Listen to Chelsea Williams' take on Jackson Browne's "These Days"
In Chelsea's own words:
I'm pretty sure I owned a
Jackson Browne record or two before I even had a device to play them on (
Carole King and
Neil Young make that list too). I just loved going to antique stores and thrift shops in my neighborhood and flipping through the dusty records.There was something about the smell of those things that made me happy. Old paper, dust, wax and the occasional 30 year old butt of a joint that would slip out from a fold out record. It always made my mind go wild, imagining the people who had listened to these records before me. My mom took note of this growing obsession of mine and bought me a record player for my 19th birthday. The first time I set the needle down on the vinyl and heard that crackle I was hooked.
For Everyman by
Jackson Browne was one of the very first vinyl records I listened to. His song "
These Days" immediately stood out to me. Years later, I heard
Nico's version and fell in love all over again. It's the kind of song you can keep discovering. I find new meaning in it every time I sing it.
I was lucky enough to get to sing with
Jackson Browne earlier this year. I was performing with
Marc Cohn in
California and Jackson happened to show up. The rain was coming down pretty hard that night, and he still had his rain boots and coat on, hair a little wild from the wind. When Marc called him up on stage, I was thrilled to get to shake his hand. I turned to leave the stage but Marc asked me to stay. I was nervous that I wouldn't know the song, but relaxed when I heard the first few chords of
Van Morrison's "Crazy Love." We sang in three part harmony, and I was beside myself. What a wondrous experience!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this cover of "
These Days" as much as I did recording this video somewhere off in the Angeles National Forest.
https://youtu.be/BTRJnimftPE