what's to dislike about Harry? I saw him twice. at the second concert we got to talk to him. a concert in Bremerton, fly to Chicago then back for a concert in Seattle. Oh wait thew meeting he had in Chicago? a meeting on world hunger. What a man the world lost . Fuck all you who dislike this. you'll never be half the man Harry Chapin was. I guess it just your ignorance showing.. Thank you Harry for what you gave.
I remember hearing on the news that Harry Chapin had died. At the time I didn't realize how young he was. Here I am still listening three decades later.
Having lived a similar career myself i totally rewlate to this song, i have been a Morning DeeJay in Sydney ,Auckland and all over Australasia,now I am 68 and retired but satyill working asd a voplunteer on a small local station, I cant get it out of my blood, Oh and all my relationships have suffered.
My Dad was 65 when he died this past Feb., I'm 37 now, and remember as a small boy cringing as he played this song and Cats In The Cradle on tapes in his Dodge Omni, now I like the songs and wish I could bring those times back.
Me and dad used to listen to this song on road trips until he was killed fighting for the U.S.A. Im only 12 now but when i turn 18 im going to pick up where he left off and go fight for our freedom.
@BlueManRS My mother died a few months before Harry died and she was the person who influenced me the most in life and Harry, if I could have picked my father Harry would have been my pick your father was a Hero and I feel that in you. You'll make your father proud
I'm 14. Harry Chapin is all me and my Dad have in common. He is the middle ground where we can come together and agree. Dad saw him in concert shortly before he died, Harry stayed and signed autographs and talked to everyone. Dad said "It's nice to meet you Mr. chapin, I really enjoyed the show!" Harry said "Please, call me Harry." And asked dad his name and talked to him for a while. What an incredible man, Thank you Harry for saying what my heart feels in your songs. You are greatly missed. :(
@Americanpieguy I lost my old man this year, his name was harry. he taught me all these songs, and now that hes gone, im starting to understand.Ive known the words for years, im 31, but nnever saw it commin., but dad talked about his 'Harry, It sucks' T-shirt. 'Harry was a thread between me an my dad, Harry Gordon Crowell.. id say more if i couud stop crying.
God, I loved this song when I was a kid. What year was this? I must have been 12 or 13. Just hearing it again brings me back to those days. Loved the background singers. What a storyteller Harry Chapin was. I remember hearing the news of his death on the radio when I was in college. What's happened to us and our world? I wonder what he'd say these days.
@thatsmisterrobert2u The comment you left was everything i was going to say isnt it strange how music can remind you of a place or a person,and you can be lisening to the radio and all of a sudden you start to remember that person or place that song reminds you of.I think god put all these people with gift's on this earth for a reason,i wont understand why he takes them to early.
The 21 people who clicked the "dislike" box must have coughed or sneezed at the precise moment that they were about to press "like"! There can be no other logical explanation to dislike such a musical masterpiece!
I had the awesome pleasure of listening to Harry in concert at University of Toronto Convocation Hall in the early 1970s. To cap off the evening, I met Harry backstage after the show and "hung around " for a couple of hours with Harry and the band.
My older brother was involved with planning the concert so I was able to gain access. It was an experience I will treasure for ever. I miss him and his music. He was a superb performer and a kind and gentle man.
Harry Chapin's is still in our memories and in our souls. as long as we make sure his music still lives on, and as long as we play his music (and as long as we remind our local radio station that , "Cats in the Cradle" is not his only song) his legacy will live on. Yes, " I love Cats in a cradle" but, he did more.
His music has not been lost! We have his memories - all positive - from our times with him in concert and his loss is a lesson learned. His music was and is inspirational. I have turned my 5 children onto the lyrics and the incredible story-telling capabilities of Chapin. Will he ever be forgotten? Not if we keep up his legacy in music and world hunger. God Bless Harry.
People, before making a statement, VERIFY IT, DO A LITTLE RESEARCH! My gosh, people commenting with such bad information as to how Harry Chapin died. He did not committ suicide, did not die on the NJ Turnpike. He was driving on the Long Island Expressway and had a heart attack either before or after his VW Rabbit was hit by a truck. The prevailing feeling of doctors and emergency personnel is that the heart attack came first, because he put his slowed down from 65 to 25 and put his flashers on.
I've been listening to Harry Chapin for years. I've been told that he committed suicide. I'm not sure if my daughter proved me wrong or not. Stupid wikipedia...
@cskoz1 no suicide he was on his way to a rehersal for a show in wallingford ct. the following evening and was involved in a pileup with a semi on the jersey turnpike. I had tickets for that show with a buddy who i worked with,just tragic man.
Talk about expanding your musical horizons...This song was my intro to "Chapin music" when this track charted on Billboard's Top Ten that year, and I have been a fan ever since. I don't think I would've ever had the chance to see him play live (I was still in grade school when this song blew up), but when he died, I remember feeling like I missed the opportunity of a lifetime. Yet still, there's his legacy...
@amberfwn What you're hearing is a reprise of the song's intro, as if he was resignedly going back to what he'd been doing all along - playing records ("and here's another one...") since finding out that going home wasn't an option meant there was no point in doing anything different now. Very effective.
Thirty years ago today Harry Chapin passed, what a man he was. He was an awesome giving caring man. Thank-you for the gift of you and all your gifts to others.
Whenever i get asked that stupid interview question of who would i like to have lunch with, i don't know why i always forget to say Harry Chapin. Because, that would be the most honest answer i could give about anything.
I love this song because I started in radio in 1969. As the song states, you started out on FM and worked your way UP to AM. That's because FM wasn't the powerhouse it is today. Many car radios didnt even have FM. His lyrics talk about his personal life as a DJ, which also reflected my life in many ways. I can certainly identify with the song....
@schreiberbj They are missing out. But then again they have their own great things. I'm 47 and I love to listen to Jack Johnson for example. 'We didn't start the fire." Honestly, I think the key is to look around. Listen to the top forty, but pay a LOT of attention to the rest. There are a lot of gems out there. Some of the best musicians are complete unknowns. They do it and do it well because they love it. They deserve your attention.
@schreiberbj So what's stopping you? Learn. Become the next wave. YT is a great place to learn and there are literally hundreds of great musicians who have never been "discovered" because the RIAA oriented scouts can't make enough money off of them. There are still some excellent artists appearing, but no incentive or exposure due to the MASS media saturation of lesser more cookie cutter artists. You have a bunch of years ahead of you. See what changes you can make.
@schreiberbj I agree. I grew up w/this music. Loved it then... loved it now. It's immortal. I brought my kids up listening to this kind of music too so that they'd have a good appreciation for it. I like some of today's music...but it's just DIFFERENT. Back then music stirred your soul. It just doesn't do that today. These were some of the greatest singer/songwriters ever. The other big difference which ruins music today too is it's not PERSONAL and it's far too COMMERCIAL.
@schreiberbj Singers back then put their hearts and souls into their music. Most of it based on either personal experience or what was happening in the world at the time. It was powerful and it was passionate. People could relate it to their own lives and experiences. Music today is mostly frivolous, meaningless nonsense. Worst of all what's ruined it is fame, commercialism and a geniune lack of true talent.
@monesv The 80s are comin back man. It's true. re-listen, you'll see. It seems to me that 80s music was way before it's time. Think about it. Try Thomas Dolby, "She Blinded Me With Science" for example. It's not so bad when it hasn't had the crap played out of it.
wish in one hand.................................. .,lol sad that music is not what it was and lucky I was blessed to enjoy while driving my 69Ply, belvedere 440 on SM baybridge!
First live show I ever saw at the magnificent Landmark Theater in Richmond, VA (then called "The Mosque", I kid you not). I've attended hundreds of shows there ever since - one just this past Friday night - and every time I walk in and see the stage, for just a moment, I see Harry center stage. Great memories.
@WhippJunior He's not? What a foul contemptible tragedy that is. I'll be there's somebody we could torture to make a situation like that be the reverse of what it is? But then again, now having invested more thought into that conundrum I feel it would be trashing Mr. Chapin's memory. He wasn't a record company muppet. He was music for music's sake. He made music and sang and played guitar because that's what he would do even if no one were listening.
can u guys imagine what hary would have done with this video ere..he was a video editor for years...i can only imagine the creativity and relevane he may have added to this "plastic" visual generation
Having been in radio this is a biography for some us..it was Des Moines, Omaha, Chicago, Tampa...back to Chicago and then that was it... This song brings me chills
Harry must have had a lot of personal demons in his closet to write songs like this and "Taxi"; or else he was just a lot more honest than the rest of us tend to be publicly.
In all my years of entertainers passing away i can say that the word of Harry's death was the only one that actually made me cry. His music will live on forever.
Spent the first 8 or 9 years of my life at KFDI. IF it weren't for automation ruining radio this would likely been my autobiography. Spun a little on college radio years later...live no automation. 8^) First thing I did was look at the playlist and ditch it or rearrange it to better suit the audiance. ;^) Good DJ's know the audience as well or BETTER than the program director, after all his job is JUST to make sure the ads are placed properly ;^)
IVE JUST SPENT AN HOUR LOOKING FOR THIS SONG - ALL I HAD IN MY HEAD WAS W K O W K O - BUT I DIDN'T GIVE UP CAUSE IT EVENTUALLY CAME UP WITH W O L D - I BET HE WAS A GOOD PISS HEAD HARRY CHAPIN
@geoffdoor - I'm wondering why they don't play this song as much as they do Cat's in the Cradle and Taxi. This song is the sort of thing that's missing today: great storytelling. Oh, the genre still exists, but you have to search for the good stuff, because it's buried underneath all the techno-gimmicky-Lady Gaga-American Idol crap. I'm a purist or traditionalist. I miss the way groups and bands came up through the ranks writing their own material and playing their own instruments!
Saw Chapin live several times. ALWAYS great! Once he played my small college. Embarrassingly, only about 250 students showed. Did Chapin let it bum him?--FN forget about it! He rocked the house and pulled us all in close. Haven't thought about that night (1978) for years. An incredible experience for me. There was a gorgeous girl from my "Drawing II" class--WAY outta my league--at the show. She sees me. We sit together. Long story short: Chapin got me so laid that night! She was lovely.
@blindichi That would have been so amazing to see him live. I remember as a kid listening to his music on record short stories is one of my favorite albums of all time.
@frenchchefkyle : I saw Harry Chapin live at the Spring Weekend at the local community college back in the late 70s. He put on quite a show plus 2 or 3 encores, really put his heart into it. I remember the night I heard he died. I had WASH on the radio and from the announcement they went right into "Taxi"
If you've seen the actual death certificate MdNgtRyder, why not tell us what it says, rather than simply spout off. My info came from reputable news sources at the time, but if you've got better info, I'd love to know it.
Does anybody have Harry's great underground hit, "I Saw Jesus Kissing Veronica"? I heard he recorded it one nite in Sta Monica but then tried to get back all the tapes
According to "Music Legends of the Civil Liberites Crusade" by Zeke Zedbinik, Harry died tragically after eating a poisonous Jap blowfish inpropwerly prepared one nite in Greenwich Village
@BrokenneckYgor Harry Chapin died in July 1981 on the Long Island Expressway when he was on the way to a concert. Some speculated that he had a heart attack in his car before being crushed by a truck. Since he was driving with a suspended license, others concluded simply that he caused the accident. Either way, it was a tragic loss.
Due to many requests, heres another DJ story. I got fired from a job in a small town for reciting a poem I wrote about the ghetto riots of the 60s. It goes-[-
Get Whitey! was the cry/ that filled the ghetto sky/The White Man's day is thru/we'/ll put em in a zoo/it's burn baby burn!/ Whitey's butter wont chern! Gosh durn!
I was a DJ in a prison town back in Nebraska many yrs ago. The cons used to casll me up and make requests for sicko songs about nazi love and rape. they disgusted me! i threw up one day when a hack called up and told me why the word screw isnt used any more. The queers who hang around prisons, the fat ugly women who want to marry these hopeless con s and lifers
It's so good to read the comments of all these fans. My sons and I saw him in concert about six times, and we had tickets for a performance at the Star Plaza in Merrillville, In. We got word of the tragic accident just a few days before scheduled performance. No one captured magic moments of time in story songs like Harry. From the way you guys sound, you sat in the back or the balcony at his concerts ... It's like he always said, "You can ALways count on the cheap seats!" Miss ya, man ...
@mastrlegacy: So very true, young man. The smart people like you appreciate the good music regardless of genre or era. I am 55 and I enjoy the best of today's music as well as the best of the music from before my time. Harry Chapin touched the souls of his fans, and still does. Keep seeking out the music that matters, regardless of the year of its origin. As a note on that, I am constantly amazed at the numbers of younger fans like yourself who find and enjoy the good stuff of days gone by.
@gwydion56 I enjoy good music. From Ted Nugent, Harry Chapin, Three Days Grace and Breaking Benjamin. I listen to anything that has meaning. I like knowing the song means something to the person who is singing it.
My wife and me saw Harry at the rainbow music hall in Denver. Got a seat on the end and at the end of the show he came by and shook my hand! It was great!
A great classic with haunting lyrics by a great artist who died much too soon. RIP Harry Chapin. It's so sad that this classic is hardly ever played on mainstream FM radio stations nowadays.
does anybody have Harry Chapin's " Music was his life, not his livelihood?" (Not sure thats the title) have been trying to find it for awhile, maybe haven't checked enough links . If you have it can you please post ? or let me know where i can find it. appreciate it!!!!
@mooog1 tried to thank you a couple of weeks ago, for letting me know what I was looking for. But had computer issues. Thanks!!!! had about two or three others letting me know what to look for too. Hadn't heard it in about 30 years.. Man, time flies, but the classics go on forever. Thanks again.
@mammanitsa --The song your thinking of is called "Mr. Tanner". It's the story of a talented singer who owns a dry cleaning store. He risks it all by trying to go pro--and his spirit is dashed by the mediocre critical response. Killer song!
Without the SHORT STORIES album and the rise of this song as a Top Ten Hit, I would not have the knowledge or appreciation of singer/songwriters that I do today. If I could thank Harry for one thing, it would be that. Thanks for posting this...
@catsman76 It is too bad that people who listen to the radio have such short attention spans, or is it rather the producers who are "Dumbing" us down? Harry' s stories were always the perfect length, not too short and not too long. It is what you call PERFECT!
divarose53 It is too bad that people who listen to the radio have such short attention spans, or is it rather the producers who are "Dumbing" us down? Harry' s stories were always the perfect length, not too short and not too long. It is what you call PERFECT!
I used to listen to the LP short stories all the time as a kid on my parents record player. This was my favorite song along with mail order annie, mr tanner. Just wonder why they only play cats in the cradle on the radio cause that is the only song of his i have ever heard and not a fan if it I guess cause it seems to be over played.
#8070 in the latest edition of the Alltime Popclassics Chart (apcchart.com)
apcchart 2 weeks ago
My favourite song of all time.
johnofypres 2 weeks ago
harry chapin is one of if not the greatest singers ever
jhart1210 2 weeks ago
Tulsa to Boise & back agin .....travel on 10,000 miles and still stay where U are...........
DougPatton1 2 weeks ago
My dad was a DJ all my life, needless to say W.O.L.D. and Cats in the Cradle have a special place in my heart.
mollymoleface 1 month ago
23 people have hearing problems
msCoolestkid10 1 month ago 2
God Bless Harry Chapin. He was an Amazing Artist.
musicman82558 1 month ago
what's to dislike about Harry? I saw him twice. at the second concert we got to talk to him. a concert in Bremerton, fly to Chicago then back for a concert in Seattle. Oh wait thew meeting he had in Chicago? a meeting on world hunger. What a man the world lost . Fuck all you who dislike this. you'll never be half the man Harry Chapin was. I guess it just your ignorance showing.. Thank you Harry for what you gave.
imwhitewolf 1 month ago 4
@imwhitewolf problem for many is that it hits too close to home! Great song!
VietnamEarObserverf 4 weeks ago
a great song from a much missed artist.became an signature for many breakfast show dj's in the mid 70's
wagbelt 1 month ago 2
Wonderful song still after all this time. Timeless music.
plewisg21 1 month ago 3
His songs are like short movies about characters living out very unique lives.
IVIonitor 1 month ago 2
I remember hearing on the news that Harry Chapin had died. At the time I didn't realize how young he was. Here I am still listening three decades later.
MrSunlazer 1 month ago
Having lived a similar career myself i totally rewlate to this song, i have been a Morning DeeJay in Sydney ,Auckland and all over Australasia,now I am 68 and retired but satyill working asd a voplunteer on a small local station, I cant get it out of my blood, Oh and all my relationships have suffered.
bidgeums 1 month ago 3
My Dad was 65 when he died this past Feb., I'm 37 now, and remember as a small boy cringing as he played this song and Cats In The Cradle on tapes in his Dodge Omni, now I like the songs and wish I could bring those times back.
mtbinpa31 1 month ago 2
20years ago，when I was teenage，first time heard the song，wow~感動
johnyanbest 1 month ago
he's like a musical Van Gogh...i hope Harry finally found peace.
rummijo 2 months ago
Me and dad used to listen to this song on road trips until he was killed fighting for the U.S.A. Im only 12 now but when i turn 18 im going to pick up where he left off and go fight for our freedom.
BlueManRS 2 months ago
@BlueManRS My mother died a few months before Harry died and she was the person who influenced me the most in life and Harry, if I could have picked my father Harry would have been my pick your father was a Hero and I feel that in you. You'll make your father proud
JohnKBayly 2 months ago
@BlueManRS RIP your dad was and is a hero
Skateit4life 2 months ago
21 people got fired from W.O.L.D.
TheKipKadillac 2 months ago
I still miss him.
tlsmith1138 2 months ago
I'm 14. Harry Chapin is all me and my Dad have in common. He is the middle ground where we can come together and agree. Dad saw him in concert shortly before he died, Harry stayed and signed autographs and talked to everyone. Dad said "It's nice to meet you Mr. chapin, I really enjoyed the show!" Harry said "Please, call me Harry." And asked dad his name and talked to him for a while. What an incredible man, Thank you Harry for saying what my heart feels in your songs. You are greatly missed. :(
Americanpieguy 3 months ago 17
@Americanpieguy Wow man, nice comment.
Mastikno1 1 month ago
@Americanpieguy I lost my old man this year, his name was harry. he taught me all these songs, and now that hes gone, im starting to understand.Ive known the words for years, im 31, but nnever saw it commin., but dad talked about his 'Harry, It sucks' T-shirt. 'Harry was a thread between me an my dad, Harry Gordon Crowell.. id say more if i couud stop crying.
reverseblackhole 1 month ago 2
Hey mate your gone but not forgotten
Jackupnow 3 months ago
He was only 38! What a loss. Great musician and story - teller.
BlueDragon783 3 months ago
all of us old Radio Pronounsticators can relate to this song. 18 years out of 35 i was a monrning DJ.
jjrocksarizonadj 3 months ago
It makes me sad to think of what Harry would think of the goings on nowadays if he were still around. He'd prolly be pissed...
wildturkey1960 3 months ago
As an old jock I can certainly identify with this song!!!! Been there, done that!!
bensallen 3 months ago in playlist Songs about Radio
i'v been trying to get this song for year's,i only new a few words but it brings me back to my child hood i get goose bumps rip harry x
masstransit2 3 months ago
God, I loved this song when I was a kid. What year was this? I must have been 12 or 13. Just hearing it again brings me back to those days. Loved the background singers. What a storyteller Harry Chapin was. I remember hearing the news of his death on the radio when I was in college. What's happened to us and our world? I wonder what he'd say these days.
thatsmisterrobert2u 4 months ago 2
@thatsmisterrobert2u The comment you left was everything i was going to say isnt it strange how music can remind you of a place or a person,and you can be lisening to the radio and all of a sudden you start to remember that person or place that song reminds you of.I think god put all these people with gift's on this earth for a reason,i wont understand why he takes them to early.
masstransit2 3 months ago
I love Harry Chapin but this song was so much better when he did it live..
unclefilthybill 4 months ago
21 dislikes; why? what's to dislike about this song?
angusthekat 4 months ago 17
@angusthekat
The 21 people who clicked the "dislike" box must have coughed or sneezed at the precise moment that they were about to press "like"! There can be no other logical explanation to dislike such a musical masterpiece!
badgesett 1 month ago 2
@angusthekat some people dislike this song because it hits too close to home for a lot of folks :(..great song!!
VietnamEarObserverf 4 weeks ago
Very first time I heard this was on WDRC am. I was lucky enough to see Harry chapin at the Bushnell I cried the day he passed away :O(
phill531 4 months ago in playlist phill531's Favorited Videos
My French lecturer got me onto this, I've got a new found respect for him now that's for sure!
sculli722 4 months ago
My French lecturer got me onto this, I've got a new found respect for him now that's for sure!
sculli722 4 months ago
I had the awesome pleasure of listening to Harry in concert at University of Toronto Convocation Hall in the early 1970s. To cap off the evening, I met Harry backstage after the show and "hung around " for a couple of hours with Harry and the band.
My older brother was involved with planning the concert so I was able to gain access. It was an experience I will treasure for ever. I miss him and his music. He was a superb performer and a kind and gentle man.
PiggusVomitus 4 months ago
Dammit...He made me tear up gain
ZenAntics 4 months ago
@ZenAntics makes me tear all the time...
garraper 4 months ago
just heard this song today for the frist time , loved it
krossmill 4 months ago
who nowadays can tell a story and put it to music like this man? simply incredible.
quandofloonn 4 months ago
awesome
dlamiss 5 months ago
Harry Chapin's is still in our memories and in our souls. as long as we make sure his music still lives on, and as long as we play his music (and as long as we remind our local radio station that , "Cats in the Cradle" is not his only song) his legacy will live on. Yes, " I love Cats in a cradle" but, he did more.
nanieas 5 months ago
His music has not been lost! We have his memories - all positive - from our times with him in concert and his loss is a lesson learned. His music was and is inspirational. I have turned my 5 children onto the lyrics and the incredible story-telling capabilities of Chapin. Will he ever be forgotten? Not if we keep up his legacy in music and world hunger. God Bless Harry.
DrDove4444 5 months ago
People, before making a statement, VERIFY IT, DO A LITTLE RESEARCH! My gosh, people commenting with such bad information as to how Harry Chapin died. He did not committ suicide, did not die on the NJ Turnpike. He was driving on the Long Island Expressway and had a heart attack either before or after his VW Rabbit was hit by a truck. The prevailing feeling of doctors and emergency personnel is that the heart attack came first, because he put his slowed down from 65 to 25 and put his flashers on.
mhs7386 5 months ago
"Music was his life, not his livelihood" ... the song is 'Mr.Tanner'.
FlakVest 5 months ago
How big was he in the u s a ? Great voice he got air play in Melbourne Australia in the 70 s rockon Harry
Jackupnow 5 months ago
@cskoz1 He died of cardiac arrest. Either just before a massive car accident or just after it. Either way, he was taken too soon from the world.
MissDralyn 5 months ago
I've been listening to Harry Chapin for years. I've been told that he committed suicide. I'm not sure if my daughter proved me wrong or not. Stupid wikipedia...
cskoz1 6 months ago
@cskoz1 no suicide he was on his way to a rehersal for a show in wallingford ct. the following evening and was involved in a pileup with a semi on the jersey turnpike. I had tickets for that show with a buddy who i worked with,just tragic man.
kingkrago 5 months ago
I am the morning DJ at WOLD......
Sloney1969 6 months ago
Talk about expanding your musical horizons...This song was my intro to "Chapin music" when this track charted on Billboard's Top Ten that year, and I have been a fan ever since. I don't think I would've ever had the chance to see him play live (I was still in grade school when this song blew up), but when he died, I remember feeling like I missed the opportunity of a lifetime. Yet still, there's his legacy...
Survivor2002 6 months ago
amen brother..
keylago220 6 months ago
It seems on this recording, I hear an overlapping song in the background, anyone else?
amberfwn 6 months ago
@amberfwn What you're hearing is a reprise of the song's intro, as if he was resignedly going back to what he'd been doing all along - playing records ("and here's another one...") since finding out that going home wasn't an option meant there was no point in doing anything different now. Very effective.
JRNelsonSr 6 months ago
@JRNelsonSr Thanks
amberfwn 6 months ago
What's the sad ending, I guess I don't get it.
amberfwn 6 months ago
@amberfwn The sad ending was when his career was ending, he decided to go back to his family,but the wife had found another.
timstertim1 6 months ago
@timstertim1 I think I was grooving so much by the time he was singing that I didn't hear it ;-)
amberfwn 6 months ago
Comment removed
amberfwn 6 months ago
Thirty years ago today Harry Chapin passed, what a man he was. He was an awesome giving caring man. Thank-you for the gift of you and all your gifts to others.
420stonedstud69 6 months ago
30 years ago Harry died...He was a special man..remember him donate to World Hunger Thanks Harry from all of us in the cheap seats!
DrakeGrad 6 months ago
Is there a Harry Chapin song that doesn't make one sad?
Especially now. We miss you Harry,
If ever a man tried to prove before he died,
"What one man's life could be worth"!!!
mythtree 6 months ago 2
I'd never heard this version before. Harry Chapin what an amazing songwriter. May his memory be eternal.
choosing2lookeast 7 months ago
Whenever i get asked that stupid interview question of who would i like to have lunch with, i don't know why i always forget to say Harry Chapin. Because, that would be the most honest answer i could give about anything.
kogcc 7 months ago 4
I love this song because I started in radio in 1969. As the song states, you started out on FM and worked your way UP to AM. That's because FM wasn't the powerhouse it is today. Many car radios didnt even have FM. His lyrics talk about his personal life as a DJ, which also reflected my life in many ways. I can certainly identify with the song....
wvsky 7 months ago 2
LAD
harrydry1 7 months ago
Mr. Tanner
MrASPENDENVER 7 months ago
I'm 14, and I wish more than anything that they still made music as good as this. I feel like kids my age are missing out on great things.
schreiberbj 7 months ago 34
@schreiberbj They are missing out. But then again they have their own great things. I'm 47 and I love to listen to Jack Johnson for example. 'We didn't start the fire." Honestly, I think the key is to look around. Listen to the top forty, but pay a LOT of attention to the rest. There are a lot of gems out there. Some of the best musicians are complete unknowns. They do it and do it well because they love it. They deserve your attention.
frankc64 6 months ago
@schreiberbj you have ears connected to your heart, this is rare, most do not develop this connection till they are too old and sad to care
BaalZobel 4 months ago
@schreiberbj You may be right.
takemeback2 4 months ago
@schreiberbj I am 20 years old I totally agree with you about the music these days. Nothing compared to what the 70's and 80's pushed out. :D
joshy629 4 months ago
@schreiberbj So what's stopping you? Learn. Become the next wave. YT is a great place to learn and there are literally hundreds of great musicians who have never been "discovered" because the RIAA oriented scouts can't make enough money off of them. There are still some excellent artists appearing, but no incentive or exposure due to the MASS media saturation of lesser more cookie cutter artists. You have a bunch of years ahead of you. See what changes you can make.
martinaxman 3 months ago
@schreiberbj I'm 14 too, and I completely agree
BlueDragon783 2 months ago
@schreiberbj I agree. I grew up w/this music. Loved it then... loved it now. It's immortal. I brought my kids up listening to this kind of music too so that they'd have a good appreciation for it. I like some of today's music...but it's just DIFFERENT. Back then music stirred your soul. It just doesn't do that today. These were some of the greatest singer/songwriters ever. The other big difference which ruins music today too is it's not PERSONAL and it's far too COMMERCIAL.
jaxgal618 2 months ago
@schreiberbj Singers back then put their hearts and souls into their music. Most of it based on either personal experience or what was happening in the world at the time. It was powerful and it was passionate. People could relate it to their own lives and experiences. Music today is mostly frivolous, meaningless nonsense. Worst of all what's ruined it is fame, commercialism and a geniune lack of true talent.
jaxgal618 2 months ago 3
The music of today will definitely not sound as good in 2050. It all died somewhere in the 80's.
monesv 7 months ago
@monesv No! Great music never dies, unless one let's it! SHARE! Love Bruce
MrBruceg52 7 months ago
@monesv The 80s are comin back man. It's true. re-listen, you'll see. It seems to me that 80s music was way before it's time. Think about it. Try Thomas Dolby, "She Blinded Me With Science" for example. It's not so bad when it hasn't had the crap played out of it.
elimi 5 months ago
wish in one hand.................................. .,lol sad that music is not what it was and lucky I was blessed to enjoy while driving my 69Ply, belvedere 440 on SM baybridge!
dw6011 7 months ago
I wish the radio stations that play classic rock would play this great song,Cats in the cradel is alright he hase more hits then that song.
amazingJohn61 7 months ago
@amazingJohn61 Thats a fact.
elimi 5 months ago
ILD Harry Chapin
Gurkengraeber11 7 months ago
First live show I ever saw at the magnificent Landmark Theater in Richmond, VA (then called "The Mosque", I kid you not). I've attended hundreds of shows there ever since - one just this past Friday night - and every time I walk in and see the stage, for just a moment, I see Harry center stage. Great memories.
ccie12933 7 months ago
Why is this guy NOT in the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME?
WhippJunior 8 months ago
@WhippJunior The same with Jim Croce who was very popular until he died in a plane crash if my memory serves me. The good always die young.
NewEnglandBudo 7 months ago
@WhippJunior He's not? What a foul contemptible tragedy that is. I'll be there's somebody we could torture to make a situation like that be the reverse of what it is? But then again, now having invested more thought into that conundrum I feel it would be trashing Mr. Chapin's memory. He wasn't a record company muppet. He was music for music's sake. He made music and sang and played guitar because that's what he would do even if no one were listening.
elimi 5 months ago
@elimi So true man.
mastrlegacy 5 months ago
Mr Tanner is the song that say's music was his life not livelyhood
jafomac 8 months ago
can u guys imagine what hary would have done with this video ere..he was a video editor for years...i can only imagine the creativity and relevane he may have added to this "plastic" visual generation
acutect 8 months ago
You are greatly missed, Harry. I've always thought your best was yet to come .RIP..
janir2 8 months ago
no wonder it didnt get much play, if i was a dj id be depressed listening to this
firewop 8 months ago
Dang I miss him, he was so good at his craft. I remember the day I heard he passed away.
amberfwn 8 months ago
Harry hit #36 in Billboard, 3-23-74. God bless ya, for postin' it. Thanx! RIP, Harry.
DaveWollenberg 8 months ago
Having been in radio this is a biography for some us..it was Des Moines, Omaha, Chicago, Tampa...back to Chicago and then that was it... This song brings me chills
DrakeGrad 8 months ago
i miss harry chapin. i was olny a kid when he died, but i knew something special was gone. RIP harry, u r missed.
MzLoriAnnAWA 8 months ago
Harry must have had a lot of personal demons in his closet to write songs like this and "Taxi"; or else he was just a lot more honest than the rest of us tend to be publicly.
wingseclipsed 8 months ago
@wingseclipsed . but did ya ever think about stephen king ? lol
MdNgtRyder 8 months ago
i like the version where his brother sings the high shool sock hops verse.
Rikset11 8 months ago in playlist Songs That I Like
In all my years of entertainers passing away i can say that the word of Harry's death was the only one that actually made me cry. His music will live on forever.
viscig60 9 months ago 2
Spent the first 8 or 9 years of my life at KFDI. IF it weren't for automation ruining radio this would likely been my autobiography. Spun a little on college radio years later...live no automation. 8^) First thing I did was look at the playlist and ditch it or rearrange it to better suit the audiance. ;^) Good DJ's know the audience as well or BETTER than the program director, after all his job is JUST to make sure the ads are placed properly ;^)
GrigoriZhukov 9 months ago 2
they can always let you go and you can travel ten thousand miles and still be wear you are.
fuhrman66 9 months ago
IVE JUST SPENT AN HOUR LOOKING FOR THIS SONG - ALL I HAD IN MY HEAD WAS W K O W K O - BUT I DIDN'T GIVE UP CAUSE IT EVENTUALLY CAME UP WITH W O L D - I BET HE WAS A GOOD PISS HEAD HARRY CHAPIN
geoffdoor 9 months ago
@geoffdoor - I'm wondering why they don't play this song as much as they do Cat's in the Cradle and Taxi. This song is the sort of thing that's missing today: great storytelling. Oh, the genre still exists, but you have to search for the good stuff, because it's buried underneath all the techno-gimmicky-Lady Gaga-American Idol crap. I'm a purist or traditionalist. I miss the way groups and bands came up through the ranks writing their own material and playing their own instruments!
EstelleVEdwards 9 months ago 2
those of you to remember when good music came way of AM radio
phill531 9 months ago
Saw Chapin live several times. ALWAYS great! Once he played my small college. Embarrassingly, only about 250 students showed. Did Chapin let it bum him?--FN forget about it! He rocked the house and pulled us all in close. Haven't thought about that night (1978) for years. An incredible experience for me. There was a gorgeous girl from my "Drawing II" class--WAY outta my league--at the show. She sees me. We sit together. Long story short: Chapin got me so laid that night! She was lovely.
blindichi 9 months ago 62
@blindichi That's a great story. I signed in just to comment on what your wrote. Those are highlights of of life :)
ConnecticutSavvy 9 months ago 2
@blindichi Man! That's the kind of thing that'll build a loyal fan base: a great intimate concert AND getting laid
okuradani 8 months ago
@blindichi lol.. thought you were gonna say it got you a wife you still got.. oh well it don't work out that way for any one does it??????
Hope she was as good as she looked....
bravo723 6 months ago
@blindichi That is one of the coolest music stories from a fans POV that ive ever heard. Thank u for sharing.
kingsteve55 6 months ago
@blindichi That would have been so amazing to see him live. I remember as a kid listening to his music on record short stories is one of my favorite albums of all time.
frenchchefkyle 5 months ago
@frenchchefkyle : I saw Harry Chapin live at the Spring Weekend at the local community college back in the late 70s. He put on quite a show plus 2 or 3 encores, really put his heart into it. I remember the night I heard he died. I had WASH on the radio and from the announcement they went right into "Taxi"
U686ST 1 month ago 2
If you've seen the actual death certificate MdNgtRyder, why not tell us what it says, rather than simply spout off. My info came from reputable news sources at the time, but if you've got better info, I'd love to know it.
HarryZinn32 9 months ago
Harry Chapin is one of the best
jc104599 9 months ago
Does anybody have Harry's great underground hit, "I Saw Jesus Kissing Veronica"? I heard he recorded it one nite in Sta Monica but then tried to get back all the tapes
BrokenneckYgor 9 months ago
awesome memories,,
spadge321 9 months ago
According to "Music Legends of the Civil Liberites Crusade" by Zeke Zedbinik, Harry died tragically after eating a poisonous Jap blowfish inpropwerly prepared one nite in Greenwich Village
BrokenneckYgor 9 months ago
@BrokenneckYgor Harry Chapin died in July 1981 on the Long Island Expressway when he was on the way to a concert. Some speculated that he had a heart attack in his car before being crushed by a truck. Since he was driving with a suspended license, others concluded simply that he caused the accident. Either way, it was a tragic loss.
HarryZinn32 9 months ago
@HarryZinn32 ya better look at the death certificate............people like you really piss me off...
MdNgtRyder 9 months ago
@BrokenneckYgor That is absolutely, 100% true.
Useless2112 9 months ago
Due to many requests, heres another DJ story. I got fired from a job in a small town for reciting a poem I wrote about the ghetto riots of the 60s. It goes-[-
Get Whitey! was the cry/ that filled the ghetto sky/The White Man's day is thru/we'/ll put em in a zoo/it's burn baby burn!/ Whitey's butter wont chern! Gosh durn!
BrokenneckYgor 9 months ago
This is a very sad sounding song, although it's upbeat in parts.... :(
sirtinycreep 10 months ago
@sirtinycreep It's a sad sounding song because it is supposed to be sad.
ChicagoSouthDan 9 months ago
I was a DJ in a prison town back in Nebraska many yrs ago. The cons used to casll me up and make requests for sicko songs about nazi love and rape. they disgusted me! i threw up one day when a hack called up and told me why the word screw isnt used any more. The queers who hang around prisons, the fat ugly women who want to marry these hopeless con s and lifers
BrokenneckYgor 10 months ago
most artists you will listen to son't suck you in to such a great story like how harry does in every one of his songs..truly one of a kind.
CaLLi3064 10 months ago
Gone way too soon. Miss you Harry
hare486aolcom 10 months ago
Gone way too soon. Miss you, Harry...
hare486aolcom 10 months ago
It's so good to read the comments of all these fans. My sons and I saw him in concert about six times, and we had tickets for a performance at the Star Plaza in Merrillville, In. We got word of the tragic accident just a few days before scheduled performance. No one captured magic moments of time in story songs like Harry. From the way you guys sound, you sat in the back or the balcony at his concerts ... It's like he always said, "You can ALways count on the cheap seats!" Miss ya, man ...
askmrbob7 10 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@MRoling Thunder.... I chose to stay... still playin' the hits :o)
TheRokjok 10 months ago
@MRoling Thunder.... I chose to stay... still playin' the hits :o)
TheRokjok 10 months ago
I wish they made music like this now. It makes me sad that this has been lost.
oisteve 10 months ago 25
@oisteve Lmao. It ain't lost. SHARE WOLD!
MrBruceg52 7 months ago
@oisteve I'm 27 man. It's not lost. Just too many morons in this world.
mastrlegacy 5 months ago
@mastrlegacy: So very true, young man. The smart people like you appreciate the good music regardless of genre or era. I am 55 and I enjoy the best of today's music as well as the best of the music from before my time. Harry Chapin touched the souls of his fans, and still does. Keep seeking out the music that matters, regardless of the year of its origin. As a note on that, I am constantly amazed at the numbers of younger fans like yourself who find and enjoy the good stuff of days gone by.
gwydion56 5 months ago
@gwydion56 I enjoy good music. From Ted Nugent, Harry Chapin, Three Days Grace and Breaking Benjamin. I listen to anything that has meaning. I like knowing the song means something to the person who is singing it.
mastrlegacy 5 months ago
@mastrlegacy ted nugent? isnt he that mad bloke?
dermotoblong 4 months ago
@dermotoblong Yes he is! The motor city mad man!
mastrlegacy 4 months ago
@oisteve it isnt lost, its still here and will stay here, modern music is popular right now, but it wont last as long as the real music will.
ShaunBredlTV 5 months ago
My wife and me saw Harry at the rainbow music hall in Denver. Got a seat on the end and at the end of the show he came by and shook my hand! It was great!
spdskter 10 months ago
You can travel on 10,000 miles and still stay were you are....
TomthatiscalledTom 10 months ago 4
A great classic with haunting lyrics by a great artist who died much too soon. RIP Harry Chapin. It's so sad that this classic is hardly ever played on mainstream FM radio stations nowadays.
gorickard319582010 10 months ago
mammanitsa, I believe the song you are looking for is called Mr. Tanner.
TheThejim29 11 months ago
does anybody have Harry Chapin's " Music was his life, not his livelihood?" (Not sure thats the title) have been trying to find it for awhile, maybe haven't checked enough links . If you have it can you please post ? or let me know where i can find it. appreciate it!!!!
mammanitsa 11 months ago
@mammanitsa , Another classic! search youtube for : Harry Chapin- Mr. Tanner
mooog1 11 months ago 7
@mooog1 Thank you so much!!!! haven't heard it for years
mammanitsa 10 months ago
@mooog1 tried to thank you a couple of weeks ago, for letting me know what I was looking for. But had computer issues. Thanks!!!! had about two or three others letting me know what to look for too. Hadn't heard it in about 30 years.. Man, time flies, but the classics go on forever. Thanks again.
mammanitsa 10 months ago
@mooog1 The title is Mr Tanner
xcranktc 6 months ago
@mammanitsa I believe the song you are looking for is called Mr. Tanner.
TheThejim29 11 months ago
@mammanitsa The song that you are thinking of by Harry Chapin is called MR. Tanner... Hope this helps.
algaecrush 10 months ago
@mammanitsa
The song is Mr. Tanner with thaT ;LINE
BALISONCLARK 10 months ago
@mammanitsa Mr Tanner
mannyt1955 10 months ago
@mammanitsa The song is called "Mr Tanner". It's on his "Greatest Stories Live" album.
Mozart1220 9 months ago
@mammanitsa --The song your thinking of is called "Mr. Tanner". It's the story of a talented singer who owns a dry cleaning store. He risks it all by trying to go pro--and his spirit is dashed by the mediocre critical response. Killer song!
blindichi 9 months ago
@mammanitsa : "Mr. Tanner".......brings tears to my eyes. That and "The Rock"
Quasimodo1957 8 months ago
@Quasimodo1957 OH, The Rock is great. What a cool song.
elimi 5 months ago
@mammanitsa The songs called mr tanner i think and its on the greatest hits album
hunsmenatwork 6 months ago
@mammanitsa it also might be on the other stories album. good luck
hunsmenatwork 6 months ago
loved harry
lectrklady 11 months ago
Sad ending? It sounds like a bad edit with the song playing twice. I was an AM Top 40 DJ when this came out and never heard this version.
THReynolds2 11 months ago
HARRY YOU ARE STILL MISSED THANK YOU
TODD123456200 11 months ago 2
Without the SHORT STORIES album and the rise of this song as a Top Ten Hit, I would not have the knowledge or appreciation of singer/songwriters that I do today. If I could thank Harry for one thing, it would be that. Thanks for posting this...
Survivor2002 11 months ago
19 people who don't understand what in life matters.
oxideworker 11 months ago
Harry Lives on
Rastafari6 11 months ago
class, 1 minute your hear next your gone, great song
kopynd1 1 year ago
class
kopynd1 1 year ago
his lyrics have inspired me
sfwaller 1 year ago
there will never be music like his again you will be missed Harry
samii282 1 year ago
Harry's stories were always to long for the radio...
catsman76 1 year ago
@catsman76 It is too bad that people who listen to the radio have such short attention spans, or is it rather the producers who are "Dumbing" us down? Harry' s stories were always the perfect length, not too short and not too long. It is what you call PERFECT!
divarose5 11 months ago
divarose53 It is too bad that people who listen to the radio have such short attention spans, or is it rather the producers who are "Dumbing" us down? Harry' s stories were always the perfect length, not too short and not too long. It is what you call PERFECT!
divarose5 11 months ago
I used to listen to the LP short stories all the time as a kid on my parents record player. This was my favorite song along with mail order annie, mr tanner. Just wonder why they only play cats in the cradle on the radio cause that is the only song of his i have ever heard and not a fan if it I guess cause it seems to be over played.
frenchchefkyle 1 year ago
Truely A Positive Soul In Our Time.......Love You Mr. Chapin
fcmike58 1 year ago