Vocal Coach reacts to Harry Chapin - Cats in the Cradle

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Vocal Coach reacts to reaction to analyses analyzes analysis of breaks down Harry Chapin - Cats in the Cradle
Original Video without interruption: • Harry Chapin - Cats in...
Check out Harry Chapin here: harrychapinmusic.com
Harold Forster Chapin was an American singer-songwriter, philanthropist, and hunger activist best known for his folk rock and pop rock songs.
"Cat's in the Cradle" is a 1974 folk rock song by Harry Chapin from the album Verities & Balderdash. The single topped the US Billboard Hot 100 in December 1974. As Chapin's only number-one song, it became the best known of his work and a staple for folk rock music. Chapin's recording of the song was nominated for the 1975 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011
Songwriters: Harry Chapin, Sandra Chapin
Producer: Paul Leka
Genre: Folk rock, Soft rock
Performed by Harry Chapin
Date
London 1971
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#vocalcoach #harrychapin #catsinthecradle #livemusic #reaction #bethroars

[@BethRoars]

📖 Get your signed copy of my album Fable here: www.bethroars.com/shop ☀ Find me on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/1W0He1MTuQoG0Yt2ccmhyL?si=b5qm82DmSRip8L4abe2-nw 🥁 Become a Patreon Supporter: www.patreon.com/bethroars

[@thomasschmidt1836]

You did a video of his 5th cousin Mary Chapin Carpenter here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rGqQimx4g9Ktgbc

[@DennisTedder-wj5ln]

Dear, you need to come up to speed. Harry and Sandy were two doors down from me in Connecticut

[@jaymcguire7894]

In spite of his critical and commercial success, Harry Chapin was never really wealthy. He was a dedicated philanthropist, known for donating up to 1/3 of his total concert income to charitable efforts. Not only was he talented artist he was also just a good man.

[@user-te3by3ue3o]

You owe it to yourself to listen to Harry's song Taxi. Talk about storytelling... that song will blow your mind into the middle of next week

[@marshallgeorge3819]

I love that song - perfect storytelling.

[@davidkettell6236]

Taxi is without doubt one of the saddest songs i have ever heard and it still grabs me all these years later,the story of lost love that ended badly for all concerned. Been there.

[@mikematusek4233]

But then you also need Sequel.

[@joshuameredith4281]

Plus she can react to Big John's falsetto...

[@brucesavage8493]

Harry Chapin was the best storyteller of our time. Some more songs to react to are Taxi; Mr. Tanner; A Better Place To Be and Six String Orchestra.

[@lesschoenberger3070]

And W.O.L.D.

[@JPSE57]

@@lesschoenberger3070 And 30,000 Pounds of Bananas (the perfect country song}

[@WVUFootballGoinDeep]

@@lesschoenberger3070 One of the often overlooked Chapin classics...

[@jackarmstrong1838]

Have to say Jim Croce is right there

[@billf1]

@@JPSE57 The Live version of course.😉

[@allybandy3047]

He is a master storyteller with his music. We lost him way too soon. ♥

[@doobiedave9686]

Harry Chapin is just one of the many great singer/songwriters that I grew up listening to back in the 1970's. Jim Croce, Carole King, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Kris Kristofferson, Cat Stevens, Carly Simon, and Jackson Browne are just a few others from that era. I loved them because they mostly would only use an acoustic guitar or piano to accompany their incredible lyrics, something that is missing in today's music. 🙏✌️

[@josephklimchock5412]

Me too, we had the best music in the 60-70's growing up, to this day it seems that we had the GOAT songwriters all within and about 15 year period.

[@davidkettell6236]

Yoy literally just named most of my favorites but i would throw in John Denver as well ,his song writing ability was second to none.

[@BobbyHikes928]

Just another awesome example of how a single song can change somebody's life. Music is certainly a gift.

[@mikemurphy1700]

The thing about Harry was that he could NEVER come across in the studio, but to see him LIVE was a magical experience. I saw him 10 times before he passed and for two hours he would take you on an emotional rollercoaster ride !!!!....humbly I suggest you give " A Better Place To Be " from his Greatest Sories Live album....also " Mail Order Annie ".... a listen...love your channel and your expertise....

[@glennanderson4624]

Love that song.

[@anthonyleecollins9319]

Wonderful performer in person. Really funny, too, which surprised me at the time.

[@greendruid33]

This song breaks my heart every time I hear it, just waiting for that last verse to crush me. It was on the radio a lot when I was a kid. My dad died when I was in my 20s and I miss him everyday. Thank you for sharing your reaction to it Beth. Sorry I missed the premiere.

[@kevinwallis2194]

I could relate to that song, because not only did my father not be able to see me much, but i noticed i did the same thing to my kids thinking working long hours and making money was the most important thing at the time.

[@EconAdviser]

Saw him twice in concert in the mid-1970s. He'd do encore after encore! You must listen to his first, even bigger hit, "Taxi", which his brother sings a falsetto part in the song. Chapin toured 200+ days a year, and donated all his revenue to good causes, died young on tour in an accident, leaving his family broke. Gave ironic meaning to his "30,000 Pounds of Bananas" song. "Teach Your Children Well" by Crosby, Stills, Nash.

[@parkermills3328]

Big John ...the bass player did the other vocal part.

[@ejd53]

“Taxi” was his first hit, but it was not a bigger hit than “Cat’s in the cradle”. “Taxi” hit number 24, while “Cat’s in the cradle” hit number 1.

[@mikerudolph2419]

Harry Chapin was such a great Artist, he could tell stories in music 🎼 form like no one else could. RIP. Another great song by Harry is Taxi 🚖 I seen Harry in Concert 4 days before his tragic death in NYC on The Long Island Expressway. 😢😢😢

[@JohnJacksonJohnson]

Plus, I can definitively say it makes me cry EVERY time because it puts things into perspective. My father NEVER taught me how to play catch (I also never knew how to throw a perfect spiral until I was 12), he worked A LOT, and I was a latchkey kid as a teenager, but now, I've since realized that he DOES care and I'm on a path like him unless I do something!

[@wmralder]

It's not a happy song. It's full of regrets. It's always put me in a melancholy mood. I can say with some certainty that my relationship with my Dad was almost the polar opposite and I'm eternally thankful.

[@pilesovinyl]

All the comments are spot on. I was fortunate to see him live and the audience was as quiet as a library hanging on every word he sang. He truly was a storyteller first and a singer/songwriter second. The fact that he didn't write this one in no way diminishes the brilliance of his songwriting on virtually everything else he recorded which he did write. Wonderful artist and truly tragic when he passed.

[@grapeman63]

Ah. The late great Harry Chapin. One of the most under-rated yet significant singer-songwriters of the 20th century. We lost his indomitable spirit, drive and sheer will way too early. Posthumously awarded a Presidential Gold Medal for his tireless work to alleviate world hunger - he founded WHY (World Hunger Year) and was the only member of the Congressional committee on world hunger to attend every session. Often flying overnight across the US after a performance so that he could, and then returning in time for the following night's performance. His insane schedule and poor diet ultimately took him from us. "I wanna learn a lovesong", "Mr. Tanner", "The shortest story", "The story of a life" or , in a more jocular mood "30,000 lbs of bananas" are just a few of his many fantastic "stories".

[@RealHollarius]

Storytellers are rare in music. This song, covered by Ugly Kid Joe, brought me to Harry Chapin and I love a lot of his less known songs, as they are wonderful stories, sung with this comfy voice.

[@n5iln]

Harry was a master storyteller. The down side to this song was that it was severely overplayed, especially when Ugly Kid Joe covered it. "Taxi" and "I Wanna Learn a Love Song" are also excellent pieces that received a little too much airplay when they were released. For other, less-overplayed examples of Harry's abilities, I recommend "Mr. Tanner", "A Better Place To Be", and "Thirty Thousand Pounds of Bananas".

[@markmyers6472]

I second Taxi for a reaction

[@jimmcgowan9592]

If you do Taxi then should also do Sequel which revisits Harry and Sue 10 years later

[@jimmcgowan9592]

You mentioned about being helpful to others and trying to make things better for people. Harry was responsible for starting world hunger year and instrumental in getting President Carter to start the Presidential commission on hunger and poverty. Every 3rd concert he did all the proceeds went to a local charity. He was eventually given the congressional gold medal for his humanitarianism

[@larrysquires5321]

So, Chapin was responsible for starting world hunger. I'd always wondered.....

[@supasoulproductions]

I highly recommend his hit 'Taxi' and it's follow up 'Sequel'.

[@michaelfreitag7657]

I was blessed to have a mom that is a huge fan of Harry and introduced me to his music while i was growing up in the 70's and 80's. My father passed away in October of 2023 and this song always starts the tears flowing. My father was always there for me and always made time for me no matter what.

[@koimiesprofeetta4832]

When I was a child, my dad used to play me this song. My dad didn't see his father my grandfather much growing up. My grandfather worked a lot. He would play this song and say I never want to be the father in this song. The father that is like his. I am a very proud father of two girls. I try to find as much time with them.

[@divadaedalus]

Amazing song; amazing man. One of the first albums I ever bought in college.

[@joelmoreno4223]

Beth: a wonderful reaction, I always enjoy your reactions, informative, entertaining, insightful! I always get teary-eyed listening to this song by Harry Chapin, it's memorable, I quess, probably like so many American families, with a too hard working dad, who wants so much to provide so much for his family... Beth, I really hope you'll follow-up with Harry Chapin's "Taxi", that one also brings back memories of past...relationships, and their outcomes. Ooohhh, the follies of youth! thank you Beth!

[@jamesj.navagh222]

Great storyteller. I saw him several times in concert. The best concerts I ever saw. As a singer you would appreciate his song Mr Tanner about a baritone who gets a bad review. Do the live version like this one with the introduction by his wife Sandy.

[@briantaylor9475]

"Mr. Tanner" is a truly outstanding song

[@marshabailey1121]

I saw Harry live at the centennial Convert Hall in Winipeg when I was a student. He was so generous with his fans, standing out in the lobby after the concert signing prgrams as long as the fans wanted him to. I'll never forget him.

[@gwydion56]

Harry was one of only two artists that I got to see twice in concert. He was the favorite singer/songwriter of my wife and I. He had loads of charisma, and he sung his truth in a way that was unmistakable. I think something like half of his 200+ annual concerts were fund-raising events for the fight against world hunger, which was a much bigger problem then than it is even today. He was a tall, handsome man, and after his concerts he would sign merchandise, shake hands, and kiss so very many female fans, including my wife. He was just a truly likable guy, and while others may have been more skilled as singers, his lyrics were always the star of his music, and he could bring goose bumps with the honesty and emotion of his performance. I will never forget the awful day that my wife and I heard that he died. Like so many talented musicians, we lost him far too early.

[@michaeldezego340]

I saw him in concert at the Dr Pepper concerts in Central Park in New York in summer of 1978 when I was 19 year old. His brothers and his father opened the show. I was really shook up when he died in that car crash. A real decent and talented person. His songs Taxi and Circle are fantastic. Also Father and Son by Cat Stevens.

[@canadian1677]

This is incredibly Moving and from a long time ago, about how Fathers and Sons interact! Still brings moisture to my Eyes

[@gesundheit602]

Harry Chapin was not only a wonderful performer, he was also an amazing human being. His fight against world hunger still continues many decades after his passing, via the Harry Chapin Food Bank locations. I am so glad to have seen him in concert.

[@daviddeveau2467]

In the living years by Mike and the mechanics is another generational song that hits home.

[@numberonepun4126]

I remember listening to this song on the radio as a kid while I was with my dad but he was inside a friends house while I waited outside in the car. Fast forward and this song is exactly how my dad and I ended up. Please, if you have kids put them first in your life.

[@dscotthoward7467]

I was the college kid borrowing the car keys when this came out. My relationship with my Dad changed for the better immediately. Although I did still occasionally borrow the car. Thanks Harry (and Beth).

[@bobfoutch5238]

I saw Harry 6 months before he died. Great concert. I wore out 2 copies of 'Live Stories, the best place to start listening to Harry.

[@spmccord]

Greatest Stories - Live is great album and a great place for a newbie to dip their toe into the world of Harry Chapin.

[@christineg8151]

I grew up listening to Harry because my mother was a HUGE fan. His voice is like a hug. It's not the most technically perfect (in fact, there's a point in one of his live performances where he describes himself as the only one in his band who doesn't have perfect pitch.) and he doesn't have the widest range, but his songs are very singable, and he's so good at relating emotion and stories. I'd love to see a vocal analysis of not just Harry, but Big John Wallace, who does a lot of the background music. He's the falsetto on "Taxi" and the really deep voice in "30,000 pounds of Bananas"

[@matthewgoodA1206]

This is one of my father’s favorite songs of all time, perhaps even top of his list. I heard it numerous times from a very young age, as his only son. He considers Harry’s strength to have been the storytelling he wrote about people’s lives. So this song remains special to me.

[@Mwfrizzellandsons]

Yes. A song about generations. The song is titled “I come from a long line of loves”

[@loucatozzi7656]

Harry Chapin and his wife owned land in Vermont and every couple of years he would take a week and play at all the public schools in the area. I saw him and his brother Tom play at least once while I was growing up back in the 70's.

[@canadian1677]

He has a great Voice, but it is the Lyrics that make this Song BETH

[@GraveFireflys]

Cheers , one of my favourite songs, still makes this old hippy cry.

[@Bikerbryan22]

This song means so much to me. I was recently reunited with my pops since my folks split and I was only ever able to spend time with him over the phone. Now that I have him back in my life I see him every day in admiration and gratitude because that’s my hero and I want to be just like him. I love you pops ❤️

[@rdjraa4983]

Harry was very big on feeding the hungry. Had huge charitable causes. One thing that sticks to me is he gave his concert revenues to feed the masses.His quote about his concert revenues, " I sing one night for me and one for the other guy."

[@Pony-Corral]

In the '7o's Harry sang this on the Mike Douglas Show. One guest, very young Mason Reese, broke down in tears just knowing this song was going to be sung. I was young at the time, but it made me realize how music affects us.

[@ericarachel55]

I was able to see Harry in upstate NY before he was killed on the Long Island Expressway, about 10 miles from where I live, he and the band were great. He is buried in the town I live in...gone way too soon RIP Harry

[@GoldenSlumber474]

You would also enjoy reviewing Harry’s first hit song, Taxi

[@andylinton2798]

Oh and the amazing track WOLD ! What a classic!

[@skipwilliam5639]

I remember when my son was 12 and he wanted to play catch. I said I dont have the time right now as I was working on my car.. I seen him heartbroken and walking away. This song went into my head right away and I dropped the tools and grabbed my glove and played catch.

[@johnmiller7682]

He was on his way to a charity event, when he had a possible heart attack, while driving on the Long Island Expressway, and was hit by a truck. His charity, Long Island Cares (started a year before his death) serves millions of meals to people on Long Island, every year. He wasn't just a great musician, he was a great human being.

[@tomleonard830]

So much dust around. Must be getting in my eye. I’m not crying.

[@kwikkatxr7]

Harry chapin is one of my favorites. Storytelling is more important is more than proper vocals.

[@bernhardb3281]

You are so right!

[@TheFireMonkey]

I love this song - never knew his wife wrote the lyrics though. Songs about generations? Nothing modern comes to mind - I instantly thought of Cat Stevens Father and Son [interesting point - I heard that one when it first came out and later I heard him do the same song after he had become Yusif [I say it like that because that marked such a huge change in his life it was like he had become a new person] and to my ear at least, though the words and music were the same, the song was different. Maybe it is just me - but the original recording felt like he was suggesting the father just didn't understand and he was going to have to follow his own path rather than listen to his father, but when I heard the newer release, it seemed to take the father's stand that it was the son who didn't understand yet because he lacked the experience to see it all clearly. Maybe the change is just in my head, but it was an interesting thing to hear the same song in such different ways.

[@Nomad-vv1gk]

This song began as a simple poem. In this case, the poem was written by Chapin’s wife, Sandy. In an interview, Sandy explains that there were two inspirations for the song: her first husband’s poor relationship with his father, and a country music song she happened to hear one day on the radio. Sandy elaborates about her first husband, James, and his complicated relationship to his father, John Cashmore: “[John] was one of 11 children, and he never went past the fifth grade in school. He started an office furniture company and built a successful business. Then he went into politics and was Borough President of Brooklyn for 25 years… [John] had spoken to a senator to get [James] into law school… and arranged for him to be sworn into the service the day he was supposed to take the bar exams… [Ultimately, John] was trying to engineer the kind of career for his son that he couldn’t have himself because of his lack of education… These things made James feel like his life was a fix.” Over the years, their relationship became more distant, and although John and James were civil to one another, they no longer connected emotionally as father and son. It was only after her divorce from James, that Sandy understood the crux of the problem: “It struck me in hindsight, and I realized that you have to be in communication with your children from the time they’re two years old.” The second inspiration occurred years later, after she was married to Harry. At that point they didn’t have any children. Early in his career, Sandy would write poems and help Harry write songs for a television show, “Make a Wish,” that he worked on. One day, a country song captured her interest: “It was about a man and a woman sitting at their kitchen table and looking out to the backyard. They had a swing set and a sandbox and bicycle in the corner. They were talking about how it all went by so fast and how they could have spent more time, and now the kids are gone. That song put me in the mood for writing a lyric.” The lyrics that Sandy wrote that day, about a child getting older, became the foundation for “Cat’s in the Cradle.” Although Harry initially dismissed the poem at the time, he remembered it a year later, after their son was born. Sandy explains: “He said, ‘Hey, this is great - I’m going to put some music to it. I’m assuming he was looking at things differently after Josh was born, but he didn’t really talk about it to me.” Harry not only added the perfect melody to the poem, he reworked the lyrics and drew inspiration from children’s nursery rhymes, like “The Cat and the Fiddle,” and the Dutch fairy tale, “The Cat and the Cradle.” And for Harry, who was a new father, the song was very personal - it was about him and his son. The song is remarkably sweet but profoundly sad, delivering a powerful and sobering lesson about raising children - equally relevant for fathers and mothers who have to balance family life and their careers; as Harry once remarked: “Frankly, this song scares me to death.” Certainly, on one level, the song underscores the paradox of the American dream: the parent who wants a home, a family, and all that goes with that (vacations, cars, medical bills, education, etc.) is pulled away from that family life by the demands of the workplace, where he or she must toil endlessly to be able to afford all those things. And as a family grows, and children grow older, the expense only increase. Caught in that vicious cycle, a parent who is spending so much time at work, and understands the value of spending time with family, can only caution his children: “Do as I say, not as I do.” On another level, the song shatters the myth of spending “quality time” with your children or the myth that “you can have it all.” Hence, the song has always been favored by pastors, counselors, teachers, and parents of every age. For Sandy, the meaning of the song is about how and when we acquire wisdom: “The whole point of the story is that we learn our lessons in life by making mistakes, by trial and error, by experience. It would be great if we could learn about the future ahead of time, but we have to learn the hard way… We don’t have a child born and then have all this wisdom… It’s like the old saying - too old too soon, too wise too late.” The song was included on Harry’s album “Verities and Balderdash” released in 1974 for Geffen Records. The president of the label, David Geffen, selected that song as the album’s lead single. Cat’s in the Cradle went on to top the Billboard Hot 100 by the end of the year and it was Chapin’s only number one hit song. Although the world is dramatically different than it was in 1974, the dynamic played out in the song is as relevant today as it was back then. In today’s fast-paced, competitive, and highly consumer-oriented world, the pressures to succeed in one’s career and to provide for a family can easily create a ever-growing chasm between a parent and his or her family. The vital lesson of this song is this: it is only with age that we arrive at the wisdom that time spent with children - and not money - is the most precious commodity of all.

[@jeffyoung801]

Tom Chapin is the son of Jim Chapin and the brother of Harry Chapin. From 1971 to 1976, Chapin hosted Make a Wish, an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning Sunday-morning children's TV series broadcast on ABC. He occasionally appears in Harry Chapin tribute concerts (often with brother Steve Chapin). He has appeared in the Broadway production Pump Boys and Dinettes, among others. Chapin has branched in to the storytelling festival circuit and in 2007 was a Featured New Voices Teller at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Chapin

[@georgeseanor]

You will have an emotional ride with his music

[@thomastimlin1724]

A song by a man named Judd Strunk "Daisy a Day" [1973] will make you cry. Harry Chapin spearheaded efforts against world hunger. He once said at Thanksgiving time schools collect caned goods and such so people won't go hungry during the holidays. He said "What if the school principal had the gonads to ask the kids after the holiday....so what are these starving people going to eat next week?" Yes Harry, why the HELL aren't we still NOT asking those questions??!!!!

[@alabhaois]

Extraordinary song- love it! 💕💕

[@benntura]

Yay! I’m so happy you watched Harry Chapin. I hope you can react to more of music.

[@Shads62]

makes me cry every time.

[@rogerosterberger4627]

I saw him in a little, 1200 seats, place in San Diego. He played for two hours, took a break while the band played All my life's a circle, then came back and played for another hour.

[@gkiferonhs]

I taught physics for forty years and would always use what's called a Fourier Transform to kind of take sounds apart like a prism can take apart light. There were always kids who would complain that, in a noisy room, they would be singled out by the teacher for talking when everyone in the room was talking. Over the years I found that those students' voices were very "simple" consisting of the fundamental and some of the lower harmonics; those voices held together and were more recognizable by the teacher. More complex voices (containing higher order harmonics) don't carry as well and get lost and muddled. I can do two voices: my speaking voice, which is rather raspy and disappears in a room, and my coaches voice, deeper in my chest and more open in the throat to simplify the harmonics.

[@jonnyb2774]

Harry is one of the greatest storytellers ever. Greatest stories live is a live album so tight, you’d not know it was live bar the audience. So good.

[@Robert_Herring]

The only song that I can think of about different generations in recent memory is Madison Cunningham's song "Life According to Raechel", from her Grammy winning album "Reveler". Stunning song, and Madison is a brilliant songwriter, singer , and guitarist.

[@richiecabral3602]

Cat Stevens' "Father And Son"

[@ThePrincepiggy]

I tear up watching the intro. This song resonates so powerfully even if it doesn’t apply to you personally. Grief and loss and regret are universal

[@allenfutrelle9090]

A wonderful perfomer in a live concert, very personable.

[@thegonz7833]

When this came out in the 70s as barely a teen,i can still recall the emotion the first time hearing it.

[@gr8fled]

This song gets me every time 😢

[@trishrickkard9286]

Harry Chapin had an amazing ability for social commentary. Mr. Tanner, The Rock, Sniper, Shooting Star, Tangled Up Puppet... so many amazing stories.

[@markf3517]

Others have talked about seeing Harry in concert. I also had that great good fortune. What a wonderful, joyful experience it was. He'd established a charity to fight hunger before he died. I'd suggest that anyone who loves his music consider finding and contributing to a charity dedicated to fighting hunger.

[@robertphillips4918]

I saw him sing this song in flint Michigan , he said everybody praises him for this song about a father and a son but they don’t stop to realize he’s a thousand miles away from his son when he’s singing it .

[@jbs256]

Beth, I saw Harry at my college (early 70’s) in a lunchtime concert in our theatre. Of course as I would learn Harry ran long, I had a 2pm History class. I thought, history ain’t changin’ and Harry is AMAZING. I didn’t know his music and was told by my friends to go. It was just before Cradle came out. I don’t remember if he did the song then as it was all new to me. My friends told me and I’m telling you to check out Taxi. Another banger pre-Cradle. Another gone too soon, taken in a car crash in NYC. Lovely reaction and I’ve not seen that video, God his son looks like him. ❤ Joe I doubt you do new artists but if you want your mind 🤯 search “Tori Holub Georgia on my Mind” ❤ Just to listen and melt.

[@kentcummings3116]

Thank you Ms. B for watching Harry. Like many others, I too went to as many of his live shows as possible. His connection to his audience while performing was both warm, and intensely fun! He always played a song in concert titled "30,000 Pounds of Bananas". A very clever and funny song where the audience typically joined him singing on the chorus. I've never been the type to be devastated by the death of a favourite artist, but Harry's passing was one of only 2 times where I can remember exactly where I was when I got the news of a singer dying. Punch in the guts feeling.

[@jam6242]

Once saw him in concert with his brother, Tom. Seemed such a genuine man and, of course, very talented too.

[@hlawrencepowell]

There is a truth and honesty and authority in his voice. You believe everything he says. You HAVE to react to Taxi and then to Sequel.

[@davidcanales975]

I just saw a woman named Danielle Ponder sing. Best female I have ever seen song live, I have seen Mavis Staples, Amy Winehouse, Brittany Howard, etc. She is AMAZING

[@kallsop2]

Growing up in the late 60's, the first song I really liked was HELP by the Beatles after seeing the movie on TV in 1967 or 1968, I learned to like songs that told a story that was personal and related to life. I had a similar life with my father growing up, but in my mid 20's back in the late 80's we came together and had a great relationship. We came to terms about a lot of things, and developed a deep bond. In 2011, I wound up in a position where I became a caregiver for my father and spent six years taking care of him as his health deteriorated and it's something that I will cherish regardless of how bad it got at times. October of 2017 his health took a turn for the worse, he wound up in the hospital, and his condition became terminal. He slipped into a coma and lived for a few days before passing. I spent a week with him in the hospital before he passed. I then spent a week making sure he was taken from Oregon back to Oklahoma to be buried with his wife, and taking care of so many things during that time. In my making arrangements and flights, I didn't realize that my return to Oregon after his funeral required me to fly from Tulsa to Atlanta and then back to Portland. After a very long two weeks, as I was flying back to Portland I was on a full flight in the evening, and while not finding the in flight entertainment worth watching, I plugged my headphones into my phone to just listen to music I had stored on it. Somewhere over the US between Atlanta and Portland, this song showed up. As sad as this song can be, and while it had a profound effect, it made me smile through tears that I had the opportunity to spend time with my father before he passed away.

[@kajlennartsson4234]

Thank you Beth ❤❤

[@lbr8r]

Saw him at the Whiskey A Go Go after prom. Sat next to the stage. Will never forget. And you looked especially cute in this video.

[@mikematusek4233]

Sandy was his wife. there are many other songs: 30,000 pounds of Bananas, Miss America, Why are little girls crooked. The band had his brothers in it, and Big John Wallace that sang both base and falsetto.

[@kendanielson7204]

A melody sounds like a memory. I was in my late teens when this came out.

[@Musicmanrobert]

I got to see him live at Carowinds. He died on Jul 16, 1981 so sad.

[@Leron...]

I know it's a long song (8.5 minutes long) but I'd love to hear you react to Harry Chapin's "The Mayor of Candor Lied". It is such a roller coaster of a song and his range both vocally but also emotionally throughout the song is extremely impressive.

[@dereks1264]

If you want to another Chapin song, "Taxi" is a great song.

[@willfromyadkinville]

thank you! great song!

[@sourisvoleur4854]

I always watch till the end to see the little fish-thing go "rahr." Next for Chapin I would suggest you do "Taxi". It was his first single and the first indication most of the world had of his magical storytelling abilities. Not as heartbreaking as Cradle, but still it will tug at those cardiostrings.

[@junction6_m27VNC]

This is still played a lot on Forces Radio, I guess when your away from your family this kinda hits harder

[@aekelly]

Someone probably already said this but I didn't see it in the first dozen or so comments - Sandy was his wife. I grew up knowing and loving Cats in the Cradle, but then when I was in college a friend played a video of him in concert for me, and I fell in LOVE - only to find out he'd died years ago! 😥 He has several beautiful songs....Taxi, Mr. Tanner, Better Place to Be....lots to dig into and I hope you do! 💕💕

[@basel8860]

Back in the day Harry was in Lincoln Nebraska, Pershing Auditorium and put on an awesome concert, so entertaining! He sang all his hits and actually Performed a song he was going to record, was still working on it kinda like a debut for the song. I don’t think it ever got recorded as just a few days later he was gone…

[@sandilar]

Love Beth Roars! First one I have connected to for a while tho.

[@Jonni92881]

Try listening to Mike and the Mechanics “The Living Years”. It’s not new but from the 80’s. I couldn’t think of any other song that brings people together.

[@josephstimpfl4594]

I heard Harry in concert with my girlfriend when l was a college student. We loved him but unfortunately we did not stay together. She was really my first love. Harry had another song called taxi about a taxi driver who ends up giving an ex girlfriend a ride in his taxi. After college l drove a taxi and surprise one fare was my ex. Incredibly bitterseet. Needless to say Harry always held a special place for me. I highly recommend that song

[@bonniemaherg778]

Because so many of his songs told stories they didn't get much radio play. They couldn't be shortened without losing their meaning. I'm a huge fan and saw him in concert many times. I even got a kiss after purchasing a signed T-shirt. He peddled his merchandise himself following every show with all the proceeds going to the World Hunger organization. ❤❤❤

[@GlennBuchanan-wk2mf]

I Tolk my mother see him in concert back in the early 80's. He was heavily involved in feeding the starving children all over the world.

[@jackarmstrong1838]

Harry Chapins band included a Cello, and a guy who sang falsetto quite a bit.

[@investalain5804]

This woman is magnificent.

[@markjo9626]

You need to read more on Harry's life. There is a good Documentary on his life on a streaming channel. He fought for world hunger like no one else.

[@ThistleAndSea]

Beth, I think you will really enjoy his song Mr Tanner if you get a chance to listen to it. Thank you for sharing this one. 🙂

[@mitcht2717]

Nice reaction Beth, and it seemed like you did know something about Harry, but had forgotten over time - I like what you said about resonance - that was a helpful insight. P.S. On Dec.7, 2023 Vanity Fair did an interview with Billie and Finneas on the making of "What Was I Made For?" - in my opinion the best dual interview brother and sister have ever done, and in thsi interview, Billie for the first time that I am aware of gives little demonstrations of her vocal instrument, that indicate she DOES KNOw what she is doing and chooses to deliver the song to us in exactly the way we hear it - even if you didn't do it as a reaction, Beth, I believe it would be even more confirmation for you, that Billie and Finneas are unique and their relationship is truly symbiotic.

[@dangnabbit2]

There’s a song by Trace Adkins called “They Do” that talks about adults wanting their kids to grow up and move away, and them before you know it, they do.Trace has an incredibly distinctive country voice, that is so deep. His singing is quite effective and the songs he does cover a wide range of topics.

[@MrRdh567]

This song was ground breaking back in the day. It was still pretty much accepted that Dad's were the workers and mom's stayed at home. Dad's did not interact in a close way like they do now. Interesting.