Song of the Day 4/30: Tom Rush, “No Regrets”
While the novel coronavirus has wreaked havoc on the music world, a few musicians have caught the bug and recovered. I didn’t even know folk icon Tom Rush had the disease until he announced this week that he has beaten it — no mean feat for a 79-year-old. He’s always been known as much for covering both old folk tunes and championing then-unknown singer-songwriters like Joni Mitchell and James Taylor as for his own material. This is arguably his best-known composition.
This one brought tears to many a freshman like me when we went away to college:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Dx6Zdx2AJ4
As Alby noted, Tom Rush covered a lot of other writers’ songs, and usually not only did them better, but introduced the writers to a larger audience. “Child’s Song” was written by Canadian folksinger/songwriter Murray McLauchlan, who was virtually unknown in the U.S.
McLauchlan didn’t release “Child’s Song” on vinyl until 1971, a year after Tom Rush released it on his 1970 self-titled album. Here’s McLauchlan’s version, from his album “Songs from the Street”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAHC8oWJz5Y
No one has done a better version of Joni Mitchell’s “The Urge for Going” than Tom Rush. That song got me through some tough times.
I bought the album for this song. The tone fit at the time.