"Show me your friends and I'll tell you who you are",
said a traditional saying and today we will look into what songwriters
have to say about their own friends, through their songs.1. Friends – The Beach Boys
(Brian Wilson-Carl Wilson-Dennis Wilson-Al Jardine)
A song from the homonym album in 1968. It is a waltz that was also released as a single without meeting great success. It has been used as an example of writing in 3/4 tempo for the students of Berklee College Of Music.
2. Old Friends – Simon And Garfunkel
(Paul Simon)
One of the classic, slow songs by the popular duet, from the album Bookends (1968). Everything here is discreet, from the classical instrumentation to the plain performance.
3. Dear Friend – Wings
(Paul and Linda McCartney)
After the Beatles broke up, Lennon and McCartney exchanged heavy words through the press, as well as through their solo albums numerous times. This song is a reconciliation effort by Paul McCartney. From the first Wings album, Wings Wild Life (1971).
4. You’re My Best Friend – Queen
(John Deacon)
A great song by the Queen bassist, John Deacon, which was included in the masterly A Night At The Opera (1975) while it was also released as a single. It was written on a Wurlitzer, an instrument Freddie Mercury strongly disliked.
5. With A Little Help From My Friends – The Beatles
(John Lennon-Paul McCartney)
This song was written while the Beatles were recording Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), mostly by McCartney, especially to be performed by Ringo Starr. The nice drummer was really popular among the band's fans and the others would see to it that in every album of theirs there would be one of his performances.
6. Hello Old Friend – Eric Clapton
(Eric Clapton)
The old friend in the title is George Harrison, to whom Eric Clapton had been very close. Not even the love of the latter for Harrison's wife, Patti Boyd, was able to break their friendship. From the album No Reason To Cry (1976).
7. Just Friends – Amy Winehouse(Amy Winehouse)
The sixth and last single from the enormous second studio album by Amy Winehouse, Back To Black (2006). A vintage feeling and instrumentation run throughout the project.
8. Not My Friend – Norah Jones
(Norah Jones)
A wonderful, slow and melancholic song from the third album by the illegitimate daughter of Ravi Shankar, Norah Jones. Not Too Late (2007) has been very successful and marked the beginning of the songwriter's effort to open up to new horizons.
9. Friends – Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
(Ryan Adams-J. P. Bowersock-Cindy Cashdollar-Brad Pemberton-Catherine Popper)
A wonderful mid-tempo from the sixth, double album by Ryan Adams, Cold Roses (2005), along with The Cardinals.
10. We Used To Be Friends – The Dandy Warhols
(Courtney Taylor-Taylor)
A single from the fourth studio album by the Americans The Dandy Warhols, Welcome To The Monkey House (2003). Influenced by Day In Day Out by the Feeder, the song did not do well at all on the charts but was very popular back when it was released.
* Photos from http://olaeinaithematiming.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/castoffriends2.jpg and www.wikipedia.org.
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