes” album. Sadly, Whitley passed away a few months later at the age of 33. As an interesting side note, Schlitz and Overstreet created the song after an unproductive day in the studio. While strumming their guitars, they sang about coming up with nothing at all, which led to the song’s lyrics. They didn’t think the song was anything special, but history proved them wrong. Country Singer Allison Krause and her band, Union Station, reintroduced the song in 1995 on a tribute album to Keith Whitley. “When You Say Nothing At All” became their first top 10 country hit.

“Talking In Your Sleep” is not exactly a happy song. I chose it for the guitar background and the melody, both of which I find quite beautiful. I’m a long-time fan of Gordon Lightfoot, and I’ve covered many of his songs on this blog. However, this song is not as well known as many of Lightfoot’s others, and I hadn’t listened to it in decades. But the song kept popping up on the Pandora stations I’ve been listening to lately, and it captured my attention immediately. “Talking In Your Sleep” is a touching, country-folk song written and performed by the Canadian singer-songwriter. Reprise Records released the song in 1971 on Gordon’s 6th album, Summerside of Life. It became a moderate hit, reaching #64 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts and #19 on the Canadian RPM charts. In case you were wondering, RPM stands for the title of a popular Canadian music trade journal called Records, Promotion, Music. Moderate hit or not, “Talking In Your Sleep” rings my doorbell. I hope it will ring yours as well. My mentor, Jerry Lamberth, calls it “a wonderful song,” and one of the first lessons he posted on his site, Jerry’s Guitar Bar. With Jerry’s tutelage, I’m playing the song close to Lightfoot’s original.

“Talking In Your Sleep” is not exactly a happy song. I chose it for the guitar background and the melody, both of which I find quite beautiful. I’m a long-time fan of Gordon Lightfoot, and I’ve covered many of his songs on this blog. However, this song is not as well known as many of Lightfoot’s others, and I hadn’t listened to it in decades. But the song kept popping up on the Pandora stations I’ve been listening to lately, and it captured my attention immediately. “Talking In Your Sleep” is a touching, country-folk song written and performed by the Canadian singer-songwriter. Reprise Records released the song in 1971 on Gordon’s 6th album, Summerside of Life. It became a moderate hit, reaching #64 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Charts and #19 on the Canadian RPM charts. In case you were wondering, RPM stands for the title of a popular Canadian music trade journal called Records, Promotion, Music. Moderate hit or not, “Talking In Your Sleep” rings my doorbell. I hope it will ring yours as well. My mentor, Jerry Lamberth, calls it “a wonderful song,” and one of the first lessons he posted on his site, Jerry’s Guitar Bar. With Jerry’s tutelage, I’m playing the song close to Lightfoot’s original. Chapters (00:00:12) - I heard you talking in your sleep

Townes Van Zandt’s life touched mine only tangentially until recently. I first heard of Van Zandt through Nanci Griffith’s cover of his song “Tecumseh Valley.” Like many Van Zandt ballads, it tells a tragic and beautifully melodic story about a woman named Caroline. “Techumseh Valley” is about a life, a time, and a place far from the life I’ve led. Yet, it’s a song I’ll never forget. Although Van Zandt never became a big name in the music world during his career, it is because of the depth, emotion, and poignancy of songs like “Tecumseh Valley” that the singer and songwriter is remembered and celebrated today, almost thirty years after his death. There are two more Van Zandt songs that have really touched me. They are “If I Needed You” and “Pancho and Lefty.” I’m covering “Pancho and Lefty” here. “If I Needed You” will arrive in the near future. Thanks for listening. Chapters (00:00:07) - A Little Something About Pancho

Townes Van Zandt’s life touched mine only tangentially until recently. I first heard of Van Zandt through Nanci Griffith’s cover of his song “Tecumseh Valley.” Like many Van Zandt ballads, it tells a tragic and beautifully melodic story about a woman named Caroline. “Techumseh Valley” is about a life, a time, and a place far from the life I’ve led. Yet, it’s a song I’ll never forget. Although Van Zandt never became a big name in the music world during his career, it is because of the depth, emotion, and poignancy of songs like “Tecumseh Valley” that the singer and songwriter is remembered and celebrated today, almost thirty years after his death. There are two more Van Zandt songs that have really touched me. They are “If I Needed You” and “Pancho and Lefty.” I’m covering “Pancho and Lefty” here. “If I Needed You” will arrive in the near future. Thanks for listening. Chapters (00:00:07) - Pancho the Bandit

The ending of a love relationship is often painful and dramatic. In “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye,” Leonard Cohen has penned a poetic plea for a graceful, respectful breakup that honors the beauty of a dying connection, rather than dwelling on the pain, anger, and lingering regret of the ending. Cohen wrote the song in 1966 on a decrepit bed in the Penn Terminal Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. In 1967, Judy Collins, who became Cohen’s good friend, recorded the song for her album  Wildflowers. The following month, Cohen’s own version was released on his debut album, Songs of Leonard Cohen. Cohen described the song as “a moment of clarity in the middle of a love affair’s end.” He also explained, “It’s about acknowledging that love changes but doesn’t truly die. The bodies may part, but the connection remains in the light and the words left behind.” While introducing “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye” during his 1976 Live at Montreux performance, Cohen memorably said: “As you eastern metaphysicians know, just as from the darkest mud blooms the whitest lotus, so from the brownest hotel room you occasionally get a good song.” Playing heartfelt, beautiful songs like this one juices me up. Enjoy this enhanced cover version.

The ending of a love relationship is often painful and dramatic. In “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye,” Leonard Cohen has penned a poetic plea for a graceful, respectful breakup that honors the beauty of a dying connection, rather than dwelling on the pain, anger, and lingering regret of the ending. Cohen wrote the song in 1966 on a decrepit bed in the Penn Terminal Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. In 1967, Judy Collins, who became Cohen’s good friend, recorded the song for her album  Wildflowers. The following month, Cohen’s own version was released on his debut album, Songs of Leonard Cohen. Cohen described the song as “a moment of clarity in the middle of a love affair’s end.” He also explained, “It’s about acknowledging that love changes but doesn’t truly die. The bodies may part, but the connection remains in the light and the words left behind.” While introducing “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye” during his 1976 Live at Montreux performance, Cohen memorably said: “As you eastern metaphysicians know, just as from the darkest mud blooms the whitest lotus, so from the brownest hotel room you occasionally get a good song.” Playing heartfelt, beautiful songs like this one juices me up. Enjoy this cover version. Chapters (00:00:07) - How to say goodbye to a lover