The Day MY Music Died
I was greeted at work today by two e-mails from friends who know me too well. Both were expressing sorrow at “my loss.” It was on this day in 1981 that Harry Chapin died in a car crash on Long Island. He was 38. He was also (and still is) the guy who’s story songs transport me. I know I’m not alone. The first time I saw him in concert was during college when we piled into a friends AMC Pacer and drove to Ottawa from Belleville. I couldn’t understand why so many other people were there. His songs are that personal. Most casual radio listeners will know titles like “Taxi” and “Cat’s In The Cradle”, but until you get inside the characters in epics like “Better Place To Me” (still my favorite) or “Mr. Tanner” you won’t understand. I still listen to the music of Harry Chapin almost daily. I also listen to the music of his daugher Jen Chapin, who is also gifted but not the same. The thing that makes me sad, is thinking about all the stories and places I didn’t get to go because of that tragic crash. When I get home, I will listen to “Sunday Morning Sunshine.” It reminds me of my wife, and always makes me smile.