Felt like the president over the weekend, with my James Taylor obsession on full display. Started when I read that Rosanne Cash was in Los Angeles on Friday for a songwriters-in-the-round presentation for HBO music programmers and execs, along with Dave Stewart, Marvin Etzioni and JD Souther. The news immediately brought to mind "Her Town Too," the hit JD wrote with James and Waddy Wachtel back in 1981 for JT's "Dad Loves His Work" LP. Pop songs have dissected breakups from every possible angle, but I don't think there has ever been a song like this one. Although the album title is a reference to the end of James' marriage to Carly Simon -- who reportedly told him to choose between working so much and their family -- the song sounds like it's about the (unfamous) former wife of someone really famous. The identity of who's so vain still remains a mystery, but I want to know whose town this used to be, too.
4 comments:
I just read Carole King's autobio, and the triple-bio of Carole, Carly and Joni "Girls Like Us". Somewhere in one of them, the identity of the 'her' in "Her Town Too" is given as Peter Asher's longtime partner or wife after their break-up. Not remembering all the details but Asher was the lead producer of Taylor, Ronstadt and others in that era, and his significant other was the leading hostess of the Laurel Canyon music set. As is and was the case, her star fell when her relationship to a powerful man ended.
Beautiful harmonies: please, where are they today? They must be there, but where? Thanks so much for this...
Wiw I've always loved this song
Thanks for posting it
Two places used to be my town. It's gonna be three at the rate I'm going. I have no regrets.
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